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    Tuesday, January 6, 2009

    Turkey reports Kurdish desertions after air strikes in northern Iraq

    ANKARA — Turkey has reported widespread desertions by militants in the Kurdish Workers Party.  

    The Turkish military said the PKK has been struck by massive desertions over the last two months. The military said the desertions stemmed from heavy losses during Turkish air strikes on PKK bases in Iraq.

    "Since Dec. 16, Turkish Armed Forces air strikes on PKK targets in northern Iraq have created serious pressure on the organization," Turkish military spokesman Gen. Metin Gurak said.

    In a Dec. 26 briefing, Gurak, chairman of the communications department in the General Staff, said northern Iraq was no longer regarded as a safe haven by the PKK. He said an unspecified number of operatives have fled the Kurdish insurgency group.

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    The Turkish military has assessed that the PKK maintains up to 3,000 operatives in northern Iraq. Another 2,000 PKK fighters were said to be deployed in Turkey.

    Officials said raids by Turkish fighter-jets, most of them U.S.-origin F-16s, have sparked a flight of PKK combatants from the Kandil mountains in northern Iraq. They said PKK members have also encountered artillery attacks from neighboring Iran.

    Iraq has announced that it would help fight the PKK. Officials said Baghdad was expected to present proposals to battle the Kurdish insurgency in January.

    "We hope that Iraqi authorities could contribute to the fight against the PKK," Gurak said.  

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