Officials said Turkey, amid nearly daily air attacks, was conducting
high-level talks with Iraq for a
joint operation against the Kurdish Workers Party. They said the discussions
included a counter-insurgency commitment by the Kurdish Regional Government,
accused of harboring PKK.
"An evaluation is still in the works," Sahin told a briefing on Sept.
13. "But our operations continue to battle crime and criminals on land, as
well as maintaining control. A cross-border incursion may be conducted
depending on talks with the neighboring countries.
Officials said Turkey has been sending special forces into Iraq's Kandil
mountains to search for PKK targets. They said the forces were being aided
by unmanned aerial vehicles supplied by Israel.
"These are matters not to be discussed but to be done," Turkish Deputy
Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said. "It will happen when the time comes, and
the prime minister and the government will decide and instruct the relevant
authorities to act."
Officials said the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan was told
that a Turkish invasion must be launched over the next month before winter
conditions begin in Kandil. The government has authority from parliament for
an invasion of Turkey until Oct. 17.
On Sept. 12, the government and military held a security summit in
Ankara in which a ground invasion of Iraq was discussed. Officials said the
Foreign Ministry relayed requests to Baghdad as well as KRG for help against
the PKK. KRG was said to control a force of nearly 100,000 in the north.
"Within or outside of this authority, Turkey is capable of making any
decision on incursions regarding security reasons," Arinc said.