ANKARA — Turkey has launched another offensive against Kurdish
insurgents.
The Turkish military has begun a major operation against the Kurdish
Workers Party near the border with Iraq. Officials said the offensive began
on Jan. 19 in southeastern Turkey near the city of Tunceli.
The Turkish operation included air and ground strikes against PKK
strongholds in the mountains along the border, Middle East Newsline reported. Officials said
suspected PKK camps were bombed and strafed.
The offensive included Turkey military and security forces. Officials
said two AH-1S Cobra attack helicopters were deployed in the operation.
The Turkish operation came in wake of a U.S.-led attack on the PKK in
northern Iraq. Iraqi and U.S. troops targeted a Kurdish refugee camp at
Makhmour near the Turkish border on Jan. 19.
Turkey has identified Makhmour as a stronghold of the PKK. The Ankara
government has asserted that Makhmour comprised a haven for PKK operatives
and called for the closure of the camp.
The raid of Makhmour was the first anti-PKK operation taken by the
U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. For nearly two years, Turkey pressed the Bush
administration to eliminate the PKK presence in northern Iraq.
