Officials said the Kurdish Workers Party has succeeded in ambushing
Turkish military troops near the border with Iraq and Syria. They said PKK
squads, armed with light weapons and rocket-propelled grenades, have caused
significant casualties to Turkish forces.
"We have already asked Iraq to take the necessary steps in order to not
let its territory be used by terrorists against Turkey," the Turkish Foreign
Ministry according to Middle East Newsline. "If Iraq is not able to do so, it is Turkey's right, based on
international law, to protect its borders."
"A northern Iraq which neighbors Turkey is gravely wrong in the way it
is currently acting, and this could result in a very heavy cost for them
later," Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said on April 9.
Officials said the Turkish military has threatened to launch an invasion
of northern Iraq to destroy PKK training camps. But they said the proposed
operation has been blocked by Erdogan.
At the same time, Erdogan and other Turkish ministers have accused the
autonomous Kurdish government in northern Iraq of protecting the PKK. The
Kurdish government and Ankara have also been engaged in a war of words
regarding control of Kirkuk, the oil center of northern Iraq.
On Tuesday, Turkey's National Security Council discussed the spike in
PKK attacks and their link to Iraq. A statement said the council reviewed
"political, economic and other approaches to be followed from now on."
"The armed forces will continue with determination operations [against
the PKK]," the statement said.
On April 9, Turkey reported the death of eight soldiers and a security
guard. During the previous day, five soldiers and the guard were killed in
the Sirnak province. In the other incident, three soldiers were killed by
mines believed planted by the PKK in Bingol.
The Turkish Army has sent more than 10,000 troops in a
search-and-destroy operation near the Iraqi border. But officials said the
army has failed to stop the Iraqi-based supply line to PKK fighters.
Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani has warned that his government
would interfere in the predominantly Kurdish areas of southern Turkey.
Barzani said 30 million Kurds live in Turkey.
"Barzani's words are extremely disturbing, unacceptable and regarded as
a provocation," Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said.
In 2006, more than 100 Turkish soldiers and security officers were
killed in PKK attacks. Officials said the rate of casualties in 2007 could
exceed that of last year.
"The source of the ethnic terrorism that is claiming lives in Turkey is
Iraq," Turkish government spokesman Cemil Cicek said.
