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At least four Turkish soldiers were killed in fighting with the PKK on
Tuesday. The fighting took place as the military sent hundreds of elite
troops to the Turkish provinces of Hakari and Sirnak along the Iraqi border
for commando raids of PKK facilities.
Turkey has amassed 100,000 troops, supported by main battle tanks,
fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, along the Iraqi border to prepare for
an invasion of Iraq. Officials said the military has warned that a major
operation must take place over the next few weeks before the winter snow
blocks ground movement.
Erdogan has told his ruling Justice and Development Party that a Turkish
invasion of Iraq was "approaching." But in a closed meeting on Nov. 12, the
prime minister was not reported to have provided details.
The sources said Turkish AH-1W Cobra attack helicopters and F-16
multi-role fighters pounded PKK training bases in the Kandil mountains on
early Tuesday. The sources said the camps appeared to have
been empty as most of the 3,000 PKK fighters had fled south or toward the
border with Iran.
This was the first major Turkish air strike since Erdogan met U.S.
President George Bush in Washington on Nov. 5. During their meeting, Bush
pledged to provide Turkey with U.S. intelligence on PKK targets.
"The United States has declared the PKK as the common enemy," Erdogan
told parliament on Tuesday. "The struggle against this enemy will be
maintained until it is eliminated."
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