<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> WorldTribune.com: Mobile — Turkey withdraws, claims success, denies yielding to U.S. demands

Turkey withdraws, claims success, denies yielding to U.S. demands

Tuesday, March 4, 2008 Free Headline Alerts

ANKARA — Turkey has ended its military invasion of Iraq.

Officials said Turkey's military withdrew its troops over the weekend from northern Iraq, Middle East Newsline reported. They said the military determined that the Kurdish insurgence movement was significantly damaged in the week-long operation.

The invasion was aborted less than 24 hours after the visit of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Gates was said to have appealed to Ankara to end its ground operation in Iraq as soon as possible.

"Without a doubt, it is impossible to render the entire terrorist organization ineffective with an operation in only one region," the military said in a statement on Feb. 29. "However, it is shown to the group that Iraq's north is not a safe area for terrorists."

"I think we got our message through," Gates said after he left Ankara.

The military ruled out any connection between the Gates visit and the withdrawal from Iraq. Officials said the campaign, which began on Feb. 21, killed 240 PKK operatives in the Zap region of Iraq.

"The beginning and the end of the operation has been determined by us out of military reasons and needs," the military said. "Any foreign influence did not play a role in the Turkish Armed Forces' decision."

The Kurdish Workers Party has reported the downing of a Turkish military Cobra attack helicopter that operated in Iraq. Ankara has acknowledged the crash of the helicopter.

The Turkish General Staff said the military damaged or destroyed 126 caves, 290 shelters, 12 command centers, 11 communication facilities, six training facilities, 23 logistic facilities, 18 transportation facilities, 40 artillery and 59 anti-aircraft positions. The statement said most of the PKK fighters have been neutralized, but stressed that the insurgency was not eliminated.

"The aim of the operation was to destroy the infrastructure of the terrorist group in the region and this aim was mostly realized," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said. "We believe this will also benefit Iraq's long-term stability. Some may speculate, but the start of the operation, targets and the withdrawal were all executed as per the Office of the Chief of Staff's plans."

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