After the latest attack at the hands of the PKK, a conference consisting of security officials, ministers, and top generals have met on Sunday. They are having talks on whether or not attacking PKK bases in Iraq is an option or not. Those are strong words coming from the Turkish government. However, there was no implication that an attack on those bases was imminent.
The PKK attacked by crossing the border from Iraq. They ambushed military troops near the Daglica village in the Hakkari province. The PPK suffered losses of thirty-two guerillas when the Turkish army called in reinforcements in the form of helicopters and artillery.
Earlier, they were asked by the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice not to take action for a few days. Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan added that this was proof that the United States government was taking the country’s concerns very seriously. They already requested to both the US and Iraqi militaries to flush out the PPK from in Kurdish-occupied northern Iraq. It’s said that at least three-thousand PKK fighters are based in northern Iraq.
The Turkish military and the PPK have been in regular fights since early 2007. While the Turkish government wants to attack, the United States are wanting them to calm down and restrain themselves. The US is concerned that if Turkey takes the action to attack the PKK bases in northern Iraq, it would destabilize the most peaceful part of the country.
Iraq’s current government had also expressed its concerns. They too do not want Turkey to strike across the border. As a result, Iraq’s president is giving the PKK an ultimatum: either lay down their arms or get out of Iraq.
After the Sunday night emergency meeting, the Turkish government has added that they will not tolerate that terrorism be supported. They add that they’re willing to pay the price to make sure that the rights and unity of the citizens are protected. In addition, they stated that they will continue to fight with determination to the very end against the terrorist organization.
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