Turkish forces claim they killed 30 during a Kurdish guerrilla attack near the Iraqi border last night just hours before talks to avoid a major military incursion were due to be held in Ankara.
An Iraqi delegation lead by the Defence Minister will arrive in Turkey today as the Turkish Government demanded concrete action against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is based in northern Iraq.
The delegation will try to convince Turkish officials that Baghdad can shut down PKK operations within its borders without a full-blown military attack from Turkey.
President Abdullah Gul of Turkey, warned Iraq: “We are running out of patience and we will not tolerate the use of Iraqi soil for terrorist activities. We are fully determined to take all necessary steps to end this threat.”
The border crisis erupted after an ambush by rebel PKK militia at the weekend left 12 Turkish soldiers dead, a further eight are thought to have been kidnapped.
The Turkish military said today that they had killed more than 30 Kurdish separatist rebels during an attempted guerrilla attack last night.
The military announced that a “crowded group of terrorists” were seen approaching a military outpost near the border in the province of Semdinli. Turkish forces opened fire with tanks, artillery units and other heavy weaponry bringing the Kurdish death toll since Sunday to at least 64.
Ankara has refused to countenance signing a ceasefire with the PKK claiming that it will not negotiate with a terrorist group. Instead the Government has insisted that unless Baghdad and the Kurdish rulers in northern Iraq can prevent further attacks Turkey will launch a military attack across the border.
The US and UK have been vociferous in urging Turkey to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis rather than resorting to military action, but shelling and air strikes have already been launched.
Cemil Cicek, Deputy Prime Minister, was quoted by government MPs as saying that F16 fighter jets and rockets had hit PKK camps close to the border and even ventured as far as 50 kilometres inside Iraq.
Diyarbakir military airport in southeast Turkey has launched a stream of bomb-laden aircraft into Iraqi airspace. Military sources confirmed a series of “hot pursuit” air attacks had taken place.
Washington fears that if these military sorties into Iraq escalate the most peaceful part of the war-torn country would be destabilised.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Prime Minister, has made it clear that since parliament has approved a mandate to launch a military incursion, he could approve an attack at any time.
“(The United States) may not want us to carry out a cross-border operation. But it is we who will decide whether to do one or not,” he said during a trip to Romania.
That decision is likely to move nearer to a conclusion today as the Iraqi delegation arrives in Ankara. Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi, Defence Minister, Sherwan al-Waili, Minister of State for National Security, and Yassin Majid, an adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister will meet Turkish officials to outline their plan to curb the PKK.
Mr Majid said: “It will discuss all issues between the two countries. The political choice will be the first solution to solve the crisis. The Iraqi government insists on dialogue and cooperation to solve the crisis.”
The Iraqi Government has already pledged to shut down PKK camps but Baghdad is known to have little authority in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Members of the Kurdish administration will also be present at today’s meeting.
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