For many months, Turkey has been fighting against the PKK. Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish Prime Minister said that its ground offensive is limited in both scale and the number of troops. The United Nations (UN) has urged Turkey to use restraint.
A statement from the Turkish army explains: “It has been understood from preliminary information that the terrorists have suffered heavy losses under long-range weapons fire and air-strikes.”
On TV, Erdogan said: “The target, purpose, size and parameters of this operation are limited.”
“Our armed forces will come back in the shortest time possible as soon as they achieve their objectives,” he added. Erdogan insisted that the only targets were the PKK rebels that were hiding out in northern Iraq.
The PKK is deemed a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union (EU). Recently, there has been little activity by the PKK since October and November of 2007.
The US and Iraq have urged Turkey to use restraint. The US has given concern that it could destabilize northern Iraq which is considered the most stable part of the country.
Leave Your Comments