Turkey Launches Ground Operation Against PKK In Northern Iraq

Official statement released today by Turkish Armed Forces [TSK] said that Turkish troops entered northern Iraq at 7 PM on Thursday night, to neutralize PKK terrorists based there and to destroy the organization’s infrastructure in the region. The statement said that the target of the operation was PKK alone and the military would continue to employ utmost caution and sensitivity to prevent collateral damage, reiterating that Turkey attaches great importance to Iraq’s territorial integrity and stability.

The statement which was posted on TSK’s website added that the Turkish forces would return into Turkey’s borders, as soon as possible, after completing their mission. While the Turkish media organs are saying that 10,000 troops crossed the border into Iraq under very harsh winter conditions, TSK did not provide any numbers for its forces participating in the “Operation Gunes [Sun]” that took its name from the three-year-old Gunes, the orphaned daughter of corporal Kazim Aksoy who was killed in a PKK attack in Gabar.

Source: All Turkish dailies, February 22, 2008

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