Turkey Attacks Rebels Inside Iraq, Inflicts 'Significant Losses'

ISTANBUL, Turkey – The Turkish military said Saturday that it fired on a group of between 50 and 60 Kurdish rebels inside Iraqi territory, inflicting "significant losses."

It did not say whether Turkish troops had crossed the border into Iraq. The U.S. military said it had no reports of a Turkish incursion across the Iraqi border.

The military said on its Web site that the rebels were detected following intelligence work and that military operations in the region would continue if necessary. The United States is sharing intelligence on the Kurdish insurgents with Turkey, but the Turkish military did not say whether it conducted Saturday's operation with American help.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that the government had granted authorization to its military to launch a cross-border offensive against Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq at any time.

The military said the attack on guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, occurred "inside Iraqi borders," southeast of Cukurca, a Turkish border town in Hakkari province. Hakkari, where rebels are active, is in the southeast corner of Turkey and shares a border with Iran as well as Iraq.

The statement did not specify whether the Turks fired from the Turkish or Iraqi side of the border.

"There was an intensified operation against the mentioned terrorists using fire support vehicles," the statement said. "It is observed through technical means that the terrorist group suffered significant losses as a result of the operation."

The statement also said: "If necessary, there will be other operations in the region, using other means."

Firat, a pro-Kurdish news agency, reported that Turkish army units shelled the Dola Mir and Dola Merge areas in northern Iraq on Saturday. A Firat reporter said the areas are across the border from Cukurca.

"No pinpoint operation or military movement was observed after the shelling that lasted nearly two hours," Firat said, citing Iraqi Kurdish officials.

Turkish forces have periodically shelled suspected rebel positions across the Iraqi border, and have sometimes carried out "hot pursuits" — limited raids on the Iraqi side that sometimes last only a few hours.

Erdogan's announcement on Friday followed communication in recent weeks between the military and the government concerning the scope of a possible operation against the PKK. A top general had said the military was awaiting a government directive on how to proceed against the group, which has been fighting the Turkish state since 1984.

Parliament voted Oct. 17 to authorize the government to order a cross-border operation against the PKK, which seeks autonomy for the Kurdish minority in southeastern Turkey.

Turkey has massed tens of thousands of Turkish troops along the border with Iraq amid a series of attacks by Kurdish insurgents. But some military officials have said Turkey is more likely to stage airstrikes and raids by special forces instead of a large-scale occupation of Iraqi territory that could carry greater military and political risks.

The United States and Iraq urged Turkey to avoid a major operation against PKK bases in northern Iraq, fearing such an operation would destabilize what has been the calmest region in the country. In a Nov. 5 meeting with Erdogan, U.S. President George W. Bush promised to share intelligence on the PKK with the Turkish government.