Reports say Turkey's military has launched air raids on suspected Kurdish rebel bases in northern Iraq in apparent retaliation for a reported Kurdish rebel ambush that killed eight Turkish soldiers and a village guard.
The reports say the Turkish warplanes targeted suspected bases in the mountainous Qandil region and other areas of Iraq used by the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.
Turkey's military said today the air raids targeted some 60 Kurdish rebel targets in Iraq and added all warplanes returned safely to their bases.
The military also said Turkish artillery fired on 168 targets in the region before the air strikes.
The air operation was launched after the ambush of a Turkish military convoy in Hakkari Province, near the Iraqi border, which killed at least eight Turkish soldiers and a village guard who was working with them on August 17.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the killings, saying those responsible would have to pay a price. I
In July, 13 Turkish soldiers were killed in a single attack by suspected rebels. More than 40,000 people have been killed in violence linked to the PKK's battle for self-rule since 1984.
compiled from agency reports
The reports say the Turkish warplanes targeted suspected bases in the mountainous Qandil region and other areas of Iraq used by the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.
Turkey's military said today the air raids targeted some 60 Kurdish rebel targets in Iraq and added all warplanes returned safely to their bases.
The military also said Turkish artillery fired on 168 targets in the region before the air strikes.
The air operation was launched after the ambush of a Turkish military convoy in Hakkari Province, near the Iraqi border, which killed at least eight Turkish soldiers and a village guard who was working with them on August 17.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the killings, saying those responsible would have to pay a price. I
In July, 13 Turkish soldiers were killed in a single attack by suspected rebels. More than 40,000 people have been killed in violence linked to the PKK's battle for self-rule since 1984.
compiled from agency reports