Agence France-Presse,
ANKARA: The Turkish military confirmed Thursday that its warplanes targeted a group of Kurdish rebels in neighbouring northern Iraq Wednesday — the latest in a series of cross-border air raids.
The planes struck a group of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants in the Khakurk area who were attempting to sneak across the border into Turkey, a brief statement on the army's web site said.
The group was “rendered ineffective,” it said, without saying how many militants were killed.
The bombardment began at about 1300 GMT and lasted for about 45 minutes, the Firat news agency had reported after the raid Wednesday, quoting PKK sources.
Turkish warplanes have targeted PKK positions in northern Iraq since mid-December. In February, the army conducted a week-long ground offensive against PKK hideouts in the region, where, Ankara estimates, more than 2,000 militants take refuge.
The Turkish government has a one-year parliamentary authorisation, which expires in October, for cross-border raids against the PKK.
The United States has backed Turkish military action against the rebels by providing real-time intelligence on PKK movements in Iraq.
The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Turkey and much of the international community, has been fighting for self-rule in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast since 1984. The conflict has claimed more than 37,000 lives.
