By IANS
Ankara : Turkey’s leadership Sunday called for a cross-border military operation against the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) based in north of Iraq after deadly clashes between rebels and the Turkish military left 35 dead including 12 soldiers.
According to a statement from Turkish army’s general staff PKK rebels based in northern Iraq attacked three army posts at around 2 a.m. Sunday resulting in a fierce gun battle.
The ongoing battle has left so far 35 dead. At least 23 rebels had been “neutralized”, the statement said.
The clashes involved the use of attack helicopters by the Turkish army, DPA said.
Reacting to the attack, Turkish opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has said a cross-border military operation must definitely be launched into the north of Iraq against the PKK guerrillas, according to the semi-official Anatolia news agency.
MHP Chairman Devlet Bahceli said Turkish parliament had passed a motion Wednesday that allows the government to send troops into northern Iraq to track down the rebels.
“Turkish parliament and Turkish people stand behind this motion. Our government should be brave enough to take every kind of measures depending on this power behind it. The government should give its political order,” said Bahceli.
The Republican People’s Party (CHP) has also said that Turkey needs an effective policy against terrorism, according to the Chinese news agency Xinhua.
“A new national platform must be formed. Ruling and opposition parties, military and civilians should jointly determine an anti-terrorism policy,” the CHP chairman said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek, Interior Minister Besir Atalay and other senior officials held a meeting Sunday to discuss recent attacks by guerrillas.
The political and military leadership were also to meet President Abdullah Gul in the evening to discuss further actions, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday.
He referred to a resolution passed by the Turkish parliament, sanctioning cross-border missions by the military against rebels.
However, Erdogan also called for rational consideration of any further action.
Meanwhile in a separate incident in southeastern Turkey, 14 people were wounded when a mine exploded beneath their minibus, reports said Sunday.
The incident occurred near the border with Iraq.
According to the Turkish military there are around 3,500 PKK guerrillas based in mountainous northern Iraq.
More than 32,000 people have been killed since the PKK launched its fight for independence or autonomy for the mainly Kurdish-populated southeast.
Despite the PKK being listed as a terrorist group by the US State Department, Washington is opposed to Turkey launching a cross-border operation due to fears that such an incursion could spark unrest and fighting in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq, the one area of Iraq that is relatively calm.