By Xinhua
Ankara : Turkish President Abdullah Gul has called his Iraqi counterpart Jalal Talabani and invited him to visit Turkey, said a statement released by Turkish presidential press center Friday.
The statement said Gul briefed Talabani about the ground operation which Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) initiated on Thursday against outlawed Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) in the north of Iraq.
Meanwhile, Gul conveyed Talabani Turkish National Security Council’s (MGK) decision to develop bilateral relations with Iraq in every area, it said.
Turkish General Staff said Friday Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) has launched a cross-border ground operation in fighting against the PKK in the north of Iraq.
“Long-range weapons and Turkish Air Forces jets pounded targets between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on February 21 in order to neutralize members of the PKK stationed in north of Iraq and to destroy organizational infrastructure in the region,” said a statement posted on the general staff website.
According the statement, TSK launched a cross-border ground operation into north of Iraq as of 7 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Thursday following this successful artillery bombardment.
The ground operation is backed by Turkish Air Forces jets, the General Staff said, adding that Turkish Armed Forces, which paid significant attention to Iraq’s territorial integrity and stability, would return to Turkey after it achieves the planned targets.