By NNN-KUNA
Istanbul : Turkish F-16 jets have shelled PKK targets in northern Iraq in a fresh Turkish attack against Kurdish rebels across the border, the Turkish army said here.
Some 14 Turkish F-16s hit rebel Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) targets at Hokork in north Iraq, and safely returned to their bases, the Turkish army general staff said in an online release Tuesday.
The Turkish attack came at a time when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Turkish government could seek to extend a parliamentary mandate to strike at Kurdish targets in northern Iraq as the current mandate will expire in October.
For his part, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said the Turkish army would continue attacks against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq until it finally eradicates the PKK. He reiterated Turkey’s right to hunt PKK rebels in Iraqi territories.
Last week, US President George W. Bush assured Gul that the US would support Turkey in its war against PKK fighters, but he urged Ankara to find a long-term political solution to the issue.
On Nov 17, the Turkish parliament authorised the army to launch a large-scale military operation in northern Iraq to crush Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) rebels based there.