By Xinhua
Ankara : Tanks of the Turkish Armed Forces are continuing heading to Iraq at southeastern Habur border Fridayas part of the ground operation launched against the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) in north of Iraq, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.
Turkish tanks from south-eastern province of Sirnak’s Silopi town are heading for the north of Iraq in fighting against the PKK targets.
Turkish General Staff said Friday Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) has launched a cross-border ground operation into the north of Iraq.
According a statement posted on the general staff website, TSK launched a cross-border ground operation into north of Iraq as of 1900 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Thursday following an artillery bombardment.
The ground operation is backed by Turkish Air Forces jets, the General Staff said, adding that Turkish Armed Forces would return to Turkey after it achieves the planned targets.
The Turkish military has launched several cross-border attacks to fight separatist PKK rebels, who use northern Iraq as a launch pad for attacks against Turkey.
The PKK, listed by the United States and Turkey as a terrorist group, took up arms against Turkey in 1984 with the aim of creating an ethnic homeland in the southeast of the country. More than 30,000 people have been killed in the two-decade conflict.