U.S.-Backed Turkish Invasion of Northern Iraq Continues

On Thursday, thousands of Turkish troops, backed by air support, launched the largest cross-border ground offensive into Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein. The Turkish government accuses the PKK of using northern Iraq as a base to launch attacks inside Turkey.

Since the major air and ground offensive began, Turkey says over 100 Kurdish militants have been killed along with 15 Turkish soldiers. The PKK claims that 47 Turkish soldiers have been killed. The PKK also said its fighters brought down a Turkish army helicopter on Sunday.

There have been no confirmed reports of civilian casualties, but residents in villages near the border say they are being targeted in Turkish air strikes and artillery barrages.

Washington has sanctioned limited cross-border operations by Turkey against the PKK, which it considers to be a terrorist organization and has been described by President Bush as a “common enemy”. The US has provided the Turkish military with intelligence on the militants" positions and opened up Iraq’s airspace to facilitate bombing raids. Turkey says the military offensive is justified.

Iraq’s government has criticized the offensive and said it had only had been informed of the Turkish incursion “in the last minute”–and did not approve it. Meanwhile, the leadership of Iraqi Kurdistan said that any targeting of Kurdish civilians would result in “massive resistance” by its Peshmerga forces.

Kani Xulam, Director of the American Kurdish Information Network

Related Links

• American Kurdish Information Network

Related Democracy Now! Stories

• Kurdish Human Rights Activist Kerim Yildiz Speaks Out on Escalating Turkish-Kurdish Clashes on Iraq Border (10/24/2007)