Turkish jets bombed 60 targets in northern Iraq used as bases by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) following an ambush by the outlawed group that killed nine troops, the military and rebels said Thursday. Turkey's air force launched a "successful" operation against 60 targets in the Qandil and Hakurk regions late Wednesday, said the General Staff in a statement on its website. The PKK said the attacks resumed in the morning.
The Turkish military said its operations at home and in the north of Iraq, used as a safe haven by the PKK, "will continue until it is eradicated." Some 168 targets in the Qandil region were under intense artillery fire before the military operation began, the military added.
Dozdar Hammo, the PKK spokesman, said the jets also bombed rebel bases in the Qandil and Khanairah areas of north Iraq near the Turkish border for about an hour from around 8:00 am (0500 GMT) on Thursday. Hammo said no casualties were reported from the latest strikes or the raids on Wednesday night, which he said lasted for about two hours starting at 9:00 pm (1800 GMT).
It is the first time in more than a year that the Turkish military has carried out air strikes on PKK bases in northern Iraq. The strikes followed the deadly attack on Wednesday in the town of Cukurca in the south-east of the country claimed by the PKK, which is branded a terrorist group by Turkey as well as the European Union and United States. Wednesday's attack came after Turkey's government announced a "new era" in the fight against the PKK. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who earlier signalled tougher measures against rebels after the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, said after the attack that the government had "run out of patience".
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