Turkish President Abdullah Gul praised the US on Wednesday for providing military intelligence as Ankara confirmed its third air strike in 10 days against Kurdish rebel hideouts in northern Iraq. "Things are going on well at the moment. Intelligence is being shared" between the two Nato allies, Anatolia news agency quoted Gul as saying in Ankara.
The US support "befits our alliance," Gul said, adding: "Both of us are satisfied. This is how it should be. We could have come to this point earlier." Wednesday's air strike was the third against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq that the military has confirmed since December 16, in addition to a cross-border ground operation.
The raid followed intelligence that "a large group of terrorists, who have been watched for a long time, are preparing to pass the winter in eight caves and hideouts in the Zap region", the general staff said in a statement. "Our warplanes hit the targets in an effective air raid that started in the morning hours of December 26," it said, without mentioning casualties.