Turkish commandos crossed the border into northern Iraq in pursuit of
terrorists from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on Wednesday
after the the terrorists killed 24 Turkish soldiers in attacks in
southeast Turkey, military sources in the region told Reuters.
They said there were intermittent clashes between the troops, who
advanced some 3-4 km into Iraqi territory, and the PKK terrorists in the
border area near Chukurca in Hakkari province.
Recently, Turkey's Parliament passed a bill extending permission, as it
has done several times since 2007, for the Turkish military to mount
cross-border operations against members of the PKK in northern Iraq
during the coming year. Turkish air and artillery operations against
suspected PKK members in the Kandil Mountains have intensified since
August. The strikes were ordered after a break of more than a year in
retaliation for an increase in PKK attacks on security forces inside
Turkey.
In initial comments on simultaneous terrorist attacks in the
southeastern province of Hakkari on Wednesday that killed 24 policemen
and soldiers, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said those who caused this
pain will be met with retaliation as he vowed a "great revenge" for the
attacks.
"Those who caused us to suffer this pain will suffer equally. Those who
assume that they can shake the Turkish state in this way will see that
our revenge for these attacks will be great. They will eventually see
that they cannot wage a war against the Turkish state. Those who aid
them should also learn their lessons and endure the consequences of
this. The whole world should know that Turkey will go ahead with its
fight against terrorism with determination until the very end. Turkey
will never be shaken," Gul told reporters in the wake of the attacks.
Stating that fighting with terrorism is a long process, Gul underscored
that Turkey is determined to fight the PKK. "If some are assuming that
democratic developments in Turkey were obtained through acts of
terrorism, they are seriously deluded. It is different to protect the
rights of our own citizens and to fight terror without any concessions,"
the president added.
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