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Turkish Troops Cross Into Iraq

Posted Dec 18, 07 6:14 AM CST in World 

(Newser) – Turkey sent hundreds of troops across the Iraqi border today to battle Kurdish separatists, the first large-scale ground incursion since tensions rose in the fall, Reuters reports. About 300 lightly armed troops arrived in a semi-autonomous mountainous region, Iraqi officials said. Ankara had no immediate comment on the operation, which follows a series of air raids in Kurdish Iraqi territory this weekend.

The sortie comes as Condoleezza Rice arrives in Kurdish Iraq on a visit. Washington has expressed its sympathy with Turkish claims that Kurdish separatists are destabilizing the country, but it is trying to dissuade the Turkish military from any operations that would further harm Iraq. Although tensions remain high in the border region, a winter invasion of northern Iraq is highly unlikely.

Source Reuters

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U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, right, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, left, meet with Kurdish officials in Kirkuk, Iraq Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2007. Rice made an unannounced visit Tuesday...   (Associated Press)
Turkish Air Force fighters fly over a national flag during a ceremony on the Victory Day in Ankara, Turkey, in this Aug. 30, 2007 file photo. Turkish warplanes hit Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq...   (Associated Press)
A Turkish soldier patrols in the Sirnak province, on the Turkish-Iraqi border, southeastern Turkey, Monday, Nov. 12, 2007. The Iraqi military says that 300 Turkish troops have entered the country's north.   (Associated Press)
In this November file photo, Turkish soldiers secure the area as they patrol with their platoon in Sirnak province, on the Turkish-Iraqi border, southeastern Turkey. The Turkish army sent soldiers into...   (Associated Press)
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Iraq • Condoleezza Rice • Turkey • Kurdistan • Kurdistan Workers' Party • Kurdish rebels


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