Turkey strikes 31 PKK bases in northern Iraq

12/10/2008

ANKARA, Turkey -- The General Staff announced on Saturday (October 11th) that Turkish armed forces struck 31 bases used by the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the Hakurk region of northern Iraq Friday night. It was part of a week-long operation against the PKK, to avenge an attack in southeastern Turkey that killed 17 Turkish soldiers. President Abdullah Gul said on Saturday -- for the first time publicly -- that Turkey is leading talks with authorities in northern Iraq on possible measures to curb PKK activities there. Separately Saturday, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn warned Turkey that measures against Kurdish militants should not violate human rights.

In other news Saturday, police in Istanbul announced they detained a woman with 20kg of explosives. Police say the explosives were to be used in a terrorist act in the city's central Sisli district.

In Brussels, meanwhile, hundreds of Kurds bussed in from Germany, France and the Netherlands rallied on Saturday for the release of Abdullah Ocalan. The former PKK leader is serving a life sentence for separatism in a Turkish prison. (Vatan - 12/10/08; Reuters, AFP, DPA, Hurriyet, RIA Novosti, Anadolu news agency, NTV - 11/10/08)