Turkish minister: military raid into northern Iraq possible

Sep 13, 2011, 13:00 GMT

Istanbul A Turkish military incursion into northern Iraq against bases operated by the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is an option, Turkish Interior Minister Idris Naim Sahin told the Anatolian state news agency Tuesday.

But a ministry official told the German Press Agency dpa that any such move would only be taken after consulation with Baghdad and the semi-autonomous regional government of Iraqi Kurdistan. No such consultations have been conducted to date.

The threat comes after a series of attacks in the past weeks by the PKK on military and civilian targets inside Turkey.

The Turkish air force bombed suspected PKK bases in northern Iraq last month, following a series of attacks inside Turkey during July and August which left more than 20 Turkish soldiers dead.

Most recently an attack by the PKK against a police station in the south-eastern Turkish town of Semdinli left four dead, including three civilians.

The PKK, which is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey - as well as the European Union and the United States - has conducted a 25-year insurgency aimed at establishing an independent Kurdish state in south-eastern Turkey, claiming more than 40,000 lives.

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