Thursday, October 9, 2008

Turkish - Kurdish War Is Heating Up


Turkey Re-Authorizes Strikes In Iraq -- New York Times

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s parliament voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to extend by one year its authorization of military operations against Kurdish separatists in northern Iraq, keeping the door open to future strikes in the region.

The approval, by a vote of 497 to 18, had been largely expected, and occurred amid a flurry of attacks in Turkey’s largely Kurdish southeast. Seventeen Turkish soldiers were killed in an attack on a border post late last week, and Turkey responded with several days of air strikes in Iraqi territory. A fresh attack on Wednesday killed five police officers and wounded 19 others on the outskirts of Diyarbakir in the southeast.

Turkey, a NATO member, has been fighting Kurdish separatists in its southeast since the 1980s, though the conflict has died down substantially in recent years. An attack on a border post last year set off a political confrontation between Turkey and Iraq, with Turkey conducting air strikes and a brief ground operation into Iraq.

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More News On The Turkey/Kurd Conflict

Turkey extends authorization of military strikes in Iraq -- International herald Tribune
Five killed in attack on police bus in Turkey -- Reuters
Turkish parliament extends mandate on Iraq strikes -- AFP
Turkey backs PKK Iraq raid mandate -- Al Jazeera
Turkish lawmakers debate Kurd raids -- CNN

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