Turkey Bolsters Troops on Border With Iraq

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey has reinforced its border with Iraq with large contingents of soldiers, tanks, and armored personnel carriers as it urged America to crack down on Kurdish rebel bases there and debated staging a cross-border offensive.

For weeks, television stations have broadcast images of military trucks rumbling along the remote border with Iraq's Kurdish zone, and trains transferring tanks and guns to bolster an already formidable force in the area.

The Turkish military has said it routinely reinforces the border with Iraq in the summer to prevent infiltration by the guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK.

Prime Minister Erdogan urged the American and Iraqi governments to destroy PKK bases in northern Iraq, and did not rule out a cross-border operation.

"The target is to achieve results," Mr. Erdogan said Tuesday. "Our patience has run out. The necessary steps will be taken when needed."