Turkey Said To Attack Northern Iraq
BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government said Turkish artillery and warplanes bombarded areas of northern Iraq yesterday and called on Turkey to stop military operations and resort to dialogue. The claim occurred amid rising tension and Turkish threats to strike bases of the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK, which has been launching attacks against targets in Turkey from sanctuaries in Iraq.
Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told the Associated Press that the morning bombardment struck areas of the northern province of Dahuk, some 260 miles northwest of Baghdad.
Colonel Hussein Kamal said about 250 shells were fired into Iraq from Turkey. He added that there were no casualties on the Iraqi side of the border.
"We have received reports that the Turkish government and the Turkish army have bombed border villages. The Iraqi government regrets the Turkish military operations of artillery and warplanes bombing against border cities and towns," Mr. Dabbagh said.
"The Iraqi government calls for ceasing these operations and resorting to dialogue," he said, insisting that Iraq wants "good relations with Turkey."
Earlier yesterday, Kurdish guerrillas staged a bomb attack against a military vehicle, killing two soldiers and wounding six others near the Iraqi border, the state-run Anatolia news agency said.
The attack occurred close to the Iraqi border, near the town of Cukurca in Hakkari province, Anatolia said. Military helicopters flew the injured to hospitals as military units in the region launched an operation to hunt down the attackers, it said.
Last week, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Turkey had massed 140,000 soldiers along the border — a figure that the American government disputed. Mr. Zebari said troop levels in the region were often increased during the spring and summer in response to increased activity by PKK. American officials cast doubt on the figure.
Turkish officials have repeatedly said they are considering military operations against the PKK in Iraq, a move that the American government fears would cause further instability.
