Turkey has declared several areas near the border with Iraq to be “temporary security zones” in a sign of increasing activity by the military in its campaign against Kurdish rebels. The declaration on Wednesday came amid a Turkish military buildup on the border, and on the same day as Turkish security officials and an Iraqi Kurdish official said hundreds of Turkish troops crossed into northern Iraq in pursuit of Kurdish guerrillas who launch raids into Turkey. Turkey’s foreign minister denied there was a cross-border operation.
The military did not clarify what it meant by “temporary security zones,” but some Turkish media reports on Thursday said the areas would be off-limits to civilian flights. Others said the zones meant that additional security measures would be implemented, and entry into the regions would be restricted and tightly controlled.
In a statement posted on its Web site, the Turkish military released the coordinates of the areas that would be affected and said the zones would be in place until Sept. 9, but gave no other information.
Newspapers said the coordinates relate to areas of the provinces of Sirnak, Siirt and Hakkari. Sirnak and Hakkari border northern Iraq, while Siirt is further north of the border. All three provinces have been the scene of fighting with Kurdish rebels.
Three Turkish officials described Wednesday’s cross-border operation as a “hot pursuit” raid that was limited in scope, and one of them said troops returned to their bases by the end of the day. Turkey has conducted such brief raids in the past, but the latest incident comes as rebels escalate attacks in their decades-old fight for autonomy in southeast Turkey.