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| Iraq |
| More targets hit, 153 terrorists killed in 4th day of offensive |
| 2008-02-27 |
| Turkish troops backed by helicopter gunships and jet fighters pressed ahead with an offensive against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the fourth day of the military campaign, destroying more PKK targets and killing dozens of its members, the General Staff announced in a statement yesterday. Some 30 targets belonging to the PKK were effectively hit by fighter planes in the latest stage of the offensive, the military said. Some 41 terrorists were killed, bringing the number of PKK casualties since the operation began late on Thursday to 153. Two soldiers died, bringing the number of fallen soldiers to 17. The military also said "foreign terrorists" were acting on their own and trying to seize control of the PKK's "armed structure." The term "foreign terrorists" was referring to Syrian members of the PKK, who reportedly have been in a deepening conflict with the PKK's Turkish Kurdish leadership. News reports said recently that 10 PKK members died when the Syrian group attempted to poison PKK leader Murat Karaylan. Troops in "critical spots" have been reinforced in the past 24 hours while others have been replaced by new troops, according to the military. Sources said the troops were heading to the PKK's command centers in the Kandil Mountains on the Iran-Iraq border after destroying the terrorist group's camps close to the Turkish border. The PKK's Zap, Avaþin and Hakurk camps near the border have been rendered uninhabitable by the Turkish military assaults and 40 out of a total of around 250 PKK camps and hideouts have so far been brought down and cleared of terrorists and ammunition by the Turkish forces. Kandil is located about 100 kilometers from the border, and it has been hit by artillery shells and jet fighters since the second day of the operation. A total of eight command posts along with 17 training centers, 21 logistics centers, 12 anti-aircraft positions and 18 ammunition depots have also been blown up. Troops continue to leave no stone unturned in hideouts situated in the Pirbena, Keþan, Muzure, Kaþura, Trvanis, Beritan, Zap, Zagros, Gare and Metina camps. Special forces and commandos are razing every PKK hideout situated around 20 kilometers inside the Turkish-Iraqi border so that terrorists will not be able to use them again in the spring, an objective set by the Turkish army prior to the operation. PKK terrorists in the destroyed camps were fleeing to the south, creating the risk that Turkish troops chasing them might come face to face with Kurdish peshmerga forces. The military said in a statement on Sunday that the local forces were expected to prevent the terrorists from entering their region and hiding there. |
| Posted by:Fred |