Report: 10,000 Turkish Troops Cross into Northern Iraq

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) -- Some 10,000 Turkish troops have crossed into northern Iraq
and are preparing to battle Kurdish rebels there, local officials and reports said Saturday.

The troops were stationed near the city of Sulaymaniyah, more than 100 miles into Iraqi
territory, Turkey's daily Hurriyet said.

Hurriyet and Belgium-based Kurdish Medya TV said the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
(PUK), which controls the area around Sulaymaniyah, had asked Turkey to send in troops to
help in its battle against Kurdish rebels in the region.

Northern Iraq has been governed by two rival Iraqi Kurdish factions since the aftermath of
the 1991 Gulf War.

Medya TV and Al-Iraq daily, a state-run paper in Iraq, reported that some 200 PUK fighters
have been killed in clashes with the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. The
casualty figure could not be confirmed.

Both the PUK and its rival Iraqi Kurdish faction have agreed to join Turkey to fight the PKK
rebels. Turkish troops have battled the PKK since 1984, frequently crossing into northern
Iraq, in a war that has killed some 37,000 people, mostly Kurds.

Hurriyet said the troops, backed by tanks, had crossed into Iraq on Dec. 20 and were
preparing for a large-scale "cleanup" operation. Kurdish sources reported no clashes between
Turkish troops and the rebels.

Officials in southeastern Turkey confirmed that Turkish troops, including special forces, had
crossed into Iraqi territory, but gave no details. Turkey's military refused to comment on the
reports. PUK officials were not available for comment.

The PKK withdrew most of its fighters from Turkey and announced an end to their armed
struggle for autonomy in southeast Turkey last year. Turkey has rejected the cease-fire and
vowed to fight on until all rebels have surrendered.
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The Kurdistan Observer
www.kurdistanobserver.com