Turkey Vows to Defeat Kurdish Rebels at Any Cost

WASHINGTON, DC - Turkey has vowed to defeat Kurdish rebels conducting cross-border attacks from northern Iraq, after rebels killed at least 12 soldiers in an ambush Sunday in southeastern Turkey.

A government statement Sunday says Turkey will pay "whatever price" is necessary to protect its rights and citizens.

The warning followed emergency talks between Turkey's President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister (Recep Tayyip Erdogan and military leaders.

Earlier Sunday, Turkey's military said Kurdish rebels ambushed an army unit near the town of Yuksekova in Hakkari province, near the Iraqi border. Turkey's defense minister Vecdi Gonul says at least 12 soldiers were killed.

The military says Turkish forces killed 32 Kurdish rebels in a counteroffensive.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, called Sunday for rebels to adopt peaceful methods or leave Iraqi Kurdistan.

During a news conference with the president, the leader of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, Massoud Barzani, said his people will defend themselves if attacked by foreign forces.

Iraq's parliament on Sunday condemned the use of force, and it also called on Baghdad to stop attacks by the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.

President Bush has condemned the PKK attack.

U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack says the United States will continue to work with Turkey and Iraq against the PKK, which the United States considers a terrorist organization.

Iraqi officials reported shelling from Turkish forces towards villages in northern Iraq Sunday. No casualties were reported.

Turkey's government won parliamentary approval Wednesday for military raids into northern Iraq to hunt for the rebels, who Ankara blames for other recent deadly attacks in southern Turkey.

Source: Voice of America

Technorati Tags: News World Government Iraq Kurds Military PKK Turkey

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