Turkey launches ground operation against PKK in Northern Iraq

Turkish troops entered northern Iraq on Thursday night to hunt outlawed Kurdish separatists PKK after fighter jets struck at their bases, the Turkish army said on Friday. The operation is expected to last 15 days, CNN Turk reported. (UPDATED)

US INFORMED White House said the U.S. was informed in advance of Turkey's offensive in northern Iraq and urged Turkish troops to limit operations to "precise targeting" of Kurdish PKK rebels. "We were notified in advance," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel told reporters. He said the United States had urged Turkey to restrict its its military operations to "precise targeting of the PKK."

Source

"Those mountains will be cleared of these terrorists. Whatever it takes, they will be cleared," he said. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, too, promised a "decisive" response. At least 35 PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) rebels were killed in air raids by F4 and F16 jets on bases at Qandil, Basyan, Avashin and Zap early on Tuesday, according to the Anadolu news agency.
...
The government says military operations against the Kurdish rebel group will continue until it withdraws from Turkish soil and disarms.

Source BBC

This is just breaking news in my country. It´s everywhere on the News, BILD is making a even bigger fuss about it. I don´t believe it will last 15 days, either. On first November, there are parlament votings because after the elections on 7.July, they could not build up a stable government, the Turkish AKP party lost massive voters back then.
Around 200 protesters already showed up at the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet in Istanbul, chanting slogans in favor of Erdogan, demanding they stop claiming that he´s trying to gain political thrust with the latest Daglica attack.

I wonder what the Iraq government thinks about it!

Thank for the news!

a reply to: verschickter

What on earth are we meant to make of this in the west. On our tv shows ISIS is the enemy in that area. It also showed the Kurds as fighting ISIS in order to save people. Now we have the Turks fighting the Kurds, but both supposedly against ISIS.

OK OK I get the geography but a united front against ISIS would eventually kill off all ISIS dodge pots. But No! infighting is far better for the area and what sounds like an invasion into Iraq by Turkish forces taking place, out gets even better.

Could anyone explain - except for the infighting between the Kurds (Long over due their own country e.g. Kurdistan - its on my maps) and the Turks.

Someone is making a sheer mockery of the fight against ISIS. If my government can target three dinks making death threats against cameron's dearest cousin queenie and he can get them killed, poof, just like that - then we are all being duped and treated like absolute idiots concerning ISIS and the ME. There is no credibility or any excuse for the situation we are in today except what appears to be corrupt politicians' whose motives they won't tell the public about.

Why don't they go hunt some ISIStards down? Aren't the PKK fighting ISIS?

a reply to: Shiloh7

They're fighting the PKK, not the Northern Iraqi Pershmerga or the YPG in Syria.

a reply to: Boeing777

No. The PKK are a terrorist organisation and have been fighting against Turkey for around 30 years for a Kurdish homeland in Turkey. They haven't been involved against IS at all, really.

a reply to: stumason

**WRONG THREAD PLEASE REMOVE**

The PKK was Turkey's target all along.

a reply to: Shiloh7

Turks and the Kurds living in Turkey have long been enemies, well the Kurds that are considered a terrorist organization.

a reply to: verschickter

I wonder what the Iraq government thinks about it!

And I wonder how ISIS thinks about this, they must be very happy right now.

Greetings from Censormany!

a reply to: Boeing777

Yes, the PKK fights ISIS.
Better do some research yourself, here is a start:

www.ft.com...
news.vice.com...

At least they did so until now. Who knows what happens next...

a reply to: Shiloh7

Someone is making a sheer mockery of the fight against ISIS.

ISIS is the mockery to fuel this retarded war against terror with.

then we are all being duped and treated like absolute idiots concerning ISIS and the ME. There is no credibility or any excuse for the situation we are in today except what appears to be corrupt politicians' whose motives they won't tell the public about.

Exactly. But maybe Erdogan really overstepped a mark this time, we'll see how this plays out.

It makes sense if the shift is now to openly support Islamists against RU/Assad.