After all Turkey launched military operation near northern borders of Iraq

PanARMENIAN.Net - Already for several days Turkish army carries out a military operation aimed at neutralizing Kurdish militants in Turkish provinces, which border northern Iraq. The operation is being carried out in 11 provinces. More that 50 000 soldiers are involved in it with the support of armored cars, helicopters and air forces. Air and artillery strike targets not only on Turkish territory, but also on contiguous lands of Iraq, where too Kurdish separatists are based on. Kurdish sources assure that in the result of bombardments three Kurdish villages in northern Iraq have burnt down.



The large-scale military operation was launched as a response to the firing of a Turkish roadblock in eastern Tunceli province by Kurdish militiamen, in the result of which 8 Turkish soldiers were killed and 6 wounded.



Iraqi President Jalal Talabani stated that official Baghdad will view the operation of the Turkish army in the north of Iraq as an aggression towards his country. In her part U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on Ankara to cease bombardment of Iraqi territories, since it "will not be of benefit to both countries", RIA "Novosti" reports.