World
Turks backs proposed military operation against Kurdish rebels
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Source: CCTV.com | 10-19-2007 12:20
Special Report: Iraq in Transition |
| Hoshiyar Zebari, Iraq's FM(File photo) |
Thousands of Turks have shown their support for a military operation against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. However, Iraq warns against any violation of its sovereignty.
Nearly 30,000 Turks marched in the northern Turkish town of Kastamonu.. They protested casualties inflicted by rebels of outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party.
16 Turkish soldiers have been killed in southern Turkey in the past few weeks.
The deaths have put Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan under pressure to take action.
The Turkish parliament on Wednesday approved a motion allowing troops to cross into northern Iraq in pursuit of the Kurdistan Workers Party.
The US, NATO, and the EU have urged Turkey to act with restraint, fearing that a military operation could unleash chaos in the region.
But Turkey's justice minister has hit back at a US suggestion that sending troops into Iraq would not be in Turkey's interests.
