US denies backing Turkey PKK raid

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Source: BBC News

The US has denied it gave permission for Turkish aircraft to carry out air strikes against Kurdish PKK separatist rebels in northern Iraq on Sunday.

The US embassy in Iraq said commanders had not approved the attacks, but had been informed before they took place.

The Turkish military earlier said the US had given tacit approval by opening Iraqi airspace for the operation.
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Iraq later summoned the Turkish ambassador and demanded a halt to the strikes, saying they were unacceptable and could seriously harm relations between the two countries.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7147375.stm

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1. Turkey says US backed raids on PKK

The US gave the go-ahead for cross-border attacks on Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq, according to Turkey's military chief.

General Yasar Buyukanit reportedly made the claims on Turkish television late on Sunday as the Iraqi government summoned Ankara's ambassador in Baghdad and demanded an end to the air raids.

"America last night opened Iraqi airspace to us. By opening Iraqi airspace to us last night, America gave its approval to the operation," the Anatolian state news agency quoted Buyukanit as saying.

"The United States gave intelligence."

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/AD7FA375-1751-4EF3-A252-614611761C9A.htm

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2. America opens Iraqi airspace to Turkey; Turkish jets bomb Kurdish rebels

Harsh winter conditions in the rugged terrain of northern Iraq reduce the possibility of a large-scale ground offensive, and Turkish attacks on the PKK are likely to be limited to airstrikes. Air raids also carry fewer military or political risks, such as hurting Turkey's alliance with the U.S. and Europe , or triggering a sharp rise in global oil prices.

In Iraq, Mohammad Hajj Hammoud, a Foreign Ministry undersecretary, summoned the Turkish ambassador and asked that Ankara end raids "that cause harm to innocent people and affect friendly bilateral relations," the ministry said on its Web site.

The raids killed one woman, wounded four and displaced several families, the ministry said.

Turkish news reports said a PKK command center in Qandil was hit.

http://english.pravda.ru/news/hotspots/102908-1/

[Supersedeas]

3. widening the war....part of the Condi/Bushist agenda?