Turkey set timetable for intrusions into north Iraq - NTV ANKARA, April 20 (KUNA) -- The Turkish military has set a "specific timetable" for trans-borders operations including intrusions into northern Iraqi, Turkish NTV news website reported Friday.
The move coincided with the arrival in Ankara by senior advisor to US Secretary of State Ambassador David Satterfield on an official visit to Turkey to discourage it from pushing ahead with the plan.
The plan, envisaging the intrusion of thousands of Turkish troops into northern Iraqi areas to hunt rebel Kurds, is about to be a realty, according to the report.
The Turkish military grew impatient with the escalating terrorist campaign of the Iraqi-based Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) inside Turkey.
The army will keep following up closely the developments of the situation till the end of April, then it will start moving in, it noted.
Since March, the army is carrying out a large-scale campaign against the PKK bases and militants in Turkey's southeastern provinces.
The campaign was described by a Washington Post newspaper "a time bomb." During his visit to Washington last week, Turkish coordinator of Kurd affairs Adip Bashar informed the U.S. Administration that his country would wait till the end of April before intruding into northern Iraq to exercise its legitimate right of self-defense.
Some 500 Kurd separatists exist in small bases inside Turkey while 5,000 others crossed the borders to Iraq to launch attacks against Turkish targets, according Turkish military estimates.
Since the PKK took arms against Turkey in pursuit of establishing an independent state for Kurds in southeastern provinces in 1984, up to 37,000 people were killed from both sides. (end) tb.gb KUNA 202226 Apr 07NNNN