LOC21:14
18:14 GMT
BAGHDAD, July 19 (KUNA) -- The Iraqi government said Thursday that Turkish
artillery and warplanes bombarded areas of northern Iraq and called on Turkey
to stop military operations and reconsider returning to dialogue.
The claim, made by Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, occurred amid
rising tension and Turkish threats to strike bases of the Kurdistan Workers'
Party (PKK), which has been launching attacks against targets in Turkey from
sanctuaries in Iraq.
The bombardment struck areas of the northern province of Dahuk, some 430
kilometers northwest of Baghdad, with about 250 shells fired into Iraq from
Turkey and no casualties on the Iraqi side reported.
Iraq's government condemned the latest shelling of its semi-autonomous
Kurdistan region, and manifested that by submitting a protest memo to Turkish
Foreign Ministry by the Iraqi Ambassador in Ankara and urged Turkey to hold
talks to resolve concerns about PKK rebels who are based in the border area.
The Iraqi government called for ceasing these operations and resorting to
dialogue, Iraqi government spokesman Ali Al-Dabbagh said, insisting that Iraq
wanted good relations with Turkey.
Earlier, Kurdish guerrillas staged a bomb attack against a military
vehicle, killing two soldiers and wounding six others near the Iraqi border,
the state-run Anatolia News Agency said.
Washington says it is working with Turkey to combat the PKK but that it is
focused on combating insurgents opposing US forces.
The PKK has escalated attacks this year, killing around 70 soldiers so far.
More than 110 rebels were killed in the same period.
Turkey has been battling the PKK since 1984 in a conflict that has killed
tens of thousands of people. (end)
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KUNA 192114 Jul 07NNNN