Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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May 2, 2008

Turkish Warplanes Target Kurdish Rebel Bases in Northern Iraq 
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1C1975F:A6F02AD83191E160F76B6DD3151D4C982E7CA1C1B166B639& 
Turkish military says all planes returned safely to base after hitting rebel targets in Qandil area of northern Iraq 
Turkey's military says its warplanes have raided Kurdish rebel bases in northern Iraq as part of ongoing operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.

In a statement Friday, the Turkish military said all planes returned safely to base after hitting rebel targets in the Qandil area of northern Iraq. The statement made no mention of casualties.

It was the second such air operation by the Turkish military in a week. Turkish warplanes have been hitting PKK positions in northern Iraq since mid-December.

Ankara accuses the PKK of using northern Iraq as a base to launch deadly raids into southeastern Turkey. 

Turkey has long demanded that Iraqi authorities crack down on the rebels.

Thursday, senior Turkish official Ahmet Davutoglu discussed the issue in Baghdad with the prime minister of northern Iraq's Kurdish region, Nechirvan Barzani.

It was the first direct high-level meeting between Turkey and northern Iraq's Kurdish regional government.

Davutoglu is the top foreign policy advisor to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.



Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.



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