Turkish troops invade northern Iraq

Turkish troops invade northern Iraq

The Turkish government has said it will set up a buffer zone in northern Iraq. Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz says the area might not be permanently occupied by Turkish troops, but would be regularly patrolled.

On August 5, thousands of Turkish troops backed by aircraft and helicopters raided 16 km into northern Iraq in a week-long operation that resulted in the deaths of 35 Kurds said to be guerillas of the Turkish-based Kurdish Workers Party (PKK). The Turkish troops also killed an unknown number of civilians in attacks on refugee camps said to have been mistaken for guerilla bases.

PKK guerillas have been fighting the Turkish government for about seven years.

From GLW issue 25