Turkey ready to intrude into northern Iraq at any price

PanARMENIAN.Net - "Turkey is ready to pay any price for a trans-border operation in Northern Iraq," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday. "We have run out of patience," he added.



"The Turkish parliament will be submitted a bill on operation aiming to clear the region of PKK fighters early next week," he said.



Turkey's army has prepared several scenarios of a trans-border operation in north Iraq to counter Kurdish insurgents, which the government will pass to parliament.



Turkey's government announced on Tuesday the possibility of a military incursion into Iraq to track down Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters, who have killed some 30 Turkish soldiers during two days. The country has been amassing troops near Iraq, and shelling and air-raiding suspected rebel positions along the border.



The scenarios include an advance of 5-10 km into Iraq to gain full control of the border; pinpoint air attacks on suspected separatist bases; air raids on PKK strongholds in the mountains; and combined land operations and air attacks, Hurriyet newspaper reported.



Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on television on Wednesday that the operation would aim to clear the region of PKK fighters, who currently number about 3,500, but did not say when it could be launched.



He said the government wanted parliamentary approval for the operation to be valid within a year, so the army can "tackle problems as they arise."



Iraq has protested against a Turkish military operation on its territory, calling it "aggression against Iraq and its territorial integrity." Erdogan responded that Ankara was not after Iraq's territory or sovereignty, but sought to counter the mounting terrorism threat emanating from the country, RIA Novosti reports.