U.S., Iraq and Turkey have a "common interest" in stopping Kurdish rebels

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday that the United States, Iraq and Turkey have a "common interest" in stopping Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, but cautioned against taking any action that could destabilize the region.



Rice's comments came days after Turkey conducted airstrikes against rebels from the Kurdish Workers' Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq.  As many as 50 fighter jets were involved in the attack, the biggest against the PKK in years. The planes attacked several villages, killing one woman, Iraqi officials said.



The Turkish army also sent soldiers about 1.5 miles into northern Iraq in an overnight operation on Tuesday, Kurdish officials said. A Turkish official said the troops seeking Kurdish rebels were still in Iraq by midmorning.



Rice made it clear the United States supports efforts to quash any rebel movement, but she said it was a "Turkish decision" to act. She suggested that Iraqi, Turkish and U.S. authorities should try to work together against the rebels. "This is a circumstance in which ... we need an overall comprehensive approach to this problem," Rice said. "No one should do anything that threatens to destabilize the north."



"This was a Turkish decision," Rice said of the Sunday airstrike. "And we have made clear to the Turkish government that we continue to be concerned about anything that could lead to civilian casualties or anything that could destabilize the north," she said, the AP reports.



A group of 300 Turkish troops crossed into Kurdish territory in northern Iraq overnight and moved 1-2 miles deeper into Iraq on Tuesday morning, a senior Iraqi military source told Reuters.



The source said the Turkish troops were lightly armed and had moved into the Gali Rash area, a mountainous district near the border. There were no reports of clashes, the source said.