Iraqi Kurds warn Turkey to halt strikes

PanARMENIAN.Net - The president of the Kurdish region in northern Iraq has warned Turkey to halt its strikes against rebel Kurdish positions in the border area. Massoud Barzani said he "vehemently condemned" the bombardments, which he said had killed innocent people.



His remarks came as U.S. President George W Bush and Turkey's PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the unrest by phone.



Turkish jets have carried out three strikes on Kurdish targets and one ground foray over the past eight days. Turkey blames rebels from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) for launching attacks on Turkey from bases in Iraq. Ankara approved cross-border raids on PKK bases in October, saying the Iraqi government and its U.S. backers were not doing enough to halt attacks.



"The bombing targeted safe and secure areas and innocent people," Mr Barzani told a news conference in the northern city of Suleimaniya. "Several people were either killed or wounded. We held consultations with [Iraqi] President Jalal Talabani and we will continue our consultations with other concerned parties to put an end to these aggressions and put an end to the shelling of villages."



Mr Talabani - also a Kurd - was standing beside Mr Barzani as he delivered the condemnation. He said his government had lodged a formal complaint with Turkey - but that he did not want to worsen tensions over the issue.



Turkey's ambassador to Iraq has been summoned to the foreign ministry to hear a formal complaint.



Up to 10 people are reported to have been killed in the strikes - it is not known whether they are rebels or civilians. As many as 2,000 people have fled the areas under attack, BBC reports.