ANKARA—Thousands of Turkish troops crossed into northern Iraq in their hunt for Kurdish rebels, television and a military source said on Friday, escalating a conflict that could undermine stability in the region.
Turkey's military said the cross-border offensive, possibly the largest in a decade, would continue until they had eliminated the threat from PKK rebels, who have been using northern Iraq as a base to stage attacks in neighbouring Turkey.
The United States on Friday urged Turkey, a key regional ally, to limit its offensive to precise PKK targets and to bring the operation to a swift conclusion. Iraq's government called on Turkey to respect its sovereignty and to avoid any military action which would threaten security.
The European Union and the United Nations also urged restraint, fearing the offensive could jeopardise the most stable region in Iraq at a time when security is improving, and also rekindle tensions between Turks and ethnic Kurds.
The Turkish military said its troops had entered Iraq late on Thursday to destroy PKK camps and hunt rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been battling for decades to create a Kurdish homeland in southeast Turkey.
A senior Turkish military source told Reuters troops had clashed with PKK rebels in Iraq. He said many guerrillas had been killed. A PKK spokesman based in northern Iraq said only Turkish soldiers had died.
"The operations inside Iraq will intensify tomorrow," said the military source, who declined to be named...
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