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Turkish Warplanes Bomb PKK Targets in Iraq | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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ANKARA, Turkey, (AP) – Turkish warplanes on Sunday bombed 12 Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq, the military said.

The fighter jets attacked the rebel targets on Mount Qandil, on the Iraqi-Iranian border, where the rebel leadership is believed to be based, the military said in a statement posted on its official Web site.

All planes returned to their bases safely and the military was working to determine possible rebel casualties in the raids that began at midnight, the statement said.

The pro-Kurdish news agency Firat, which frequently carries rebel statements, confirmed the raids, saying the bombing campaign lasted for two hours.

The agency said the rebel group had not suffered any losses but claimed that the airstrikes had caused panic among local villagers.

Turkey has conducted frequent air raids on suspected positions of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq. Earlier this year, it launched a weeklong ground offensive.

The rebels have been fighting for self-rule in southeastern Turkey since 1984. The violence has killed tens of thousands of people since then.

The U.S. and the European Union consider the PKK a terrorist group, and Washington has been sharing intelligence to help Turkey fight the rebels.