Turkish military activity along the border with NIraq

(25 Dec 2007) SHOTLIST Diyarbakir 1. Various wides of Diyarbakir airbase 2. Aircraft taxiing on runway Yuksekova 3. Turkish troops in mountains with mine detectors in snowy conditions 4. Armoured vehicle patrolling road 5. Various of Turkish troops checking road side with mine detectors STORYLINE: Turkish troops continued patrolling roads on Tuesday in the mountainous region of Yuksekova near the northern border with Iraq. Armed troops used mine detectors along the snow covered mountain roads in the southeast of the country a day after reports of the third air attack in a week inside Iraq by Turkish forces. United States President George W. Bush promised on Monday to continue helping Turkey fight separatist Kurdish rebels, a Turkish official said. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan talked with Bush by telephone on Monday after Turkey's latest attack on rebel bases in northern Iraq and the two men agreed to continue sharing intelligence about the rebels, said an official from the prime minister's office who declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media. A spokesman for the National Security Council at the White House, said the leaders discussed the importance of the United States, Turkey and Iraq working together to confront the rebels. Turkey's military claimed hundreds were killed in the first air attack on December 16 and a subsequent incursion by ground forces. A pro-Kurdish news agency said the Kurdistan Workers' Party, also known as PKK, lost only five members. Turkish warplanes also bombed rebel targets for two consecutive days over the weekend. Officials for the administration in Iraq's semiautonomous north said the attacks violated Iraqi sovereignty. Massoud Barzani, Kurdish regional president in northern Iraq, said on Monday civilians were killed in Turkish attacks, which he called unacceptable. A Turkish government's spokesman, said allegations that civilians were killed in Turkish raids were inaccurate. Both Washington and Baghdad have asked Turkey to show restraint, fearing a large-scale Turkish offensive against the rebels might destabilise northern Iraq. Rebels of the PKK have fought for autonomy in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast since 1984, when began attacking military targets. Tens of thousands have been killed in fighting. Turkey, the United States and the European Union deem the PKK a terrorist organisation. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...