Turkey bombs north Iraq for sixth day

Turkish aircraft bombed north Iraq on Monday, the sixth day of a bombing campaign against bases of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the region, a rebel spokesman said. "Turkish aircraft targeted the Kortek, Qandil and Jabal Mattine regions from midday until 3:00 pm (1200 GMT)," Ahmed Denis told AFP, referring to areas that are respectively in the provinces of Sulaimaniyah, Arbil, and Dohuk, which make up the autonomous Kurdistan region. Denis said that as of Monday afternoon, there were no reports of casualties. He also said it appears that Turkish forces may be making preparations to enter Iraq, and that the PKK is also preparing for possible ground fighting. The Monday bombing comes a day after seven people, including women and children, were killed in a Turkish strike on a vehicle in Kortek, according to Hassan Abdullah, the mayor of the Qalat Dizah area. The Turkish military launched a first wave of bomb attacks on Wednesday against PKK targets in Iraq after a deadly attack by the rebel group against a military unit in Cukurca town in southeast Turkey that killed nine security personnel. The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the international community, took up arms in the Kurdish-majority southeast in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed about 45,000 lives.