Turkish government rejects claims it killed civilians in Iraq's Kurdish region

[News_Editor]

Turkish government rejects claims it killed civilians in Iraq's Kurdish region

2011-08-26 19:57:25 GMT+7 (ICT)

ISTANBUL (BNO NEWS) -- The Turkish government on Friday rejected claims that several civilians were killed during recent airstrikes against suspected rebels in Iraq's Kurdish region.

Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) spokesman Ahmed Bneef earlier told the Aswat al-Iraq news agency that a group of civilians were driving their car on Sunday when a Turkish missile struck their vehicle. He said seven civilians, including women and children, were killed, and a statement from Iraq's Foreign Ministry also condemned civilian casualties.

Similar reports were broadcast on pro-PKK Roj TV, but the Turkish government on Friday rejected the claims after it was able to examine the footage broadcast. The videos from the scene as broadcast by Roj TV showed a vehicle which had been completely destroyed, but the road, the surrounding area, and a nearby wall appeared undamaged.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Turkish government said the scene was far away from the areas which had been targeted by Turkish warplanes last week. It also said the damage to the surrounding area would have been much heavier if it had been hit by a Turkish airstrike. "Claims that this vehicle was hit by a Turkish warplanes are unfounded," the spokesperson said.

On Tuesday, Turkish military officials announced that its warplanes struck 132 targets while ground forces attacked 349 targets in the Kandil Mountains and in the Khakurk, AvaÅŸin-Basyan and Zap regions. The General Staff said the operations destroyed 73 hiding places, bomb shelters, 18 caves, 8 depots, 14 facilities, an ammunition store, 9 anti-craft stations and three control points, killing an estimated 90 to 100 PKK rebels.

The offensive began after eight Turkish soldiers and a village guard were killed on August 17 when a roadside bomb and an ambush targeted a military convoy in the Çukurca district in Turkey's southeastern province of Hakkari near the Iraqi border. Among the fatalities was a military officer who was in command of the troops.

Turkey responded with fighter jets bombing suspected Kurdish rebel bases in the Meteen area of Iraq later that evening, and additional airstrikes by the Turkish military were carried out the following days. The attacks marked Turkey's first military operations in northern Iraq since July 2010.

Suspected PKK rebels, which have killed at least 40 Turkish soldiers since July, also conducted further attacks against Turkish military posts with rocket launchers and assault rifles on August 18, killing two more soldiers in the Eruh district of Siirt Province.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan said the country has lost its patience with terrorists fighting in southeastern Turkey, while Deputy Prime Minister Bekir BozdaÄŸ later stated that the fight against terrorism will continue until its roots were destroyed, calling on all political parties to show unity with the ruling party's fight against terror.

The PKK, which has been labeled as a terrorist organizations by the United States and the European Union, was established in 1984 in its efforts to establish the eastern and southeastern regions of Turkey as an autonomous Kurdish state. Over 40,000 soldiers and civilians have been killed in violent clashes since the group took arms. The PKK maintains its military bases across the Iraqi border.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-08-26