Turkey's military said Friday that its airstrikes in northern Iraq last week killed 25 Kurdish rebels and wounded many more. Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Metin Gurak cited intelligence reports for the casualty figures from the Oct. 17 attacks on Qandil Mountain – an area where Kurdish rebels are said to train and where their leadership is believed to be in hiding. There was no immediate comment from the rebels, and the figures could not be verified independently. The military has staged several cross border air strikes since Kurdish rebels killed about two dozen Turkish soldiers in attacks earlier this month. Turkey also increased pressure on the local Iraqi Kurdish administration to crack down on the group, which carries out attacks from bases in Iraqi territory.
