Turkey and Iraq have agreed to sign a counterterrorism agreement to crack down on separatist Kurdish rebels that are holed up in bases in northern Iraq, Turkish and Iraqi officials said Wednesday. The deal would require Turkish forces to seek Iraqi authorization to cross into Iraq for small-scale operations to chase separatist Kurdish rebels, NTV television reported, citing Iraqi and Turkish sources. The agreement was reached during a visit by Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani, who arrived in Ankara on Tuesday for talks on Turkish concerns over rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, who launch attacks against targets in Turkey from bases in northern Iraq.
