Turkish artillery shelled Thursday Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq while Turkish warplanes hovered over the area, according to Iraq's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), according to dpa. Warplanes have been flying overnight into the early hours on Thursday at low altitudes over several areas in northern Iraq, including Safa Qandil, Qalit Duza, Zarwa, Sinsakir and Raniya, PUK said on its website, quoting a local official. There are no reports yet of casualties. The Turkish military did not confirm the reports but a statement released Thursday evening by the National Security Council said "operations across the border" were continuing. Turkey has carried out regular cross-border air strikes and small-scale operations targeting positions of the separatist Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) rebels. Ankara approved in October cross-border operations on PKK bases in northern Iraq's Kurdish Autonomous Region, saying the Iraqi government was not doing enough to halt PKK attacks inside Turkey. The PKK, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the US and the EU, has been fighting for a separate homeland for Turkey's Kurdish minority. The Turkish army is preparing for a big offensive in northern Iraq in the spring, according to reports.
