Turkey steps up PKK offensive in Iraq

CIZRE, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish troops intensified theiroffensive against Kurdish PKK guerrillas in northern Iraq onSaturday, two days after crossing the mountainous border in acampaign Turkey's allies hope will be short and limited.

Backed up by warplanes, artillery and combat helicopters,troops killed 35 rebels in the remote mountainous area onSaturday, the Turkish General Staff said, taking the total PKKdeath toll since a major offensive began on Thursday to 79.

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been battlingfor decades to create a Kurdish homeland in southeast Turkey,threatened reprisal attacks on Turkish soil.

Ankara says it was forced to launch a cross-borderoffensive after Iraqi authorities failed to stop an estimated3,000 PKK members from using northern Iraq as a base to stagedeadly attacks against soldiers and civilians inside Turkishterritory.

A PKK spokesman told Reuters the guerrillas had recoveredthe bodies of 15 of the 22 Turkish soldiers they say they havekilled. He declined to comment on rebel casualties.

In its statement, the General Staff confirmed the deaths ofjust seven of its soldiers, two of them on Saturday.

It is virtually impossible to verify the claims of eitherside because the fighting is taking place in largelyinaccessible terrain in tough winter conditions.

The General Staff released new pictures of the operation,including helicopters hovering over snowy peaks and soldiers inwhite camouflage uniforms striding through the snow.

A key Iraqi oil pipeline that runs through Turkey was notaffected by the military operation, Turkish media said.

The United States and the European Union fear a prolongedmilitary campaign inside Iraq would raise the risk of seriousclashes between Turkish and Iraqi Kurdish forces and alsoundermine the fragile U.S.-backed government in Baghdad.

Washington is sharing intelligence with NATO ally Turkey onPKK movements in Iraq. It has urged Ankara to limit thecampaign to precise rebel targets and to bring it to a swiftconclusion.

Iraq's foreign minister criticised the bombing of severalbridges and said Baghdad did not approve of Turkey's offensive.

"This is a limited military incursion into a remote,isolated and uninhabited region. But if it goes on, I think itcould destabilise the region because really one mistake couldlead to further escalation," Hoshiyar Zebari told the BBC.

The leadership of the largely autonomous Kurdish region ofnorthern Iraq vowed strong opposition if civilians areattacked.

"Any attack on any citizen in Kurdistan or populated areaswill be answered with massive resistance ... and allpreparations have been made in this matter," a statement fromthe presidency of the Kurdish Regional Government said.

CONFLICTING REPORTS

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan reiterated on Saturdaythat the PKK was sole target of the northern Iraq offensive.The General Staff said: "The operation will end once ourtargets have been reached."

There have been conflicting reports about the scale ofTurkey's cross-border operation, the largest in a decade.

The General Staff has not said how many troops areinvolved, but it said on Saturday fighting was raging in fourdifferent areas of northern Iraq, suggesting a large-scaleoperation.

A senior Turkish military source told Reuters two brigadesmade up of around 8,000 troops were taking part. Turkish mediahave put the number of troops at 10,000, but a senior officerwith U.S.-led forces in Baghdad said the number was under1,000.

Turkey's government and military have come under heavydomestic pressure to crush the PKK after a series of deadlyattacks on their troops late last year. Turkey says it has theright under international law to hit the PKK in Iraq.

Turkey's military has been bombing PKK positions innorthern Iraq since securing parliament's authorisation tocarry out cross-border operations in October.

Ankara blames the PKK for the deaths of nearly 40,000people since the group began its armed struggle in 1984.Washington and the EU, like Turkey, brand the PKK as terroristsand international reaction to the latest offensive has beenmuted.

"The Turkish army is using all its weapons includingfighter jets, helicopters and artillery," Ahmed Danees, head offoreign relations for the PKK, told Reuters by telephone.

"We are using guerrilla warfare. We are laying mines andplanning ambushes on the Turkish side of the border."

Security has been tightened in southeast Turkey, state-runAnatolian news agency reported.

(Additional reporting by Shamal Aqraqi in Zakhu, Iraq)

(Writing by Gareth Jones and Paul de Bendern in Ankara;Editing by Caroline Drees)