Turkish troops pressed their offensive against Kurdish PKK guerrillas in northern Iraq yesterday, two days after crossing the mountainous border in a campaign Turkey's allies hope will be short and limited.
Turkish security sources said troops killed 11 rebels during intense fighting yesterday, taking the total PKK death toll to at least 55 according to Ankara's estimates.
A spokesman for the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) told Reuters by satellite phone that five guerrillas had been wounded and 22 soldiers had died in the clashes. Turkey's army has confirmed the deaths of only five soldiers.
Baghdad urged Turkey to respect its sovereignty and said the military operations would not solve the PKK problem.
The leadership of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq vowed strong opposition if civilians or populated areas were attacked.
"Any attack on any citizen in Kurdistan or populated areas will be answered with massive resistance ...and all preparations have been made in this matter," a statement from the presidency of the Kurdish Regional Government said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan reiterated yesterday that the sole target of the northern Iraq offensive was the PKK.
Washington is sharing intelligence with Nato ally Turkey on PKK movements in Iraq. It has urged Ankara to limit the campaign to precise rebel targets and bring it to a swift conclusion.
"Intelligence we have received suggests the so-called leaders (of the rebels inside Iraq) are in a panic and trying to flee the region by moving rapidly to the south," Turkey's military General Staff said in a statement late on Friday.
There have been conflicting reports about the scale of Turkey's military operation.
A senior Turkish military source told Reuters two brigades made up of around 8,000 troops are taking part, though Iraqi officials and a senior officer with coalition forces in Baghdad suggested the number was no more than a "few hundred".
Verifying information from either side is difficult because of the nature of the terrain where the fighting is going on.
The Turkish military is anxious to avoid possible clashes with Iraqi Kurdish security forces and called in its statement for understanding for Ankara's need to take action.