Tension grows as Turks build up border forces
Iraq announced the PKK dissidents who have camps in the north of the country had unilaterally declared an end to the violence.
The announcement came a day after they killed 12 Turkish soldiers and abducted another eight in an ambush on the Turkey-Iran border. But Turkey has already rejected several previous similar ceasefires declared by the rebels, saying it would continue fighting until all surrendered or were killed. Meanwhile dozens of Turkish military vehicles and heavy weapons rumbled toward the Iraqi border yesterday in the aftermath of yesterday’s ambush. As fears of an all-out war grew, Turkey’s foreign minister promised his country will pursue diplomacy before it sends troops across the frontier. The ambush outraged a frustrated Turkish public. Demonstrations erupted across the country and opposition leaders called for an immediate strike against rebel bases in Iraq, despite appeals for restraint from Iraq, the US and European leaders.
