Ankara Seeks Extension for Kurd Rebel Strikes

The Turkish government asked parliament Monday to renew the mandate for its armed forces to attack Kurdish rebel bases in Iraq for another year, amid an upsurge in clashes between the two sides.

The assembly will prioritize debate on the bill submitted by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), parliamentary sources said, with the current mandate expiring on October 17.

Parliament has renewed the mandate annually since 2007, allowing Turkish forces to hit targets on Iraqi soil where rebels from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) are believed to be holed up.

The last such operation was in early September when Turkish jets struck suspected PKK ammunition depots and shelters, but ground incursions are rare.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week 144 members of the security forces and 239 rebels had been killed since the start of the year, marking one of the deadliest phases of the confrontation in more than a decade.

In all, about 45,000 people have been killed since the PKK, which is blacklisted as a terrorist organization by Ankara and much of the international community, took up arms for autonomy in Kurdish-majority southeastern Turkey in 1984.