Clashes continue between Turkish army, PKK rebels

Sporadic clashes between the Turkish army and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters continued last night along Iraq's Northern border region.FNA dispatches from Iraq's Kurdistan region said that the armed clashes between the two sides happened in Sidkan region near Iraq's Northern border region. Witnesses told FNA that the clashes erupted at 8:30pm local time last evening. Meantime, Turkish warplanes once again bombed suspected rear bases of the PKK separatist group in northern Iraq for 45 minutes last night. There are yet no reports on the number of possible casualties. Last week, Turkey quit the negotiation strategy with the PKK as the organization sharply increased its attacks against soldiers and civilians. Ankara would only keep talks with the political leg of the Kurdish movement in the parliament, a Turkish official said Monday, indicating escalation of armed actions against the PKK. Kurdish rebels fighting for autonomy in southeastern Turkey have recently escalated their attacks on Turkish targets. In reply, the Turkish air force has bombed suspected PKK targets repeatedly since August 17. The PKK took up arms in Kurdish-majority southeastern Turkey in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed about 45,000 lives.