Turkish troops enter north Iraq

February 22, 2008

The United States was informed in advance of Turkey's offensive in northern Iraq, the White House said on Friday, and urged Turkish troops to limit operations to "precise targeting" of Kurdish PKK rebels, who are believed to number around 3,000. Turkish TV said 3,000 to 10,000 soldiers had entered Iraq, but Iraq's foreign minister and a senior military official with coalition forces based in Baghdad said only a few hundred troops were involved.