It is a response to one of the worst attacks by Kurdish PKK guerrillas in recent years. On Friday and Saturday last week, Kurdish PKK fighters attacked Turkish army positions in northern Iraq, killing at least a dozen soldiers. The PKK even gives much higher numbers. While the funeral ceremonies for the fallen soldiers are taking place in Turkey, a large part of the army massively attacks suspected PKK positions in northern Iraq and northeastern Syria in response to the attack. According to Defense Minister Yasar Güler, 56 PKK fighters had been killed as of Monday night. A spokesman for the Kurdish self-organization in northern Syria, however, spoke of eight civilian casualties.
