Erdogan vows to expand operations into Iraqi Kurdistan

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on February 16 to expand cross-border operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants, based in Iraqi Kurdistan, following the killing of 13 Turkish citizens in the region.

"We will expand our operations into areas where threats are still dense," Erdogan told supporters from his ruling AKP. "We will stay in the areas we secure as long as necessary to prevent similar attacks again."

Turkey said on February 14 militants from the PK killed the captives, including police and military personnel, as it was carrying out a military operation against the group.

Erdogan also repeated Ankara's complaint that it had not received enough international solidarity.

"Whether you speak up or not, we know our duty. We will not give the terrorists a chance," Erdogan told supporters from his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the Black Sea province of Trabzon.

"We will expand our operations into areas where threats are still dense," he added. "We will stay in the areas we secure as long as necessary to prevent similar attacks again."

In the past two years, Turkey has launched several cross-border operations to fight the PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan, where the group has its stronghold in the Qandil mountains.

On February 15, the United States told Ankara that it blamed the PKK for killing the 13 Turks, after Turkey called an earlier U.S. statement on the killings "a joke" and summoned the U.S. ambassador.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, briefing parliament on the operation after opposition parties criticized the government for failing to rescue the Turks, said the offensive was launched without ground support due to the harsh conditions in the mountainous region.

Reporter's code: 50101

News Code 501

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