Turkey Pledges to Wait for Talks Before Striking Back at Kurds

Bush urges Iraq to help rein in Kurdish rebels
By Sam Gale Rosen,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 22, 2007 6:38 PM CDT
Turkey Pledges to Wait for Talks Before Striking Back at Kurds
A Turkish soldier, wearing a protective gear, uses a land mine detector during a patrol in the province of Sirnak, on the Turkish-Iraqi border, southeastern Turkey, Monday, Oct. 22, 2007. Dozens of Turkish military vehicles loaded with soldiers and heavy weapons rumbled toward the Iraq border on Monday...   (Associated Press)

Turkish leaders say they will hold off on military action against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq while the US and other nations try diplomacy to calm things down, Reuters reported. Tensions continued to soar, however, as Turkey massed troops at the Iraqi border and protesters throughout the country demanded action. President Bush said he would urge Iraq to stop Kurdish attacks on Turkish soldiers.

"We will try all diplomatic means before carrying out any military operation," said the Turkish foreign minister. The PKK was poised to offer a cease-fire, Reuters reported, but that alone may not stop hostilities. The strife between Turkey and the Kurds has helped to launch oil prices into the stratosphere in the past week, as the PKK has said that it might target oil pipelines. (More Turkey stories.)

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