Turkey launched an “intense intervention” in Northern Iraq today, inflicting losses on PKK fighters—at least according to Ankara. A PKK official denies the strike, and Washington claims ignorance, Reuters reports. But Turkey says that its artillery, helicopters, and special forces struck a Kurdish base with 50-60 militants. "It was detected that the terrorist group had suffered heavy casualties," the army said on its website.
If they did strike, it wasn't the blitz that Turkey has threatened since stacking 100,000 troops on its mountainous border. “It’s not an invasion or a war,” said a Turkish lawmaker. “This is just a limited operation for the moment.” A full-scale invasion appears unlikely, because it would defy Washington's wishes, the New York Times reports. (More Turkey stories.)