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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Turkey 'pulls some Iraq troops' | Turkey 'pulls some Iraq troops' |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Some Turkish troops staging a ground offensive against Kurdish rebels have left northern Iraq, reports say. | Some Turkish troops staging a ground offensive against Kurdish rebels have left northern Iraq, reports say. |
| But US sources told Reuters news agency that it was too early to call the pull-back a full withdrawal. | But US sources told Reuters news agency that it was too early to call the pull-back a full withdrawal. |
| Amid conflicting reports over the size of the pull-out, Turkey's military said it would make a statement later. | |
| Turkey launched the cross-border attack last Thursday, accusing Iraq of failing to stop members of the Kurdish PKK from using the area as a safe haven. | Turkey launched the cross-border attack last Thursday, accusing Iraq of failing to stop members of the Kurdish PKK from using the area as a safe haven. |
| It says more than 20 soldiers and some 240 rebels have been killed. The PKK says it has killed over 100 soldiers. | It says more than 20 soldiers and some 240 rebels have been killed. The PKK says it has killed over 100 soldiers. |
| "We are seeing a limited portion of the troops that had entered Iraq moving back toward Turkey. [It's] too early to call this a withdrawal," an unnamed US official in Baghdad wrote in an email to Reuters. | "We are seeing a limited portion of the troops that had entered Iraq moving back toward Turkey. [It's] too early to call this a withdrawal," an unnamed US official in Baghdad wrote in an email to Reuters. |
| 'Lull' in fighting | |
| The move comes a day after President George W Bush urged Nato ally Turkey to wind up the raid and get out of Iraq. | The move comes a day after President George W Bush urged Nato ally Turkey to wind up the raid and get out of Iraq. |
| US Defence Secretary Robert Gates personally conveyed the message during talks in Ankara on Thursday. | |
| The BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Istanbul says the operation appears to be continuing although there have been reports of a lull in the fighting overnight. | |
| Iraq says the incursion is unacceptable and violates its sovereignty. | Iraq says the incursion is unacceptable and violates its sovereignty. |
| Click to view a detailed map of the border regionEnlarge Map | Click to view a detailed map of the border regionEnlarge Map |
| But Ankara argues that as many as 3,000 Kurdish rebels use the region as a springboard for raids on Turkey. | |
| The PKK - which Turkey, the US and EU brand a terrorist organisation - has launched a number of attacks on Turkish troops and civilians from northern Iraq. | The PKK - which Turkey, the US and EU brand a terrorist organisation - has launched a number of attacks on Turkish troops and civilians from northern Iraq. |
| Analysts say Turkey had to mount a show of strength after a wave of devastating PKK ambushes on Turkish troops in September and October last year. | Analysts say Turkey had to mount a show of strength after a wave of devastating PKK ambushes on Turkish troops in September and October last year. |
| Turkey's campaign began with air strikes in December, supported by real-time intelligence from the US. Deploying ground troops was a crucial follow-up. | Turkey's campaign began with air strikes in December, supported by real-time intelligence from the US. Deploying ground troops was a crucial follow-up. |
| The strategic aim of the operation is to demolish the main PKK bases in northern Iraq and prevent fresh attacks from there in spring, analysts say. | The strategic aim of the operation is to demolish the main PKK bases in northern Iraq and prevent fresh attacks from there in spring, analysts say. |
| Reports from Turkey on the size of the assault force have varied from 3,000 to 10,000 soldiers. | |
| More than 30,000 people have been killed since the PKK began fighting for a Kurdish homeland in south-eastern Turkey in 1984. |