Turkey launched a heavy air and artillery assault on Kurdish guerrilla targets in northern Iraq overnight after a declaration by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan that he had lost patience with separatists fighting in southeastern Turkey, Reuters reported. Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) separatists use the mountains of northern Iraq as sanctuary from which to launch attacks in south-east Turkey. The raids, the first by Turkey in the area since July 2010, responded to a surge in rebel action in recent months and an ambush on Wednesday that killed nine servicemen. At least 12 warplanes took off from an air base in Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey, on Thursday around 1830 GMT, a Reuters witness said, but it was not immediately clear where they were headed. Turkish military officials were not immediately available for comment on the warplanes' destination. Earlier, the Turkish General Staff said artillery hit 168 targets in the region overnight before warplanes pounded 60 positions in two waves. Camps housing the PKK's commanders were among those targeted, security sources said. His comments and subsequent major air operation indicate a return to a hardline stance in the 27-year-old fight against the rebels and an end to clandestine talks between the state and jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. After a clear victory in June's parliamentary election, Erdogan vowed to press ahead with reforms addressing the 12-million-strong Kurdish minority's grievances. A wave of PKK attacks has brought an abrupt change of tone and heightened prospects of intensified conflict. -- SPA
