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Turkey strikes Kurdish militants in Iraq

by Jordain Carney - 07/25/15 10:11 AM ET

Turkey launched airstrikes overnight Saturday against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq.

Zagros Hiwa, a spokesperson for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, told the Associated Press that the military strikes “basically ended the cease-fire” that has been ongoing since a peace deal was reached in 2013.

{mosads}Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that after the first raid, which began late Friday, that there would be a “second wave” of strikes against the Kurds.

“Turkey’s operations will, if needed, continue until the terror organizations’ command centers, all locations where they plan [attacks] against Turkey and all depots used to store arms to be used against Turkey are destroyed,” Davutoglu told the AP.

The airstrikes come after tensions have been on the rise following a string of violence between the group and the Turkish government.

The airstrikes could complicate the ongoing fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Kurdish fighters have helped battle the militant group in Iraq.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Friday met with Iraqi Kurdistan Regional President Masoud Barzani, where he praised the Kurdish Peshmerga for their help combating ISIS.

The move also comes as Turkish government announced Friday that it’s Council of Ministers “has granted clearance for the deployment of manned and unmanned aircraft” from the United States and other countries targeting ISIS.

Tags Iraqi Kurdistan Kurdistan Peshmerga Politics of Iraq