'Sources': Turkish troop strength now 200,000 at Iraq border

Above: A PKK fighter near Iraq's border with Turkey. Left: Thousands of demonstrators protested PKK terror in Turkey last week.

Turkey's army has boosted troop levels in the southeast to more than 200,000, most of them stationed along the border with Iraq, security sources told Reuters on Friday.

The unusually large-scale buildup, which includes tanks, heavy artillery and aircraft, is part of a security crackdown on Kurdish rebels hiding in southeast Turkey and northern Iraq, said the security sources, who declined to be named.

NATO member Turkey has refused to rule out a possible cross-border operation to crush Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels, despite opposition from the United States and Iraq.

The military General Staff in Ankara was not immediately available for comment on the troop numbers.

Read the rest at Reuters/Atlernet

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