Turkey continues offensive against Kurdish militants
Turkish ground forces launched a cross-border operation on Thursday to attack strongholds of the Kurdistan Workers Party, which is seeking independence. The number of Turkish troops involved is reported to be up to 10,000.
The Turkish military says the death toll on both sides as of Saturday has exceeded 80.
Turkey deployed 100,000 troops along the border area last May, under domestic pressure to take action against the militants believed responsible for staging terror attacks on Turkey after the Iraq war.
The United States, which wanted to focus on stabilizing security in Iraq, had opposed any military action by Turkey.
Turkey is believed to have obtained prior US approval for the latest operations by promising cooperation in the NATO-led fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Turkey's military says it wants to complete the operation by early March before militants become active again following the spring snowmelt.
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