The Iraqi government is demanding that Turkey pull out the troops that crossed into northern Iraq in pursuit of the PKK, calling it a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. Turkey began the operation last Thursday against the Kurdistan Peoples Party (PKK), the group that has, since 1984, been waging a violent fight for autonomy for Kurds in southeastern Turkey. In raids launched from bases in northern Iraq, PKK fighters have killed as many as 40,000 Turks since that time. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. One hundred and fifty-three PKK members have been killed in the current operation.