U.S.-Turkish Intelligence Cooperation Yields Results in Iraq

The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) announced on Tuesday that during its aerial attacks on northern Iraq that took place on December 16^th, between 150 and 175 members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) were killed. It added that subsequent aerial raids flown at the beginning of this week were aimed at collecting information regarding the December 16^th assault.  

Also on Tuesday, Turkish Prime Minister Rejep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the recent developments with United States President George W. Bush. The two leaders held a telephone conversation and welcomed the cooperation against the PKK, agreeing it should continue. On December 5^th, Erdogan held a meeting with Bush at the While House, where Bush vowed to provide real-time intelligence on the basis of which the Turkish military could strike PKK targets. It is believed that U.S. intelligence contributed to the successful Turkish aerial attacks.

Earlier this month, a PKK source told The Media Line that communication among PKK forces in northern Iraq has been severely damaged.

"An American U-2 [surveillance] aircraft is flying every day here in the area. Therefore, telephone [conversations are] prohibited from here," the source said.

The TAF announcement claimed that more than 200 targets were hit during the December 16^th assault, including three command bases and two communication centers.