Helicopter gunships have bombed Kurdish rebel positions in southeast Turkey.
Witnesses said helicopters fired rockets and bombing suspected Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) positions in the mountains in Turkey's border province of Sirnak yesterday to prevent dozens of PKK rebels from crossing into northern Iraq.
The operation, reinforced by ground troops to clear suspected PKK hideouts, was went on for several hours. Three soldiers were reported killed.
Turkey has massed up to 100,000 troops along the Iraqi border in readiness for a possible major operation against 3,000 guerrillas who use northern Iraq as a base.
The White House said it was pressing Turkey and Iraq to keep up talks aimed at averting a major cross-border operation.
In Ankara warplanes, tanks and troops featured in a display of military might in front of President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and senior generals.