Turkish President Abdullah Gul praised the US this evening for providing military intelligence as Ankara confirmed its third air strike in 10 days against Kurdish rebel hideouts in northern Iraq.
"Things are going on well at the moment. Intelligence is being shared" between the two NATO allies, Anatolia news agency quoted President Gul as saying in Ankara.
The US support "befits our alliance," President Gul said, adding: "Both of us are satisfied. This is how it should be. We could have come to this point earlier."
Today's air strike was the third against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq that the military has confirmed since December 16th, in addition to a cross-border ground operation.
The raid followed intelligence that "a large group of terrorists, who have been watched for a long time, are preparing to pass the winter in eight caves and hideouts in the Zap region", the general staff said in a statement.
"Our warplanes hit the targets in an effective air raid that started in the morning hours of December 26th," it said, without mentioning casualties.
Officials in Kurdish-run northern Iraq said the strike targeted deserted villages along the border, but the extent of the damage was not known.
Agencies