Turkish Jets Hit Kurdish Rebel Targets
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish warplanes have struck Kurdish rebel positions in southeastern Turkey, the first major airstrikes against the rebel group since peace talks began two years ago to end a 30-year insurgency.
The attack comes amid heightened tensions in Turkey over Islamic State militants' advance on the Syrian town of Kobani. Kurds in Turkey accuse the government of standing idly by while Syrian Kurds are being slaughtered in the besieged town across the border.
The return to violence between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, illustrates the complicated position Turkey faces as it negotiates its role with the U.S. and NATO allies in the anti-Islamic State coalition.
The PKK and affiliated groups, including fighters defending Kobani, are an important force on the ground in both Iraq and Syria fighting the Islamic State group. But Turkey still views the PKK as a dangerous terrorist adversary.
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