Turkey Signals It's Prepared to Enter Iraq

Police officers help Saime Sallar, wife of their colleague Erkan Serdar Sallar, 35, killed during an ambush by rebels of Kurdistan Worker Party, or PKK, in southeastern Turkish town of Batman on Saturday, during his funeral at the Kocatepe Mosque in Ankara, Tuesday, July 18, 2006. Turkey's government has ordered the military to plan a possible cross-border offensive into northern Iraq to crack down on PKK guerrillas based in the area, news reports said Tuesday. PKK guerillas killed 15 Turkish security personnel in past week in ambushes, roadside bombings and shootings. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) (Burhan Ozbilici - AP)

Turkey considers the guerrillas terrorists and has refused to talk with them.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared to confirm reports that the military was ordered to draft plans when he said Tuesday: "We know how to take care of (terrorism) on our own... Our competent units are making preparations and will continue to do so."

Erdogan's spokesman, Akif Beki, refused to comment, but referred to a statement Monday by government spokesman Cemil Cicek. Cicek called on Iraqi and U.S. forces to take stronger action against the rebels and warned that if they did not, "Turkey is going to use its international rights until the very end."

Officials reported no unusual military activity in the border regions.

A Turkish push into northern Iraq could also threaten relations with European Union countries, which have been pressing Turkey to improve rights for minority Kurds.

The Turkish Kurdish guerrillas are mostly based in the Qandil mountains, an area 50 miles from the Turkish border with Iran. From Iraq, the guerrillas infiltrate southeastern Turkey to stage attacks.

Turkey has long had some 2,000 troops in northern Iraq near the border monitoring the area. But if Turkey sent in military units they would have to travel through territory controlled by Iraqi Kurds.

"I don't think it is Turkey's desire to stage an intervention in northern Iraq," said Ilter Turan, professor of international relations at Istanbul Bilgi University. Turkey "is simply trying to draw attention to the fact that it is an untenable position."