A Turkish soldier died late on Tuesday when Kurdish fighters fired on a police station in Tunceli province, security sources said on Wednesday. Turkey has assembled 100,000 troops in its southeast, readying for a cross-border operation into northern Iraq where some 3,000 PKK fighters are based.
On Tuesday, Ankara stressed that it retained the option of military action against the Kurdish militants in northern Iraq. Turkey "preserves its determination to take political, diplomatic and military steps as part of the authorisation it was given by parliament in the struggle against PKK bases," a government statement said, according to AFP.
The Turkish government has come under heavy public pressure to crack down on PKK bases after the Kurdish fighters significantly stepped up their attacks.
