Iraq’s Kurdistan laments caught in middle of Turkey-PKK fight

It also accused Iraq of failing to keep to a pledge to prevent PKK attacks on Turkey from its territory.

At least twelve members of the security forces have been killed over the past week by suspected Kurdish militants.

Some 30 F-16 fighters jets hit the PKK hideouts in Zap, Metina and Hafta regions in northern Iraq, while Turkish army launched operations against the group’s positions in Turkey’s Sirnak province, a military source said.

Erdogan initiated negotiations in 2012 to try to end the PKK insurgency, largely fought in the predominantly Kurdish southeast and which has killed 40,000 people since 1984.

“We are ready to act together with any politician who spends effort on this”, he said.

The first shots were also fired in what may prove a long-running legal process against pro-Kurdish political forces, with prosecutors announcing probes against both co-leaders of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

The chief prosecutor’s office in the mostly Kurdish province of Diyarbakir opened an investigation into Demirtas on Thursday over accusations he “provoked and armed” protesters during demonstrations in the southeast last year, local media said.

The investigation relates to comments Yuksekdag made on July 19 supporting Syrian Kurdish groups which Turkey links to the banned PKK.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed Tuesday that the solution process had been “abused” and “seriously damaged”. A ceasefire, though fragile, had been holding since March 2013. Davutoglu’s Justice and Development lost its parliamentary majority in June and has until August. 24 to form a coalition government, otherwise new elections will be called.

“If we expect them (coalitions) to bring benefits to our country, it is in vain”, Erdogan told reporters on his plane while travelling on an official visit from China to Indonesia, the Hurriyet newspaper and other media reported.

Turkey launched anti-terrorist operations a few days ago.