turkish ground forces crossed into northern Iraq on Tuesday for the first time since 2011 in a "short-term" operation to hunt down Kurdish rebels, a Turkish government official said, as Turkish jets carried out more airstrikes against rebel camps in the region.<br />urkish ground forces crossed into northern Iraq on Tuesday for the first time since 2011 in a "short-term" operation to hunt down Kurdish rebels, a Turkish government official said, as Turkish jets carried out more airstrikes against rebel camps in the region.<br />The troops crossed the border as part of a "hot pursuit" of the PKK rebels, who were involved in a roadside bomb attack that killed 16 soldiers on Sunday, the government official said.<br />"This is a short-term measure intended to prevent the terrorists' escape," the official said on condition of anonymity.
