KurdistanObserver.com

Turkish Army Sends Extra 40,000 Troops To southeast-source

Dersim, (Northern Kurdistan), April 20 (Reuters) - Turkey has sent nearly 40,000 troops to the southeast to prepare for an expected rise in Kurdish rebel incursions from northern Iraq, a senior military official said on Thursday.

The official, who declined to be named, said more troops would arrive from central and western Turkey to back up security forces fighting Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas in the mountainous provinces Hakkari, Van and Sirnak.

"The Kurdistan Workers Party is trying to send half of its 4,900 militants (based) in northern Iraq here and preparing for attacks in Turkey's cities," the official told Reuters.

Dozens of guerrillas and members of Turkey's security forces have been killed in clashes and mine attacks in recent months, and a string of bomb attacks has hit Istanbul, some of them claimed by a group linked to the PKK.

Turkey already has some 220,000 to 250,000 troops in the southeast.