Turkish warplanes cease air raids, shelling continues

ARBIL / IraqiNews.com: Turkish warplanes have stopped their air raids, but its artillery had continued shelling the border areas of northern Iraq Kurdistan Region’s border areas, the official in charge of the anti-Ankara Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) reported on Saturday.   “Turkish reconnaissance planes are flying over the said Kurdistan areas, especially the area of Khamira of Diala Township in Arabil and the Qandil Mountains, but the area had not witnessed any air raids over the past 2 days,” Ahmed Deniz told IraqiNews.com news agency.   “The Turkish warplanes had not launched any air raids on the said Kurdistan’s border areas, but the Turkish artillery shelling still continued, especially on Khamira area,” he said, giving no details about the losses caused by the shelling.   Several areas of Iraqi Kurdistan’s Arbil and Dohuk Provinces have witnessed intensive Turkish bombardment on areas, described by the Turkish Army to be possible positions used by the anti-Ankara Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters, that launched an attack on the Turkish forces, killing and wounding about 30 of them, with Turkey threatening to continue its bombardment “till the final liquidation of the PKK fighters and stopping its attacks inside Turkey.   SKH (TI)/SR 335