Iraq, Turkey, U.S. to address PKK issue

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BAGHDAD, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Iraq, Turkey and the United States have banded together to try to end attacks on Turkey by Kurdish rebels operating from Iraq, officials say.

Representatives of the three countries have formed a committee working on how best to stop raids by members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, Iraqi officials told CNN Wednesday.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali Dabbagh said the PKK, which has been branded as a terrorist organization, poses security threats to both sides of the Iraq-Turkey border and said the new committee will combat the threat by "creating deterrent measures to stop any possible activities by this organization inside Iraqi territory or within the Iraqi-Turkish border areas," the broadcaster reported.

Turkey has said it doesn't believe Baghdad is doing enough to confront the PKK and has launched cross-border airstrikes and shelled PKK targets in northern Iraq in recent months.