ANKARA, Turkey, July 8 (UPI) -- Tackling the issue of Kurdish militancy in Turkey extends beyond counter-terrorism operations in the region, the Turkish president said in Ankara.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul before leaving for an official state visit to Nigeria described fighting Kurdish militants with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, as a complicated issue, Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman reports.
"There is a foreign policy aspect to it, in addition to the security forces' military strategies, and a social and economic aspect as well," he said.
Kurdish rebels are spread through the shared border between Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran.
PKK rebels are accused of launching a series of deadly attacks on Turkish military bases in recent weeks. The group is also blamed for an explosion on an oil pipeline from Iraq, though the PKK hasn't issued a claim of responsibility.
The president's comments were in response to Turkish military leaders who said Turkey should address the issue of the PKK autonomously because Kurdish leaders in Iraq weren't cooperating.
The Turkish newspaper said if Ankara fails to make progress with diplomatic efforts with its Iraqi neighbors, military operations in the Kurdish regions of Iraq were a distinct possibility.
