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Iraqi Officials: Turkey Drops Bombs on Northern Iraq

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Iraqi Kurdish officials in northern Iraq say Turkish military aircraft have dropped bombs in the region, a week after Ankara conducted a major offensive against Kurdish PKK rebels in the area.

The officials Wednesday said the bombs landed in Irbil province, a Kurdish region close to the Turkish border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Turkey has not confirmed the report.

Last week, Turkish air and ground forces ended an aggressive eight-day assault against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. The military said the assault hit key rebel areas and killed at least 240 militants. But the rebels have not confirmed their casualties.

The Iraqi government in Baghdad protested the incursion, calling it a violation of Iraq's sovereignty.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani is to visit Turkey on Friday.

Turkey and the United States consider the PKK a terrorist group. The rebels have been struggling for autonomy since 1984, in a fight that has killed at least 37,000 people.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

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