Turkey’s Erdogan vows to widen operations against Kurdish groups in Syria and Iraq

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s president has vowed to widen military operations against groups linked to Kurdish militants in neighboring Iraq and Syria, days after nine soldiers were killed in an attack on a Turkish military base in Iraq. Turkey has been carrying out airstrikes on targets in Syria and Iraq believed to be affiliated with the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, since attackers attempted to infiltrate the base on Friday. Speaking after a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey was determined to eliminate the threat from Kurdish militants “at its source” in Iraq and Syria. It was not clear if Ankara, which has carried out land offensives in the past, is contemplating a new ground operation.