Turkish PM says Iraq operations may be extended

Madrid: Turkey's government may seek an extension of its parliamentary mandate to strike Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq when the current authorisation expires in October, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

The Turkish army began bombing targets of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) inside northern Iraq after the Ankara parliament approved a resolution on October 17 providing the legal basis for operations over a 12-month period.

"We hope our fight against terrorism ends quickly, but I can't say when it will end," Erdogan told business leaders in Madrid, where he was due to attend the Alliance of Civilisations forum that aims to foster ties between the West and Islam.

"If it doesn't end, we will ask parliament for authorisation to be able to continue it," said Erdogan, speaking via a Spanish interpreter.

Turkey claims the right under international law to carry out cross-border operations and has been receiving intelligence from the United States, its NATO ally, to pinpoint the PKK targets.