Istanbul - The Turkish parliament voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to extend for one year the military's ability to stage cross- border attacks against militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iraq. According to media reports, 452 of the parliament's 550 members voted for the motion.
The Turkish military last February staged a week-long offensive against PKK camps in the mountains of northern Iraq.
Twenty seven soldiers were killed in the fighting, which also claimed the lives of a reported 240 PKK militants.
The PKK has been fighting Turkish forces since 1984, a conflict which has cost the lives of an estimated 40,000.
The group declared a unilateral cease fire in 1999, after the capture of its leader, Abdullah Ocalan, but renewed its attacks five years later.
Since the February incursion into Iraq, the Turkish military has limited its activity in the country to airstrikes against PKK bases.
There is no indication that the military is preparing another incursion, despite Tuesday's vote in parliament.
