Turkish jets hit PKK targets in Iraq

(MENAFN- Arab News) ANKARA: Turkey's military says fighter jets have bombed suspected Kurdish rebel targets in a new cross-border offensive in northern Iraq.
A military statement on Saturday said the overnight airstrikes hit suspected Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK hideouts shelters and supply points in four areas of northern Iraq. Areas targeted included the Qandil mountains where the PKK's leadership is based.
Separate raids were also conducted on PKK caves shelters and weapon emplacements in Turkey's mainly Kurdish Sirnak province the military said.
Turkey has been striking PKK targets in northern Iraq and southeast Turkey since July when violence between the rebels and Turkey's security forces re-ignited killing hundreds of people and derailing a fragile peace process.
Separately a government official said on Saturday that Turkey has detained a Belgian citizen of Moroccan origin suspected of links to the Paris attacks and who was seeking to flee to Syria.
Ahmad Dahmani 26 is accused of being 'in contact' with the extremists who carried out the attacks in Paris that killed 130 people and were claimed by Daesh miliants the official added.
He was detained close to the southern resort city of Antalya along with two others reportedly Syrian citizens who were to help him cross the border into Syria.
'The security forces stated that Dahmani is a Daesh militant who was preparing to illegally cross the Turkish-Syrian border' said the official.
'We believe that Dahmani was in contact with the terrorists who perpetrated the Paris attacks' the source added without giving further details.
'The investigation continues.'
Pictures showed Dahmani wearing a Ferrari sports jacket and with his hands behind his back being led away by plain clothes police.
The Dogan news agency reported earlier that Dahmani had carried out reconnaissance work to scout out targets for the attacks in Paris. However this was not confirmed by the government official.
Anti-terror police had followed Dahmani after he arrived at Antalya's airport and checked into a five-star hotel in the luxury resort of Manavgat to the east of the city on Nov. 16 Dogan said.
They then detained him and the two Syrians who the report said had been tasked by the Daesh leadership to supply him with a fake passport and take Dahmani to safety in rebel-controlled Syria the report added.
It was not immediately clear when they had been detained. All three were taken to court and are in prison the official added.
Turkish officials said he had arrived at Antalya's airport on a flight from Amsterdam on Nov. 14.
Antalya had only one week ago hosted under the heaviest security the annual Group of 20 summit of world leaders.