ANKARA - US President George W. Bush Monday spoke to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and stressed their common fight against PKK terrorists operating out of Iraq, officials said.
White House national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the two leaders spoke by telephone, while Turkish news agency Anatolia said Bush gave his backing for military strikes on bases of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
"The president and the prime minister exchanged greetings and best wishes for the New Year," Johndroe said.
"They also discussed their common efforts to fight terrorism, and the importance of the United States, Turkey and Iraq working together to confront the PKK," he said.
According to Anatolia, the two men hailed the cooperation in Ankara's battle against the outlawed PKK, which has seen Turkey launch air raids and a limited ground incursion into northern Iraq.
They agreed to continue sharing intelligence and again classed the PKK as a "common enemy", Anatolia said, stressing that Erdogan told Bush that Turkey's military operations were only targeting rebels.
The Turkish air force on December 16 bombed Qandil, the headquarters of some 3,500 PKK fighters according to Ankara, with a brief ground incursion the next day.
A second set of air raids took place on Saturday, with Turkish planes attacking terrorist positions in the far northeast of Iraq again on Sunday.
No loss of life or damage was reported, according to Jabbar Yawar, spokesman for Iraqi Kurdish government security forces. The Turkish military has yet to confirm Sunday's raids.
Since 1984, the PKK's armed rebellion against Turkey for Kurdish self-rule has claimed more than 37,000 lives. The group is classed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
12/24/2007 16:35 GMT