Iraq calls Turkish forces 'direct threat to the peace'

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq wants the Turkish forces targeting Kurdish rebels out of northern Iraq "as soon as possible," according to government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh.

"The Turkish incursion is a direct threat to the peace and stability in the region," al-Dabbagh said in a statement.

Iraqi officials discussed the military incursion at a national security meeting in Baghdad on Sunday.

On Thursday, Turkish troops -- backed by air support -- began a ground operation on against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq -- the first significant Turkish ground offensive into Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

The operation is targeting the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, where Baghdad has little power.

The rebels are hiding along the mountainous border region, and the Kurdish Regional Government says it can do little to stem cross-border attacks on Turkey. Watch Turkish troops trudge through the snow in Iraq »

Al-Dabbagh invited Turkey to participate in talks with the Iraqi government. The government, said al-Dabbagh, sees PKK actions as a threat to the Iraq-Turkey border area.

The Iraqi government "asks Turkey not to depend on military means to stop this threat," said the statement.

"The Iraqi movement pledges to respect all Turkey/Iraq peace projects and will not allow the Iraqi territories to be used as a base to operations that threatens Turkey."

Earlier Sunday, Turkey's military said it was checking reports that rebels shot down one of its helicopters operating in the area.

The military would say only that it is investigating the crash. It is unclear if any soldiers were killed or wounded. Kurdish rebels claimed to have shot down the chopper.

According to Turkey's military, eight of its soldiers and 33 rebels were killed Sunday -- bringing the overall death toll to 15 soldiers and 112 rebels since Thursday night.

The Turkish army Sunday claimed considerable success in the ongoing fighting, saying it has successfully destroyed entrenched rebel positions that were fortified with heavy weaponry.

Turkey has been taking cross-border military action against the PKK since the group launched attacks on targets in Turkey from bases in the Kurdish region.

It is believed that Turkey's military launched the ground offensive to disrupt the PKK's ability to mount a cross-border spring offensive.

The PKK has spent two decades fighting for autonomy for Kurds in southeastern Turkey, with some of its attacks launched from inside northern Iraq. Turks regard the PKK as a terrorist group and point to what they say are indiscriminate attacks against civilians, police and military targets.

Disputing a claim that 10,000 troops had moved into Iraq from Turkey, al-Dabbagh said Sunday that fewer than 1,000 troops had moved a few kilometers into the Iraqi mountains. E-mail to a friend

Journalist Andrew Finkel in Istanbul contributed to this report.

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