Turkish warplanes strike suspected Kurdish rebel hideouts in northern Iraq

Turkish jets hit suspected Kurdish rebel shelters on snow-covered, rugged terrain in northern Iraq on Wednesday in a third round of airstrikes in 10 days, escalating its cross-border war against the separatists.

Inside Turkey, on the second day of an operation on the frigid slopes of Mount Gabar near the Iraqi border, troops said they killed six rebels Wednesday, raising the operation's toll to 11 rebels killed. Two others were captured, the military said. No military casualties were reported.

The warplanes hit eight rebel caves and other hideouts inside Iraq in "an effective pinpoint operation" after detecting a group of rebels preparing to spend the winter in the hideouts, the military said in a statement posted on its Web site.

The rebels traditionally withdraw to their hideouts during winter when snowfall hampers their movement in mountainous regions. They usually intensify their attacks on Turkish targets in the spring.

The Turkish military relies on fighter jets and artillery units to hit rebel targets kilometers (miles) away from the border and has vowed to keep up its attacks regardless of weather conditions.

Snow has fallen on mountainous regions along the Iraqi and Turkish borders, making access to the area difficult.

It was the third cross-border air assault confirmed by the military and the fourth confirmed incursion into northern Iraq territory and airspace to hunt down rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, since Dec 16. No rebel deaths from the air strikes were immediately reported.

Oil prices rose Wednesday on supply concerns raised by the new round of Turkish airstrikes in northern Iraq and a growing belief that domestic oil inventories fell last week.

In Istanbul, the city's mayor said traditional New Year celebrations at a main square were canceled out of respect for soldiers killed and those now fighting the rebels.

"We had made preparations for Taksim Square, however, we have so many martyrs," Mayor Kadir Topbas told reporters. "At this moment in the southeast region, we have soldiers fighting in the mountains in terrible weather conditions."

Turkish commandos in white snow overalls comb the rugged terrain every day hunting for rebels.

Asked about possible casualties, Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said the U.S. did not have forces there to determine what was happening, and that American military is itself trying to learn more about the results of Turkey's bombing campaign.

In Iraq, Jabar Yawar, deputy minister of the Kurdistan regional government's Peshmerga forces, said Turkish planes had carried out a half-hour raid near the border, starting at 8:30 a.m. (0530GMT) Wednesday morning.

"Because the areas were deserted, there were no civilians casualties," he said.

Yawar said he expected the Turkish bombing campaign to continue over the border region, to make it more difficult for PKK rebels to slip into Turkey, and to pressure the fighters to surrender.

On Tuesday, the Turkish military said that more than 200 Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq have been hit since Dec. 16, and as many as 175 rebels killed.

The PKK has battled for autonomy in southeastern Turkey for more than two decades _ a campaign that has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths _ and it uses strongholds in northern Iraq for cross-border strikes.

In October, Parliament authorized the military to strike back at the rebels across the border.

The United States, which with Turkey and the European Union considers the PKK a terrorist organization, has long cautioned Ankara against a mass incursion, fearing that it could disrupt one of Iraq's most stable regions.

However, Washington has been providing intelligence on the PKK since U.S. President George W. Bush met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Nov. 5.

President Abdullah Gul on Wednesday said Turkey, a NATO member, was pleased with the U.S. cooperation, including the sharing of intelligence.

"It is a cooperation that befits the allies," he was quoted as saying by the state-run media. "It's how it should have been," Gul said. "We could have arrived at this point much earlier."

A coordination center has been set up in Ankara so Turks, Iraqis and Americans can share information.

The U.S., Iraq and Turkey "share a common enemy in the PKK," said Phil Reeker, U.S. Embassy spokesman in Baghdad. "We have a common interest in stopping the work of this organization.

The military has confirmed that it sent ground troops to hunt down rebels on Dec. 18. Iraqi Kurdish officials said the ground operation involved about 300 soldiers and lasted 15 hours.

Other rebel hideouts and anti-aircraft weapons were struck in a cross-border air assault on Dec. 22, followed by artillery fire from inside Turkey.

Also Wednesday, a woman died in hospital from wounds suffered in a small bomb explosion in Istanbul the day before, Gov. Muammer Guler said. Six other people were injured in the blast. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but Guler blamed the Kurdish rebels.

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Associated Press Writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed to this report from Baghdad