By Bridget Johnson, your guide to Journalism

Today, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, attended a funeral in Ankara for three servicemen killed during the most recent offensive against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Also today I received an e-mail from a P.R. firm working for the Turkish Embassy in D.C.:

“OPERATIONS AGAINST THE TERRORIST ORGANIZATION
• The PKK/KONGRA-GEL terror organization has continued its murderous campaign against Turkish citizens from its bases in the north of Iraq. Over the years, countless lives have been lost due to PKK terrorism. The terror attacks have intensified in recent months.

• Turkey has the responsibility and determination to protect its citizens against the attacks of the terror organization.

• Numerous diplomatic attempts have been made to resolve the problem of terrorist presence and activities in northern Iraq. Since December 2007, Turkey has initiated air operations against PKK terrorist targets in northern Iraq.

• These operations have exclusively targeted the terrorist organization. Utmost care has been shown in order to prevent civilian casualty.

• In the same vein, on February 21, Turkish Armed Forces launched a ground operation supported by air assets.

• The sole target of the ground operation is the PKK terror organization.

• Utmost care is being exercised to make sure no civilians are hurt.

• This operation will be limited in size, scope and duration.

• Turkey has been among the staunchest advocates of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and national unity of Iraq.

• Turkish civilian and military authorities have been in contact with the relevant Iraqi and US authorities at highest levels prior to the operations.”

Why the public-relations offensive? Because people are getting killed now, and, as the bullet point regarding territorial sovereignty alludes to, Iraq is getting really mad:

“Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq’s foreign minister, said the operation was a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.


‘This is a serious escalation of events, and it is extremely worry and destabilising for our country,’ he told Al Jazeera.


‘We have asked the Turkish government to order its troops to withdraw as soon as possible.’”

The office of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also urged Turkey to stop and get out. The death toll — in the latest leg of a conflict that has claimed 40,000 or so lives since 1984 — thus far depends on whom you ask. Turkey says it’s killed 153 PKK fighters since Feb. 21; the PKK says it has killed 81 Turks, but Turkey says it’s lost 17 soldiers.

Also, PKK leader Bahoz Erdal claims that Kurdish Iraqi President Jalal Talabani was in on the offensive:

“US reconnaissance planes are overflying the region. They instantly convey to the Turkish army information about the position of our forces and then Turkish warplanes come and bomb the field.


…In our opinion, Jalal TalabaniÂ’s attitude in this offensive is very dangerous. We have information that he has even invited the Turkish army to Qandil.”

(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)