Turks Warned Against Crossing Iraqi Border

The president of Iraqi Kurdistan says any Turkish incursions will be met with force.

Massoud Barzani denied that members of the Kurdish Workers Party, or PKK, are being given shelter in the region, the BBC reported.

We frankly say to all parties: if they attack the region of Kurdistan under whatever pretext, we will be completely ready to defend our democratic experiment and the dignity of our people and the sanctity of our homeland, Barzani said.

The Turkish parliament voted Tuesday to authorize the government to carry out cross-border operations if necessary. Turkish officials say the authority may never be used and no attack is expected in the near future.

Turkey and other countries with large Kurdish populations are wary of the semi-autonomous region in Iraq, fearing it might fuel a movement for an independent Kurdish state.