People in Cukurca, the district of Hakkari closest to the Iraqi border, have lived with the sound of bombings for years. They ask for investment in the area rather than operations.

However much the upper echelons of the army may dislike the AKP because of the headscarf and its religious discourses, they are willing to cooperate with the party as long as it does not threaten their territory.

The lack of success of legislation to allow for the return home of PKK members is not due to lack of information. Rather, legislation has been faulty.

According to UNICEF, millions of children have been affected by the ongoing war in Iraq, suffering from malnutrition, illnesses, interrupted education and displacement.

Erdogan and Bush have agreed on continuing to share intelligence in the fight against terrorism. Barzani condemned the operations, while Talabani's complaint was more muted.

The Bosphorus University has opened a new Centre for Peace Education Practice and Research. Centre manager Prof. Dr. Erkman said the media played an important role in creating peace.

35 Cypriot Greeks and Turks joined a workshop "Creating Empathy - Loss", in which they learned about the pain of families who had lost relatives.

The Bala district of Ankara province experienced an earthquake on Thursday, the first day of the Feast of Sacrifice.

The General Staff announced that it hit further PKK targets in Northern Iraq on Saturday and that"similar operations would continue within the country and across the borders independently of the terrain and the weather."

A study by the Egitim-Sen trade union has found that one out of five children starts school late in areas where seasonal labour is common.

The General Staff has confirmed that ground units carried out a small operation on the Turkey-Iraq border in the night from 17 to 18 December.

The Hürriyet newspaper estimates that the four-hour operation cost Turkey around 20 million dollars. The UNHCR reports that around 1,800 people have been displaced as a result of the operations.