Info given on strikes in Iraq, Syria: Turkish military

The Turkish General Staff (TSK) has stated that Turkey's air strike targeting the Sinjar region of northern Iraq and the Karachock Mountain in northeastern Syria on April 25 were within the knowledge of the civilian and military authorities of the related countries, in line with the agreed rules of engagement.

"Prior to the airstrike, the civil and military representatives of the countries concerned were contacted within the framework of the previously agreed rules, and necessary information was provided to them," read a written statement published by TSK on May 3. 

Necessary precautions were taken in order not to harm civilians and soldiers from other countries, added the statement. 

The Turkish military had carried out air strikes against outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) militants in Iraq's Sinjar and in northeastern Syria, saying it aimed to prevent the group from sending weapons and explosives for attacks inside Turkey. The air strikes in Syria targeted the People's Protection Units (YPG), a key component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are backed by the United States and have been closing in on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) bastion of Raqqa.

The top U.S. military officer in Europe raised concerns about Turkish air strikes in Syria and Iraq during a meeting last week with Ankara's chief of general staff in Turkey, a U.S. official said.

General Curtis Scaparrotti told General Hulusi Akar on April 28 that the strikes were not properly coordinated with the United States and its allies in their fight against ISIL, a spokesman for the U.S. European Command told Reuters.

U.S. military officials said last week that Turkey gave the U.S.-led coalition less than an hour of advance...