ISTANBUL—Turkish jets bombed Kurdish rebels inside Turkey on Tuesday as NATO proclaimed its “strong solidarity” with the country’s fight against the Islamic State group but urged restraint in a campaign that has also targeted Kurdish separatists.
In a statement, Turkey’s military said it used fighter jets to bomb Kurdish rebels after its soldiers came under fire by heavy weaponry in Sirnak province near country’s border with Iraq.
Earlier Tuesday, NATO backed Turkish steps to defend itself against terrorism in a rare emergency meeting, which had been called to assess the threat posed by the Islamic State extremist group and the Turkish response.
“The security of the alliance is indivisible,” ambassadors from all 28 NATO nations declared in a joint statement after the meeting.
They condemned recent terror attacks in Turkey, and called terrorism “a global threat that knows no border, nationality, or religion — a challenge that the international community must fight and tackle together.”
A NATO official said members also used the closed-door meeting to call on Turkey not to use excessive force in reaction to terror attacks, while urging it to continue peace efforts with representatives of the Kurdish minority. The official was not authorized to speak on the record and spoke on condition of anonymity.
