31 Dec 2011

Regret expressed by Turkey over border incident

10:42 am on 31 December 2011

Turkey has expressed regret over the deaths of 35 civilians in an air strike near the border with Iraq.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan says the attack near a Kurdish village was "unfortunate and saddening".

President Abdullah Gul also expressed condolences over the incident.

The attack by F-16 jets on Wednesday night took place near the town of Uludere, in Sirnak province in south-eastern Turkey.

Mr Erdogan said it had been established after the raid that those killed were smugglers, not rebels.

The BBC reports an official investigation is underway.