Turkish ground forces have stormed the border into northern Iraq launching a major ground offensive that had been promised for many months. Kurdish sources in the area have reported heavy fighting, but the number of casualties has been unconfirmed. The United States was informed of the operation before it began and said Turkey had the right to defend itself. The UN secretary general has now urged Turkey to respect Iraq's border. Laurence Lee has the following report. Author: AlJazeeraEnglish Keywords: turkey kurd iraq laurence lee aljazeera Added: February 22, 2008