2008 Turkish incursion into northern Iraq day of the operation, Turkish President Abdullah Gül made a telephone call to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, himself a Kurd, to brief him on the details of the incursion. He also invited Talabani to come to Turkey. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he called Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on the night the ground operation began, and later U.S. President George W. Bush. The United States was guarded in its response to the incursion, requesting that Turkey take care to only target the PKK, to "limit the scope and duration of their operations," and to work with Iraqi
Qalay-I-Zal District Qalay-I-Zal District Qalay-I-Zal District (), also spelled Qala-i-Zal, is situated in the western part of Kunduz Province, northern Afghanistan. It borders Balkh Province to the west and Tajikistan to the north along the Panj, Vakhsh and Amu Darya rivers. To the east it borders Imam Sahib District and to the south Kunduz and Chahar dara districts. Qalay-I-Zal River flows through the district and divides it in two parts. The population is 60,600 (2006) - 90% Turkmen and 10% Pashtun. The district is almost a desert and only the irrigated land is arable. The agriculture and carpet weaving are the most