Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is in Turkey for talks expected to focus on security concerns and Turkish Kurd rebels who use Iraqi territory as safe haven.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is in Ankara today for talks that are expected to focus on Turkey's concerns about Kurdish militants launching attacks from northern Iraq. As al-Maliki arrived in Ankara, Turkish media noted the death of yet another Turkish soldier in the country’s southeast.

Turkey may carry out a military operation against Kurdish insurgents based in northern Iraq after parliamentary elections July 22, the Turkish prime minister said Friday.

In recent weeks, Turkey has massed tens of thousands of soldiers on its border with Iraq and repeatedly threatened to launch a cross-border operation to pursue Kurdish militants.

Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Ankara had a plan in place for military incursions into northern Iraq to destroy Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) bases there.

On April 12, the chief of Turkey's General Staff, General Yasar Buyukanit, announced that the military was ready to stage a cross-border operation into Iraq to put down Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants. The only thing holding it back was authorization from the government and parliament. Since then, there has been a constant stream of rhetoric from military officers and opposition politicians seeming to agitate for action.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari says Turkey has gathered 140,000 troops on its northern border, and he asked Ankara to give Baghdad more time to deal with Kurdish rebels.

The Bush administration has reaffirmed its determination to clamp down on Kurdish rebels who utilize Iraq's northern regions as a base for launching attacks against neighboring Turkey.

A bombing on a busy street in the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir early Friday injured seven people, including a noncommissioned army officer.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country is focused on fighting Kurdish rebels within its borders. He spoke as speculation grows over whether Turkey will launch a cross-border military operation into Iraq against Kurdish militants.

Turkey has declared several areas near the border with Iraq to be "temporary security zones." The military did not clarify what it meant by the term, but media reports said entry into the areas would be restricted and they would be off-limits to civilian flights.

Tensions remain high over Turkey's deployment of armor to its border region with Iraq. The build-up comes as PKK guerrillas have stepped up attacks in southeast Turkey and there is much speculation that Turkish troops will attack PKK bases in northern Iraq.