TURKISH troops invaded Iraq yesterday in “hot pursuit” of Kurdistan Workers’ Party guerillas, in the latest escalation of the war engulfing the Middle East.

Ground forces crossed into northern Iraq for the first time since 2011 in a “short-term” operation, a Turkish government official said, as air force jets carried out more air strikes against PKK camps in the region.

“This is a short-term measure intended to prevent the terrorists’ escape,” the official said on condition of anonymity.