Iranian troops swept the northern Iraqi border for Kongra Gel camps. The Kurdish separatists favor the mountains along the Iran-Iraq border because the local Kurds either support them, or won't betray them, and terrain is difficult to police. Turkey, which is improving relations with Iran, has asked that Iran do something about the Kongra Gel rebels operating openly on the Iranian side of the border. The military operations left sixteen Iranian soldiers dead, and at least four rebels. It is thought that several hundred other rebels fled across the border into Iraq.