Turkish military officials said the death toll in the three day of fighting with Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq already reached the high number of 127. Washington urged Ankara to end the incursion or at least ease up the violence.

The Turkish troops have reportedly killed 11 militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party of which 33 in today’s fighting, the military said on its Web site. Turkey also lost 15 soldiers in the conflict.

However, despite the U.S. suggestion to reconsider their actions, the Turkish military said it would continue the operation with the same determination and heroism until planned targets are reached. In the statement released, the military also said that jets, artillery and helicopters had hit 63 suspected PKK targets in northern Iraq since the operation began.

The United Nations and Germany have also urged Ankara to restrain its military incursion in northern Iraq. The region recently attacked by the Turkish army remained quite tranquil since the U.S.-led invasion five years ago and was until a few days ago the only peaceful region in the troubled Iraq.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates stated that the Turks should stop their incursion as soon as possible and added that the problem of cross-border Kurdish raids won’t be resolved through military means.

"I would hope that it would be short, that it would be precise and avoid the loss of innocent life, and that they leave as quickly as they can accomplish their mission,'' Gates told reporters today in Canberra, Australia.

The military incursion follows two months of air strikes as Turkey tries to neutralize about 4,000 PKK fighters who retreated to northern Iraq after their leader Abdullah Ocalan was captured by Turkey and put on trial in 1999.