The Turkey incursion into Northern Iraq is really heating up. 77 Kurdish rebels were killed over night and Turkey is making a stronger presence in northern Iraq.

Robert Gates finally addressed the situation:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has a message for Turkish leaders: Get your troops out of northern Iraq in the next few days.

“It’s very important that the Turks make this operation as short as possible and then leave,” Gates said before heading to Ankara late Wednesday from India. “They have to be mindful of Iraqi sovereignty. I measure quick in terms of days, a week or two, something like that, not months.”

Gates said he also will ask Turkish leaders in a series of meetings Thursday to address some of the complaints of the Kurds, and move from combat to economic and political initiatives to solve differences with them.

Translation: How dare you occupy the country we are occupying.