The PKK may be facing tough times ahead, and not only from the Turkish military. In a dramatic turn of events, Kurdistan's Prime Minister Negervan al-Barazani on Tuesday confirmed the presence of a limited number of Turkish troops inside the governate, explaining they are in northern Iraq with the permission of the Kurdish regional authorities.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki signed a memorandum of understanding with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreeing to join with Anakara in combating the Kurdish rebel group that has long enjoyed sanctuary in Kurdistan.

Barazani told a news conference in Arbil, "There is a Turkish presence in Kurdistan region and it came in coordination with the regional government," responding to a question about media reports of the incursion.

On the presence of the PKK in the region, Barazani told reporters: "We in the regional government will back no group using the region's soil to attack neighboring countries, be it Iran, Turkey or else. We will adhere at this policy."

As reported earlier, an Iraqi delegation led by spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh had been working with Turkish authorities to finalize a counterterrorism cooperative agreement on Monday, in preparation for the Iraqi prime minister's visit. Maliki preceded his one-day visit to Ankara with a statement labeling the PKK an "illegal terrorist organization," but didn't end up signing the agreement.

While condemning PKK actions and promising Iraqi cooperation on the matter, Maliki said it was not in his power to commit Baghdad to the agreement without first putting it before parliament and his Cabinet, an Iraqi government official told the AP.

The Turkish and Iraqi Interior Ministries had been negotiating such a pact, but the official said al-Maliki was caught off-guard when asked to sign an agreement Tuesday.

"Al-Maliki offered to sign a memorandum instead, saying that fell within his powers. ... He told the Turks that signing this agreement would impose commitments that Iraqis might not be able to carry out," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

In a joint press conference with Maliki, Erdogan told reporters, "We have reached an agreement to spend all efforts to end the presence of the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK in Iraq."

"Within a short period of time, a large delegation under the leadership of the (Iraqi) interior minister will visit. Security officials will come together and seal an agreement," Erdogan said.

A Turkish foreign ministry official told Reuters that the agreement included provisions for the exchange of intelligence.

"Whether we are satisfied or not will depend on the implementation, but I can say we have seen a green light (from the Iraqi side)," a Turkish Foreign Ministry official said.

"We have binding promises from Iraq. They said they are ready to do everything including exchange of intelligence."

Despite his refusal to commit Iraq to a binding accord, Maliki tried to reassure Turkey that Iraq would follow through on its promise to combat the PKK.

"We in Iraq are victims of terrorism. We understand what Turkey wants," he said. "We have said that we will establish cooperation against all terrorist organizations, prominently against the PKK."