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ByAndrewMeldrum and Sylvie Corbet The Associated Press SAINT-ANDRE, REUNION A sea-crusted wing part washed up on an island in the western Indian Ocean may be the first trace of Ma- laysia Airlines Flight 370 since it vanished nearly a year and a half ago, and a tragic but finally solid clue to one of aviation's most perplexing and expensive mysteries. Malaysia's prime minis- ter said Thursday the de- bris found on the French island of Reunion will be sent for investigation to the French city of Toulouse, hub of the European avia- tion industry. "We have had many false alarms before, but for the sake of the families who have lost loved ones, and suffered such heartbreak- ing uncertainty, I pray that we will find out the truth so that they may have closure and peace," Najib Razak said on his personal blog. Najib promised to make any new information pub- lic quickly. Air safety investigators — one of them a Boeing inves- tigator — have identified the component as a "flaperon" from the trailing edge of a Boeing 777 wing, a U.S. of- ficial said. Flight 370, which disappeared March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board, is the only 777 known to be missing. The piece could help in- vestigators figure out how the plane crashed, but whether it will help search crews pinpoint the rest of the wreckage is unclear, given the complexity of the currents in the southern Indian Ocean and the time that has elapsed since the plane disappeared. "It's the first real evi- dence that there is a possi- bility that a part of the air- craft may have been found," said Australian Transport Minister Warren Truss, whose country is leading the search for the plane in a remote patch of ocean far off Australia's west coast. "It's too early to make that judgment, but clearly we are treating this as a ma- jor lead." Flight 370 had been trav- eling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, but investigators believe based on satellite data that the plane turned south into the Indian Ocean after vanishing from radar. If the wing part is from the Malaysian plane, it would bolster that theory and put to rest others that it trav- eled north, or landed some- where after being hijacked. The wing piece is about 2 meters (6 feet) long. In- vestigators have found a number on the part, but it is not a serial or registra- tion number, Truss said. It could be a maintenance number, which may help investigators figure out what plane it belongs to, he said. Flaperons are located on the rear edge of both wings, about midway between the fuselage and the tips. When the plane is banking, the flaperon on one wing tilts up and the other tilts down, which makes the plane roll to the left or right as it turns. French law enforcement authorities are on Reunion island to examine the piece, according to an official close to an investigation of the debris. A French law enforcement helicopter is scouring the waters around the island in hopes of spot- ting more debris, and U.S. investigators are examining a photo of the debris. The wing part was found on a desolate, rocky beach in the small town of Saint- Andre and was transferred to the civil aviation author- ity's offices in the island's main airport, a local police official said. The French and U.S. of- ficials spoke on condition that they not be named be- cause they aren't authorized to speak publicly. MALAYSIA FLIGHT WingpartturnsupassolidclueinhuntforMH370 LUCASMARIE—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS French police officers carry a piece of debris from a plane in Saint-Andre, Reunion Island. Air safety investigators have identified the component as a "flaperon" from the trailing edge of a Boeing 777wing, a U.S. official said. By Desmond Butler and Suzan Fraser The Associated Press DIYARBAKIR, TURKEY Just when it seemed Turkey was getting serious about the fight against IS, it has turned its military focus to pounding its old foe: the Kurdish rebels. In Turkey's Kurdish heartland, the govern- ment's renewed military onslaught against the rebels has left many people cry- ing treachery — with suspi- cions rife that Turkey used a brief offensive against IS as a cover to launch a broad attack against the Kurdis- tan Workers Party, or PKK. Many Kurds also are vent- ing frustration against the United States, accusing Washington of turning a blind eye to Turkish attacks on the Kurds in exchange for logistical support on IS. "We are used to this. Kurds have witnessed be- trayal for centuries" said Axin Bro, a musician. "Na- tional powers use us for their own ends." The U.S. had welcomed Turkey's air assault last week on the Islamic State group, along with its deci- sion to open air bases for American sorties, as a sign that Turkey had dropped its reluctance to fight the ex- tremist group. Since then, Turkish jets taking off from this city in Kurdish-domi- nated lands have been hit- ting PKK targets in north- ern Iraq and southeast- ern Turkey, as the militant group has targeted military and police in Turkey. Turkish jets again pounded PKK targets in northern Iraq in an oper- ation Thursday that lasted two and a half hours, a gov- ernment official said. He said the latest airstrikes were in retaliation for an attack on troops stationed near the border with Iraq earlier in the day that killed three soldiers. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules requir- ing prior authorization to speak to journalists. The U.S. has said Tur- key has a right to defend it- self against the PKK, which Washington, like Turkey, considers a terrorist group. The PKK is affiliated with, but separate from, Syrian Kurdish fighters allied with the United States in its fight against the Islamic State group. Turkish officials say the Syrian Kurdish group is not a target of Turkey's op- erations. Of the 1,300 people the government rounded up in a nationwide anti-ter- ror sweep, the overwhelm- ing number has been Kurd- ish. That may reflect the PKK's greater presence in Turkish society, but Kurd- ish politicians charge that the government's objective is to curb the rising political power of the Kurds. The mayor of Diyarbakir said distrust is growing to- ward both the government and the U.S. "People here see that there have been several weak operations against IS while there have been re- peated operations against Kurds both politically and militarily," Gultan Kisanak said in an interview. She said many constit- uents are asking whether there was a tacit deal be- tween Turkey and the U.S. — for the U.S. to look the other way on Kurdish oper- ations in exchange for ac- cess to Turkish air bases. MIDDLE EAST Turkey onslaught on Kurds a er IS attack fuels anger, suspicions EMRAH GUREL — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Turkish Air Force fighter planes land at Incirlik Air Base, on the outskirts of the city of Adana, southern Turkey, on Thursday. FacebookPage 4,133fans + 20 this week .. and growing, every week! Daily News Facebook fans receive special posts of breaking news, sports, weather and road closures, clicking right to full stories and photos published on redbluffdailynews.com ... Tehama County's most-visited local website ... things that that fans want to know about, sooner rather than later! www.facebook.com/rbdailynews "LIKE" us at "Like" a story or item, leave a review, make a post on the site ... and more! 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