Kurdish News

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Iran launches 2nd attack against PKK

Iran launches 2nd attack against PKK

The New Anatolian / Ankara with agencies



Iranian armed forces recently launched a second major attack on Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) positions in mountainous northern Iraq.

Militants of the PJAK, known to be an affiliate of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), recently tried to infiltrate into Iran and armed clashes claimed lives of dozens of Iranian soldiers.

Local news agencies in northern Iraq reported on Thursday that Iranian armed forces recently launched attacks on PKK positions in the areas of Haci Umran and Berdesor in northern Iraq.

The latest attack, in which mortars and Katyusha rockets were said to have been used, took place on the night of April 24-25. No information was given as to the numbers of PJAK members killed or wounded in the attack.

Last week Iranian security forces reportedly killed at least 10 PJAK members.

The Iranian military operations coincide with major Turkish anti-terrorism operations near the Iraqi border. Turkish security forces, backed by helicopters, are carrying out operations against PKK terrorists in the region near the Iraqi border. More than 35 PKK terrorists have recently been killed in the region on the Turkish side of the border.

Ankara and Tehran have been concerned that the current situation in Iraq is providing the PKK and its affiliated groups with a PJAK in the north of that country. The two countries also consider any Kurdish state in the region as a threat to their security.

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Antiterrorism bill boils down to Öcalan amnesty

Antiterrorism bill boils down to Öcalan amnesty

Friday, April 28, 2006

An opposition leader's claim the new antiterrorism bill would allow the PKK chief to be granted an amnesty draws a furious response from the justice minister, while the military asks that the divisive article be removed from the bill

ANKARA - Turkish Daily News


A claim made by Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal that the new antiterrorism law could allow jailed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan be granted amnesty was received with derision by Justice Minister Cemil Çiçek on Thursday.

Baykal said he did not mean that it would happen but that even the possibility was unthinkable.

Baykal's claims were dismissed by Çiçek, who noted that such spurious suggestions would damage the morale of the security forces.

“Mr. Baykal is almost accusing us of treason. These types of statements are exactly what the terrorist group wants.” He said all the relevant institutions of the state helped in the preparation of the bill, dismissing the possibility of Öcalan ever being released.

Çiçek said Baykal's claims were not based on law but were instead political criticisms, adding: “Mr. Baykal is accusing us of trying to release Öcalan. We want this bill to be discussed from a legal perspective. We cannot say 'no' to legitimate proposals.”

He said trying to solve a problem by making accusations against one another would not be democratic, adding that it had not solved anything up until now.

Meanwhile, Col. İsmail Hakkı Dirik, a military judge who attended a parliamentary European Union Harmonization Commission meeting on the new antiterrorism bill as the representative of the Defense Ministry, demanded the removal of article six. He said the original version they were given did not include any such article. “It was added afterwards. Please remove it to ease our concerns.”

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Two soldiers killed in PKK attack

Two soldiers killed in PKK attack

Friday, April 28, 2006

DIYARBAKIR – AFP


Two Turkish soldiers were killed and another wounded in an armed attack by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on a gendarmerie post in eastern Turkey, local security sources here said on Thursday.

The PKK militants threw a hand grenade at the post in the village of Karşılar in Tunceli province in the Wednesday attack and then opened fire on it, the source said.

An operation is under way to catch the assailants.

Violence in Turkey's mainly Kurdish-populated East and Southeast has increased markedly since June 2004, when the PKK called off a five-year cease-fire and the militants started to penetrate Turkey from their bases in northern Iraq.

The Turkish army has recently amassed troops in the Southeast, in areas along the borders with Iraq and Iran, to crack down on militants whose infiltrations increase with the arrival of spring.

Turkey says an estimated 5,000 PKK militants have found refuge in northern Iraq since 1999 when the group, considered a terrorist organization by both Ankara and Washington, declared a unilateral cease-fire and withdrew from Turkey.

[Joseph]

Two soldiers killed in PKK attack

Friday, April 28, 2006

DIYARBAKIR – AFP


Two Turkish soldiers were killed and another wounded in an armed attack by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on a gendarmerie post in eastern Turkey, local security sources here said on Thursday.

The PKK militants threw a hand grenade at the post in the village of Kars¸?lar in Tunceli province in the Wednesday attack and then opened fire on it, the source said.

An operation is under way to catch the assailants.

Violence in Turkey's mainly Kurdish-populated East and Southeast has increased markedly since June 2004, when the PKK called off a five-year cease-fire and the militants started to penetrate Turkey from their bases in northern Iraq.

The Turkish army has recently amassed troops in the Southeast, in areas along the borders with Iraq and Iran, to crack down on militants whose infiltrations increase with the arrival of spring.

Turkey says an estimated 5,000 PKK militants have found refuge in northern Iraq since 1999 when the group, considered a terrorist organization by both Ankara and Washington, declared a unilateral cease-fire and withdrew from Turkey.

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'Iran Bombs PKK Positions in Northern Iraq'

'Iran Bombs PKK Positions in Northern Iraq'

Monday, May 01, 2006



The Iraqi administration issuing a note to Ankara alleging that Turkish special forces conducted a trans-border "hot pursuit" as part of the fight against the terrorist organization, PKK (Kurdish Workers' Party), also made a similar accusation against Iran.

The Iraqi Defense Ministry accused the Tehran administration of entering Iraqi territory to bomb PKK positions.

A ministry statement claimed Iranian forces entered five kilometers inside Iraq's northern border and bombarded PKK targets in Erbil and Haj Umran. The statement defended more than 180 heavy shells fell on Iraqi territory but no deaths or injuries were reported.

The Tehran administration made no statement verifying the allegation, but Kurdish authorities claimed Iran held a similar attack in the same region on April 21.

The Iranian army, recently conducting intensive operations against divisive terrorists within the country, had shifted troops to the border near Haj Umran.

The allegation that Iran conducted a military operation within the Iraqi border was "officially" declared for the first time; however, Tehran maintains its silence.

The PKK had previously warned Iran not to get involved "in their struggles against Turkey."

Rustem Judi, a network leader, spoke to the AFP, saying, "There is no reason for Iran to attack them and the main struggle is between Turkish troops and Kurdish guerillas far from the Iranian border."

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Iraq accuses Iran of violating its territory to hunt PKK

Iraq accuses Iran of violating its territory to hunt PKK

The New Anatolian / Baghdad



The Iraqi Defense Ministry accused Iran on Sunday of violating Iraqi territory to bomb positions of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the northern part of the country.

The ministry alleged that the Iranian Army entered five kilometers into Iraqi territory to bomb PKK targets in Erbil and Haci Umran.

"More than 180 mortars have targeted the Iraqi territory, and Iranian soldiers entered five kilometers into the country, claiming that they are launching 'hot pursuit' of PKK militants," the ministry statement said.

In related news, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hamid Reza Asefi ruled out cooperating with Washington to hunt down PKK terrorists, saying, "In the current situation, talks with the U.S. about the operations aren't beneficial to Tehran."

Concerning possible Iranian-U.S. talks about Iraq, Asefi said, "The future of Iraq should be determined by the Iraqis. This is not a decision that should be made by the Americans."

Recently, Turkey deployed more than 30,000 additional troops in its southeast and along its rugged border with Iraq and Iran to fight the PKK and to stop them from coming across the frontier.

The move came after the PKK reportedly killed two Turkish soldiers and injured a third in a grenade attack on a military outpost, raising the number of Turkish troops killed this year to at least 17.

The Turkish deployment, which has been going on for several weeks, boosts an already large garrison in the region that by some estimates tops 250,000 soldiers.

Iran also reportedly has moved forces to its border with Iraq near the mountainous region near Haci Umran that is used by anti-Iranian Kurdish fighters believed to be linked to the PKK.

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Turkish Forces Step up Operations Against PKK

Turkish Forces Step up Operations Against PKK
By Cihan News Agency
Tuesday, May 02, 2006



The Turkish Armed Forces have stepped up their operations on Mount Cudi which is located on the border with Iraq in the southeastern province of Sirnak.

Turkish security force personnel, equipped with armoured vehicles, have taken up stations in various areas on Mount Cudi which is considered to be the location of several crossing points used by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to pass from north Iraq to Turkey.

Mortars have been set up by the Turkish military at various strategic points on the mountain. Turkish soldiers have also dug trenches and set up ambushes.

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PKK feels heat from Iraqi borders with Turkey, Iran

PKK feels heat from Iraqi borders with Turkey, Iran


Tuesday, May 2, 2006

Iran reportedly shells PKK targets in the Kandil Mountains in northern Iraq as Turkey has been deploying troops on the Iraqi border. Iran has not confirmed reports of its troops crossing into Iraqi territory, and Turkish officials deny any coordination with Iranian side

ANKARA - Turkish Daily News


Iranian forces shelled outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) bases in the Kandil Mountains in northern Iraq, news reports said yesterday. Iranian authorities did not confirm any entry of Iranian troops into Iraqi territory.

“I do not confirm the entry of our forces into the territory of neighboring countries, notably Iraq,” government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham told reporters yesterday in Tehran.

Fırat News Agency, known for its close links to the PKK, said Iranian shelling throughout Sunday night targeted the Kandil Mountains, which Turkey says hosts PKK bases. In addition to the PKK bases, the Iranian military attacked villages in northern Iraq, the report said. Separately, Aref Ruzhdi, an Iraqi official from Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), told Agence France-Presse yesterday that Iranian forces shelled targets north of Ranya, on the outskirts of Kandil.

Ruzhdi claimed the Iranian forces were acting in coordination with the Turkish military, but a Turkish official dismissed any coordination with the Iranian side.

The Kandil bases are believed to shelter a few thousand PKK terrorists who have been increasingly infiltrating into Turkey. U.S. magazine Newsweek said in its latest issue that Ankara was losing patience with U.S. inaction against the PKK and that Turkish cross-border activities could signal “dangerous new frictions to come,” warning of a “new front in the Iraq war.”

Signaling possible tension, Iraq's Kurdish President Talabani said yesterday that entry into northern Iraq by other countries' forces was unacceptable.

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PKK under fire from Iran

PKK under fire from Iran

Tuesday, May 2, 2006

Report says Iran has hit PKK bases in the Kandil Mountains in northern Iraq. Tehran neither confirms nor denies reports that its troops cross the Iraqi border to hunt the PKK

ANKARA - Turkish Daily News


Iranian forces shelled outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) bases located in the Kandil Mountains in northern Iraq, a news report said yesterday.

Fırat News Agency, known for its close links to the PKK, said Iranian shelling throughout Sunday night targeted the Kandil Mountains, which Turkey says hosts PKK bases. In addition to the PKK bases, Iranian military attacked villages in northern Iraq, the report said.

Separately, an Iraqi official from Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) said Iranian forces shelled targets north of Ranya, on the outskirts of Kandil. The area is 25 kilometers inside Iraqi territory.

“Shelling was heavy in the night and it has continued sporadically since 7:30 a.m.,” Aref Ruzhdi, a senior official with PUK was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse yesterday.

Ruzhdi said the Iranian operation forced hundreds of Kurdish families to flee to safer places and added that a school and a vehicle had been destroyed in the bombardment of the mountainous area.

On Sunday Iraq's Defense Ministry said Iranian forces had entered Iraqi territory and shelled PKK positions over a period of 24 hours, but Iran on Monday neither confirmed nor denied that its troops had crossed into Iraqi soil.

“I do not confirm the entry of our forces into the territory of neighboring countries, notably Iraq,” government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham told reporters in Tehran.

“We have security cooperation accords with neighboring countries, and we act within the framework of these accords. There is no cause for concern over this kind of thing with neighboring countries,” he said.

AFP said Iranian shelling in the region continued for a second day on Monday as well.



No coordination with Turkey:

The Kandil bases are believed to shelter a few thousand PKK terrorists who have been increasingly infiltrating into Turkey to attack Turkish targets in southeastern Anatolia as snows melt with spring, making passage through mountain crossings easier.

Turkey has been pressing the United States and Iraq to crack down on the PKK but there has been no U.S. or Iraqi action so far. Turkey has deployed tens of thousands of additional troops to its border with Iraq in a move which officials say is a routine measure to prevent PKK infiltrations.

Ruzhdi claimed Iranian forces were acting in coordination with the Turkish military, but a Turkish official dismissed any coordination with the Iranian side.

A PKK leader in Iraq, Rustom Judi, told AFP earlier that there was coordination between Turkish and Iranian military.

Turkey and Iran have mechanisms of consultation on issues of terrorism, organized crime and other security matters and committees are regularly meeting to discuss issues of common concern. But there is no specific agreement committing the two countries to take action against terrorist groups.

On Sunday Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi said the security and interests of Iran and Turkey were interlinked.

Referring to recent activities of terrorist groups in Iran and Turkish borders, he said the “saboteur groups” infiltrate the common borders to inflict damage but that they should not be permitted to achieve their goals and endanger the security of the two countries. “We take full advantage of our forces to secure Turkish territory from any attacks across our borders,” he said, as he received Turkish Ambassador to Iran Gürcan Türkoğlu.

Türkoğlu expressed satisfaction with the level of security cooperation and said Turkish troop reinforcements on the border with Iran and Iraq were meant to deal with common threats, dismissing rumors that they were aimed at Iran.