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Kurds React to Recent Turkey Shelling in
Kurdistan Region Border
25.8.2006
By Brian Padden
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Kani Masi,
Kurdistan-Iraq, August 24, -- There have been recent
reports of Turkey and Iran shelling sites inside
Kurdistan (the northern Kurdish region of Iraq). The
attacks supposedly target the Kurdish terrorist
organization the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK.
Both countries claim the PKK is hiding in the
mountains on the Iraqi side of the border, and from
there launching terrorist attacks into Turkey and
Iran. VOA's Brian Padden visited the village of Kani
Masi located near the Turkish border and files this
report.
To Construction worker Mohammed Zeki the occasional
sounds of mortar shells exploding in the nearby
mountains have become almost routine.
Zeki says, "The workers and I were here when it
happened. And I told them not to be afraid. It is
not bombing. It is like a rainstorm. Don't be
afraid. There are no terrorists here. So get back to
work."
Mohammed Zeki lives and works in the mountain
village of Kani Masi, located near the Turkish
border. Zeki and most who live here say the
occasional shelling into the nearby mountains is
being carried out by the Turkish military. They say
Iraqi authorities have told them that the Turks are
trying to target and kill PKK guerillas operating in
the border region. The Kurdistan Workers Party, or
PKK, formerly advocated the use of violence to unite
the Kurds of Iraq, Turkey, Iran and Syria into an
independent state, and is considered a terrorist
organization by the U.S. government.
So far, no one has been killed or injured in the
shelling near Kani Masi. Ahmed Ali, a journalist
with the Voice of Kurdistan, the ruling Kurdistan
Democratic Party's radio station, says Turkey has
shelled this region 10 times in the last year. Ali
pointed out the dark brown marks in the distant
hills that he says indicate the locations of the
shellings. He also shares close-up photographs of
what he says are the mortar remains of one such
attack. Ali says he believes Turkey's true intention
is to destabilize the Kurdish region of Iraq.
Ali says, "When people are made afraid and
intimidated, this grows. In fact, I tell you the
shelling by the Turks in our villages is an attempt
to destabilize us and destroy our security."
The Turkish military has been operating inside the
border region of Iraq since the mid - 1990's. During
a visit to Kani Masi, a VOA reporter passed a number
of Turkish military checkpoints and spoke with the
commander of the Turkish forces in the area. He
declined VOA's request for an interview.
For its part, The Turkish government does not
comment on the presence of Turkish soldiers in
northern Iraq and denies its military has carried
out artillery or mortar shelling in the region.
In an interview with VOA, the Kurdistan Regional
Government spokesman, Khaled Salih, condemned the
artillery and mortar shelling in the area.
"The government's reaction to all shelling has been
very clear," said Khaled Salih. "Its not
acceptable."
Before the latest round of shelling, Kurdish
officials were cautious in describing the situation
in the border region. In an interview with VOA in
July, the prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional
Government, Nechirvan Barzani, said past PKK
terrorist attacks provoked a Turkish military
presence in Iraq of approximately one thousand
troops.
"The PKK harmed us a lot, " Mr. Barzani said. "And
these Turkish troops have come to the Kurdistan
region in coordination with the Kurdistan region
authorities. They came in 1995/96, the prime
minister says. There is nothing serious at the
border. They have built up some troops on their side
of the border and a couple of times there has been
some shelling on the Iraqi Kurdistan side. A couple,
nothing more than that."
Now, Salih says the regional government's official
position is that negotiations are the only way to
resolve this complex situation.
"The Kurdistan Regional Government believes strongly
that there is no military solution," he said. "For
those issues you have to work within a wider
political process so that you will bring in groups
that are against specific policies. So that they
will be more and more involved in the political
dialogue rather than making them more militant."
To be effective, Salih concludes, such negotiations
should include the PKK.
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Southeastern Turkey:
North Kurdistan (
Kurdistan-Turkey) wikipedia
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