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PKK's Mahmur camp in Iraqi Kurdistan
surrounded by Kurdish Peshmerga forces
22.11.2007
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November
22, 2007
Iraqi Kurdistan-Turkey border -- A large camp
in Kurdistan region of 'northern Iraq' has been
surrounded by Iraqi Kurdish forces (Peshmerga),
reported a Xinhua correspondent at the Turkish-Iraqi
Kurdistan border on Thursday.
Iraqi Kurdish soldiers set up check points in front
of the Mahmur camp in which people ran away from
Turkey in 1990's are living, and do not let foreign
people, including the members of the Turkey's
outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) to enter into
the camp. Turkey has claimed that the Mahmur camp
was under control of the PKK and was logistics
source for the PKK.
Vehicles and people who want to enter into the camp
are being checked by Iraqi Kurdistan soldiers (peshmerga). www.ekurd.net
The Iraqi Kurdish soldiers dug positions near the
camp to prevent foreign people from reaching it and
by the way, they patrol near the camp with jeeps.
They don't let anybody, except people who are living
in the camp, to enter, said Youssef Abdulrahman, the
chief of subdivision of soldiers, adding, "we do
check 24 hours and put the camp under control. We
are checking everywhere."
"Nobody can enter and the daily life is going on
normally in the camp which is closed to
journalists," added Abdulrahman.
Local media reported that there are nearly 10,000
people living in the camp and there is a school and
hospital in it.
Turkey has massed up to 100,000 troops along the
mountainous border with Iraqi Kurdistan in
preparation for the cross-border operation to crush
the about 3,000 strong Turkey's PKK rebels in
Kurdistan 'northern Iraq', which was approved by the
Turkish parliament last month.
The PKK took up arms against Turkey in 1984 with the
aim of creating an ethnic homeland in the mainly
Kurdish southeast Turkey. More than 37,000 people
have been killed in more than two decades conflict.
Iraqi Kurdish politician says, Turkey is using
Turkey's Kurdish separatist PKK rebel group as an
excuse to invade Kurdistan region 'Iraq' to prevent
the establishment of Kurdistan state in the Kurdish
autonomous region in 'northern Iraq', Turkey fears
this could fan separatism among its own large
Kurdish population in southeast Turkey. www.ekurd.net
Turkey rejects direct talks with Iraqi Kurdistan
government, Officially, Turkey does not recognise
the regional government of Kurdistan led by
president Massoud Barzani.
Turkey has never, and still does not, recognize the
Kurdistan region government (KRG) and refuses to
meet with its representatives in any official
capacity. That reflects Ankara's fear that any
international respect shown to the autonomous Iraqi
Kurdistan region would only embolden Turkey's own
large Kurdish minority to seek similar home-rule
status.
Xinhua | Agencies
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