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US denies backing Turkish air strikes in
Iraqi Kurdistan
17.12.2007
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December
17, 2007
Ankara, -- Turkish warplanes targeting
Turkey's Kurdish PKK rebels
bombed Kurdistan region
'northern Iraq' yesterday, killing one Kurdish woman
and forcing hundreds to flee, local officials said.
The Turkish military claimed it had attacked targets
of the Turkey's Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) with
the approval of US forces in Iraq.
However, the US said only that it had been informed
in advance of the operation and denied supporting
the operation.
Turkish ground forces also shelled areas where the
rebels were based, an army statement said. Turkey's
NTV television said 50 aircraft had taken part in
the three-hour operation.
The Turkish army has up to 100,000 troops near the
Iraqi Kurdistan region border, threatening a major
operation that Washington fears could destabilise
one of the most peaceful areas of Iraq.
It was given authorisation by the cabinet last month
to conduct cross-border operations against the PKK,
which uses Kurdistan 'northern Iraq' as a base for
attacks inside Turkey.
"In opening Iraqi airspace to this action last night
America gave its approval to the action," the head
of Turkey's General Staff, General Yasar Buyukanit,www.ekurd.net
was quoted by the
Anatolian state news agency as saying.
A US embassy official said: "We have not approved
any decision, it is not for us to approve. However,
we were informed before the event."
Pro-separatist ROJ TV, quoting PKK sources, said
five PKK guerrillas were killed in the overnight
bombardment.
The death of the woman was the first reported
civilian fatality since Turkey stepped up shelling
and air strikes on suspected PKK bases in the Qandil
mountains in October.
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said his
government was determined to use every kind of
instrument in the fight against terrorism -
diplomatic, political and military
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',www.ekurd.net
Turkey fears this could
fan separatism among its own large Kurdish
population in southeast Turkey.
More than 37,000 Turkish soldiers and Kurdish PKK
guerrillas have been killed since 1984 when the PKK
took up arms for self-rule in the country's mainly
Kurdish southeast of Turkey.
The PKK demanded Turkey's recognition of the Kurds'
identity in its constitution and of their language
as a native language along with Turkish in the
country's Kurdish areas,www.ekurd.net
the party also demanded
an end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, granting them full
political freedoms.
The (PKK) KONGRA-GEL released an
official declaration
reiterating their desire for negotiations with the
Turkish government.
Reuters
**
Kurds are not recognized as an official minority in
Turkey and are denied rights granted to other
minority groups. Under EU pressure, Turkey recently
granted Kurds limited rights for broadcasts and
education in the Kurdish language, but critics say
the measures do not go far enough.
The use of the term "Kurdistan" is vigorously
rejected due to its alleged political implications
by the Republic of Turkey, which does not recognize
the existence of a "Turkish Kurdistan" Southeast
Turkey.
Others estimate over 40 million Kurds live in
Big Kurdistan (Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Armenia),
which covers an area as big as France, about half of
all Kurds which estimate to 20 million live in
Turkey.
Turkey is home to over 25 million ethnic Kurds,
large Kurdish community openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK for a
Kurdish homeland in the country's mainly Kurdish
southeast of Turkey.
Before August 2002, the Turkish government placed
severe restrictions on the use of Kurdish language,
prohibiting the language in education and broadcast
media.
The Kurdish alphabet is still not recognized
in Turkey, and use of the Kurdish letters X, W, Q
which do not exist in the Turkish
alphabet has led to judicial persecution in 2000 and
2003
The Kurdish flag flown officially in Iraqi Kurdistan
but unofficially flown by Kurds in Armenia. The flag
is banned in Iran, Syria, and Turkey where flying it
is a criminal offence"
Southeastern Turkey:
North Kurdistan (
Kurdistan-Turkey)
wikipedia
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