|
Iran kills three Kurdish PEJAK rebel
chiefs
27.2.2007
|
|
|
|
February 27, 2007
TEHRAN, -- Iranian forces have killed three
local chiefs of a Kurdish rebel group that has been
involved in deadly clashes with the military close
to the Turkish border.
"Three chiefs of the counter-revolutionary group
PEJAK who have been given a mission by the enemies
to create trouble were killed on Monday," Commander
Hassan Rastegar-Panah told the official IRNA news
agency on Tuesday.
He said that numerous wounded PEJAK "Party for a
Free Life in Kurdistan" fighters were still hiding
in the region and were being pursued by Iranian
forces.
"Documents found show that the objective of the
rebels was to create insecurity in the area," he
added.
The Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday that they
had killed 17 rebels in the area but later added
that 14 Iranian military personnel were also killed
in a helicopter accident during the operation.
PEJAK, a separatist Kurdish rebel group, claimed in
a statement sent from Kurdistan (northern Iraq) that
it had shot down an Iranian helicopter.
PEJAK, took up arms for self-rule in the country's
mainly Kurdistan province northwestern of Iran. Half
the members of PEJAK are women, many of them still
in their teens. |
PEJAK Kurdish woman fighter, (PEJAK - Party for a
Free Life in Kurdistan), PEJAK fights against the
Iran regime for self-rule in the country's
mainly Kurdistan province northwestern of Iran AP |
The group, linked to Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK), also claimed to have fought an
hour-long battle with Iranian troops and to have
killed 20 soldiers, including senior officers.
Iran's northwestern West Azerbaijan province
(Kurdistan Iran), which borders Turkey and Iraq, is
the scene of frequent armed clashes between Iranian
border guards and Kurdish rebel groups, PEJAK in
particular.
The authorities have often accused the United States
and Britain of seeking to stir unrest amongst ethnic
minorities in areas to the Iraqi and Turkish Kurdish
regions borders.
AFP
Iranian Kurdistan
**
Iranian Kurdistan (Kurdish: Kurdistana Îranę or
Kurdistana Rojhilat (Eastern Kurdistan) or Rojhilatę
Kurdistan (East of Kurdistan)) is an unofficial name
for the parts of Iran inhabited by Kurds and has
borders with Iraq and Turkey. It includes the
greater parts of West Azerbaijan province, Kurdistan
Province, Kermanshah Province, and Ilam Province.
Kurds form the majority of the population of this
region with an estimated population of 4 million.
The region is the eastern part of the greater
cultural-geographical area called Kurdistan.
More about Iranian Kurdistan
The present leader of the organisation is Haji
Ahmadi. According to the Washington Times, half the
members of PEJAK are women, many of them still in
their teens, and one of the female members of the
leadership council is Gulistan Dugan, a psychology
graduate from the University of Tehran. This is due
primarily to the fact that PJAK is strongly
supportive of women's rights. PJAK believes that
women must have a strong role in government and must
be on an equal level with men in leadership
positions.
More about PEJAK- Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan
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. The Kurds have no rights in
Turkey.
Others estimate as many as 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.
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
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 