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Iraqi Kurds say cooperation with Ankara
needed against Al Qaida
29.5.2007
By Ilnur Cevik - Erbil
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May
29, 2007
Erbil, Kurdistan region (Iraq), -- Iraqi
Kurdish officials are saying both Turkey and the
Kurdistan Region of Iraq are now under a growing
threat by the Al Qaida and feel both sides have to
seek ways to cooperate against "this deadly menace."
They point to the recent Al Qaida threats against
Turkey after it was revealed that Ankara had handed
over a senior Al Qaida operative to the United
States.
Iraqi Kurdish security officials speaking to The New
Anatolian on condition of anonymity say that their
region has been under growing threat in recent
months that resulted in the two recent deadly
bombings that left scores of people dead and
wounded.
They say the terrorist Al Qaida group is much more
deadly and sinister than the PKK but also say close
cooperation against the Islamic radicals could also
pave the way for more effective fight against the
PKK.
They also said Al Qaida has been trying to court the
PKK. "Al Qaida has contracted the PKK leaders
several times trying to form and alliance but until
now the PKK has resisted the temptation to join
forces with the Islamic radicals," they reported.
Al Qaida has reportedly sought to set up bases in
rugged Iraqi Kurdish mountains where its Ansar al
Islam allies have also sought refuge in the past.
Iraqi Kurds say pushing the PKK into a corner could
force them to seek an alliance with Al Qaida.
However, analysts say the PKK knows that if it forms
any kind of links with the Islamic radicals it will
attract the wrath of the Americans and they would
try not to do that.
They stress that some recent Kurdish press reports
blaming Turkey for the bombings are completely wrong
and "irresponsible." In an unprecedented move the
Iraqi intelligence department made a statement that
such claims are completely baseless.
Two high-profile bomb attacks targeting Kurdish
institutions this month have drawn attention to
security in the region, which had escaped much of
the violence plaguing other areas in Iraq. But
threats against the Kurds from Al-Qaida and other
insurgent groups have been growing.
The Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Interior
Ministry was attacked by a truck bomb on May 9,
killing 14 people and wounding more than 80.
Insurgents then targeted the Kurdistan Democratic
Party (KDP) office in Makhmoor on May 13, killing 33
people and wounding 60 others. Makhmoor is a
Kurdish-populated town lying just outside the
Kurdistan region.
The Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for
both attacks on the in Internet. In a statement on
the May 9 attack, the Al-Qaida-affiliated group said
the attack came "in response to the participation of
the peshmerga forces with the Safawi [a reference to
the Shi'ite-led government in Iraq] government of
[Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri] al-Maliki in the
so-called 'Baghdad law enforcement plan.'"
Addressing Kurdistan region President Masoud Barzani
and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, the group
promised more attacks, adding, "We will not stop
attacking you until you withdraw your mercenaries
from the Baghdad province and cease to support the
Crusaders [U.S.-led coalition forces] and the
Safawis."
The Islamic State of Iraq first warned Kurdish
soldiers against taking part in the Baghdad security
plan in January.
"We tell you that the martyrs brigades of the
Islamic State of Iraq, particularly the Ansar
martyrs [a reference to the terrorist group Ansar
Al-Islam, whose bases in Kurdistan were crushed by a
U.S. bombing campaign in the opening days of the
war] cannot wait to confront you as to speed your
arrival in hell," an Internet statement said.
The Kata'ib Kurdistan (Kurdistan Brigades), a group
that pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda in March, also
claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement
posted to the Ansar Al-Islam website. The brigades
are reportedly part of Ansar Al-Islam, which is
aligned with Al-Qaida.
Hadi caught in Turkey
Kurdish officials say the capture of an Al Qaida
operative being sent from Afghanistan via Turkey to
Iraq shows the route the terrorist organization is
using to infiltrate into Iraq.
The official said the recent Al Qaida threats
against Turkey should be taken seriously. Al Qaeda
has staged deadly attacks in Istanbul in the past
killing and wounding scoires of people.
The threats came after news that Turkey had handed
over Al Qaida operative Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, to the
U.S.
Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, a senior al-Qaida figure
interviewed by al-Jazeera television
said the al-Qaida operative captured and held in the
secret CIA "rendition program" before being sent to
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in April, was captured in
Turkey late last year and turned over to U.S.
intelligence by the Turkish government.
News of his capture was announced last month.
American officials said only that he had been in
custody in a third country since December.
American Ambassador Ross Wilson, in a recent
statement in Ankara at an anti-terrorism conference
praised Turkey for its contributions to the fight
against Al Qaida and said this deserves strong
appreciation from the international community.
President George W. Bush in a recent speech referred
to Hadi as one of Osama bin Laden's "most
experienced paramilitary leaders." He was sent to
Iraq by the al-Qaida leader to help drive out U.S.
forces and further a plan "to launch new attacks on
America and other nations" from there, Bush claimed.
Although Bush provided no time frame for Hadi's
travels, he cited them as a reason why American
troops must not withdraw from Iraq. Bin Laden has
threatened to establish an international base of
operations in Iraq, Bush said, and "is matching his
words with actions." Hadi "never made it to Iraq,"
he said. "He was captured late last year."
Yazid said Hadi had been sent to Iraq 18 months ago.
Hadi "was arrested in Turkey," Yazid said, and
"handed over to the Americans." Yazid was identified
as the new al-Qaeda leader in Afghanistan.
A Pentagon announcement in April said only that Hadi
"was trying to return to his native country" when
captured and had passed through Iran. It said he was
a former member of the Iraqi military, a top bin
Laden aide and an expert in guerrilla operations.
thenewanatolian com
** 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.
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.
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, some
of whom 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)
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