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Turkish, Iranian forces shelled border
villages in Iraqi Kurdistan
17.8.2007
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August
17, 2007
Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan region (Iraq), --
Iranian and Turkish forces on Thursday shelled two
(northern Iraqi) border villages in the Kurdistan
autonomous region, official Kurdish sources
reported. Targeted in the attack were believed the
bases of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has
been fighting the Turkish government and the Party
for Freedom and Life in Kurdistan (PJAK) from Iran,
the sources said.
Kurdish villages in the northern province of Erbil
were bombed in the morning by Turkish forces,
starting fires on agricultural lands and houses in
two border Kurdish villages, an official source from
the Kurdish Pershmerga (Kurdistan national guard)
said, without providing details of casualties.
Turkish forces started shelling mountain areas of
Khwakurk in Sidakan sub-district on Thursday, also a
reliable source stated that Turkish artillery is
shelling all the border areas from Girgan to Almosh
villages, resulted in the burning of Hora and Baro
villages.
Similarly, an intense Iranian strike in the province
of Sulaimaniyah caused terror among border residents
of a number of villages as well as significant
property damage, local officials said. Iranian
Artilleries bombarded the Qandil areas, Razga and
Maradw villages and a number of houses were
destroyed the mayor of Pishdar said. He also
declared that the people of these villages fled
their villages and left their homes. PUKmedia
website reported that Iran brought some artillery to
Badinan Bridge and it seems that the bombarding will
continue.
PEJAK took up arms for self-rule in the country's
mainly Kurdistan province Northwestern of Iran.
PEJAK (Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan) , took up
arms for self-rule in the country's mainly Kurdistan
province northwestern of Iran. Half the members of
PEJAK are women.
Since 1984 the Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK took up arms for
self-rule in the country's mainly Kurdish southeast
of Turkey. Turkey is home to over 25 million ethnic
Kurds.
Kurdistani politician says, Turkey is using a
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).
Ankara is anxious to prevent the emergence of a
Kurdish state in Kurdistan region (northern Iraq),
fearing this could fan separatism among its own
large Kurdish population in southeast Turkey. Kurds
constitute about 30 percent of Turkey's more than 70
million people.
DPA | PUKmedia | Agencies
**
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, 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)
wikipedia
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