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Turkish troops destroy Iraqi Kurdistan
bridges: Iraq FM Hoshyar Zebari
22.2.2008
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February 22, 2008
BAGHDAD - Turkish troops destroyed five
bridges across a remote mountain river on the Iraqi
Kurdistan border during an
incursion launched
to hunt Kurdish rebel fighters, Iraq's Foreign
Minister Hoshyar Zebari said on Friday.
"We don't expect that a large incursion is taking
place, as it's a remote and inhospitable region,"
Zebari told AFP,www.ekurd.net
estimating that
"hundreds, rather than thousands" of Turkish troops
were involved in the day-old operation.
Earlier, Ankara had announced a "limited operation"
to flush out guerrillas of the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK). Zebari said information from
the mountainous and snow-bound border area was
sketchy,www.ekurd.net
and he could not confirm
reports of clashes or casualties but he said that
Turks had demolished five bridges on the Avashin or
Blue River. |
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari |
Along parts of its course the Avashin forms a
boundary between southeastern Turkey and Iraqi
Kurdistan's Qandil Mountains, stronghold of the
Turkish-Kurdish-PKK fighters.
"Three of the bridges were used by vehicles, and two
just by people on foot and farm animals," Zebari
said.
"There hasn't been much information. The area
wouldn't sustain a large number of troops. We
wouldn't expect to see movement of armour because
it's a very inaccessible region and there are no
road links or infrastructure."
Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki urged his
Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to respect
Iraq's sovereignty, and Zebari said that Turkey's
charge d'affaires in Baghdad had been summoned to
receive a protest.
Iraqi Kurdistan 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.
Over 39,000 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. A large Turkey's
Kurdish community openly sympathise with the Kurdish
PKK rebels.
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, the party also demanded
an end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, ranting them full
political freedoms.
The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by
the U.S. and the EU.
AFP
**
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, a
large Turkey's 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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