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Talabani expresses concern over Turkish, Iranian troop build-up.
BAGHDAD - President Jalal Talabani expressed his concern on Sunday over reported Iranian and Turkish troop concentrations on those countries borders with Iraq. Turkey has moved thousands of troops to the border region in what its military said was an offensive against Turkish Kurd guerrillas. Iran has also reportedly moved forces to the border, and last week shelled a mountainous region inside Iraq used by Iranian Kurd fighters for infiltration into Iran, according to Iraqi Kurd officials. There were no reports of casualties from Fridays artillery and rocket barrage. Talabani said that so far Iranian and Turkish forces have stayed on their sides of the border. But I have expressed my concern over these concentrations ... Iraq is a soveriegn independent nation that wont let other nations interfere in its internal affairs, he said at a press conference with US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad in the northern city of Irbil. Turkey has called on the United States to crack down on rebel bases in northern Iraq, but US commanders, struggling to battle Iraqi insurgents elsewhere, have been extremely reticent to fight the rebels, who are based in the remote mountain areas in one of the few stable parts of the country. Balance at the link. Posted by: Besoeker 2006-04-23 |
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