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Iran army in new clashes with Turkish Kurds
Iranian troops killed two Turkish Kurdish rebels in clashes close to the Iraqi border, Tehran dailies said on Saturday, amid reports of a major offensive by Tehran on Ankara's behalf.
| That, and the fact the Iranians have their own Kurdish problem. |
The latest fighting took place on Thursday near the town of Baneh, in the far northwest of Kurdistan province, some 200 kilometres from the nearest part of Turkey, the papers said. "These people had illegally crossed the border, ruined border villages and extorted money from residents," the Hambastegi newspaper quoted an unidentified official as saying.
| Or they were attacking Iranians who were oppressing Iranian Kurds. |
The new fighting comes hot on the heels of deadly clashes near the Turkish border between Iranian troops and the rebels from the former Kurdistan Workers' Party, now known as Kongra-Gel. Deputy Interior Minister Ali Asghar Ahmadi said two Iranian soldiers and eight rebels were killed in the June 28 clashes. A pro-Kurdish news agency said 16 soldiers and four rebels died. The Germany-based MHA news agency said Iranian security forces had launched "a comprehensive operation" against the former PKK late last month after the rebels abandoned a five-year unilateral ceasefire with Ankara on June 1. Ahmadi is himself to travel to Turkey on Monday to discuss joint moves to tackle armed groups holed up in the mountainous border region. Turkish defence sources have already hailed what they described as a "large-scale" operation against the former PKK by the Iranian army.
| Another example of the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" policy. |
Posted by: Steve 2004-07-12 |
