 ANZI: While Turkish Kurdish guerrillas based in northeast Iraq continues to wrestle their foes in Turkey, tensions have been brewing with neighbouring Iran. Lodged in northern Iraq in an area flanked by NATO member Turkey and WashingtonÂ’s foe Iran, elements of the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) have accused Teheran of attacking their encampments.
| Sucker punched you, did they? |
The separatists, fighting for the creation of a Kurdish state in Turkey’s southeast, said Iranian artillery on April 20 bombed their positions in Iraq killing two fighters and wounding 10 others. “There is an agreement between Turkey and Iran to attack our positions,” the commander of the group, Rustom Judi said that in Anzi, a small village in rugged mountains, located near the Iranian border some 135 kilometers northeast of Sulaimaniyah. “Iranian forces have no reason to do this because the fighting has been between our men and soldiers inside Turkey, far from the Iranian border,” he added. “I warn Iran that their aggression against our party’s positions in Iraq will have consequences,” Judi said.
| "Youse guyz are really gonna get it!" |
A female Kurdish fighter from Syria, Mezkin Jurdit, added: “Iran has attacked our forces for the past year, arresting many of us. Recently, the Iranians started reinforcing their military positions on the border. If they continue their attacks, we will start a merciless guerrilla war within Iran. Currently our strategy is defensive, but that can change if the Iranian attacks continue.”
| I've got no use for the PKK, but I'd consider an Iranian attack on them at this point evidence of some sort of a tit being traded for a tat with Turkey. I doubt Bush, given the experience of the runup to the Iraq war, is putting many eggs in the Turkish basket this time, but I'd advise him to put none. |
|