(Asia Times-Hong Kong) Sami Moubayed - Both Turkey and Iran have been launching military raids into northern Iraq against the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), labeled a terrorist group by the U.S., Britain, and the EU. Turkey recently launched a massive military operation involving more than 250,000 troops against the PKK in the mountains along Turkey's borders with Iran and Iraq. Extensive incursions into northern Iraq have been reported. Iran, meanwhile, has begun attacks on PKK units based in Iran, and the Iranian military has entered Iraqi territory in hot pursuit of PKK militants. The PKK wants to create a Kurdish state out of southeastern Turkey, northeastern Iraq, northeastern Syria, and northwestern Iran. The PKK's violence all but ceased after its leader Abdullah Ocelan was arrested in 1998, but it resumed activities in June 2004. The writer is a Syrian political analyst.
2006-05-16 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive