From: Rick Rozoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: "STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN!" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2001 18:06:30 -0800 (PST) To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: 10,000 Turkish Troops Invade N Iraq [STOPNATO.ORG.UK] ------------------------------------------------------- Report: Turkish Troops Sent in Iraq ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) -- Some 10,000 Turkish troops have crossed into northern Iraq and are preparing to battle Kurdish rebels there, local officials and reports said Saturday. The troops were stationed near the city of Sulaymaniyah, more than 100 miles into Iraqi territory, Turkey's daily Hurriyet said. Hurriyet and Belgium-based Kurdish Medya TV said the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which controls the area around Sulaymaniyah, had asked Turkey to send in troops to help in its battle against Kurdish rebels in the region. Northern Iraq has been governed by two rival Iraqi Kurdish factions since the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War. Medya TV and Al-Iraq daily, a state-run paper in Iraq, reported that some 200 PUK fighters have been killed in clashes with the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. The casualty figure could not be confirmed. Both the PUK and its rival Iraqi Kurdish faction have agreed to join Turkey to fight the PKK rebels. Turkish troops have battled the PKK since 1984, frequently crossing into northern Iraq, in a war that has killed some 37,000 people, mostly Kurds. Hurriyet said the troops, backed by tanks, had crossed into Iraq on Dec. 20 and were preparing for a large-scale ''cleanup'' operation. Kurdish sources reported no clashes between Turkish troops and the rebels. Officials in southeastern Turkey confirmed that Turkish troops, including special forces, had crossed into Iraqi territory, but gave no details. Turkey's military refused to comment on the reports. PUK officials were not available for comment. The PKK withdrew most of its fighters from Turkey and announced an end to their armed struggle for autonomy in southeast Turkey last year. Turkey has rejected the cease-fire and vowed to fight on until all rebels have surrendered. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online! http://photos.yahoo.com/ ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
