Iraqi Kurds accuse Turkish warplanes of killing 38 civilians
10.16 p.m. ET (229 GMT) August 17, 2000
CAIRO, Egypt (AP)— Turkish warplanes have killed 38 civilians in a
strike on a camp of Kurdish herdsmen in Iraq, an Iraqi Kurdish group
said Thursday.
A military spokesman in Turkey's capital Ankara denied the allegation,
saying that Turkish planes would not attack civilian targets.
The planes attacked a camp of herdsmen and their families while pursuing
Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, or KDP,
said in a statement faxed to The Associated Press in Cairo.
Turkey has waged a 15-year war against Kurdish guerrillas who are
demanding autonomy in southern Turkey, which borders on Iraq.
The KDP statement wasn't clear on exactly when the attack occurred,
indicating it was either on Tuesday or Wednesday. The group couldn't be
reached for a clarification.
The statement also said that 11 people were wounded in the alleged raid
and four were missing.
The pilots had intended to strike targets of the Kurdistan Workers Party
or PKK in the northeastern border region of Iraq, the statement said.
The PKK declared a cease-fire early this year and the rebels began
retreating from Turkey to bases in Iraq and Iran. The Turkish armed
forces did not recognize the cease-fire.
In the past, KDP forces have assisted the Turkish military in operations
against the PKK inside Iraq.
The KDP and the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan control the Kurdish
zone of northern Iraq, an area whose autonomy has been protected by U.S.
and British planes since Iraqi government forces brutally put down a
Kurdish revolt there in 1991.
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
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10.16 p.m. ET (229 GMT) August 17, 2000
CAIRO, Egypt (AP)— Turkish warplanes have killed 38 civilians in a
strike on a camp of Kurdish herdsmen in Iraq, an Iraqi Kurdish group
said Thursday.
A military spokesman in Turkey's capital Ankara denied the allegation,
saying that Turkish planes would not attack civilian targets.
The planes attacked a camp of herdsmen and their families while pursuing
Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, or KDP,
said in a statement faxed to The Associated Press in Cairo.
Turkey has waged a 15-year war against Kurdish guerrillas who are
demanding autonomy in southern Turkey, which borders on Iraq.
The KDP statement wasn't clear on exactly when the attack occurred,
indicating it was either on Tuesday or Wednesday. The group couldn't be
reached for a clarification.
The statement also said that 11 people were wounded in the alleged raid
and four were missing.
The pilots had intended to strike targets of the Kurdistan Workers Party
or PKK in the northeastern border region of Iraq, the statement said.
The PKK declared a cease-fire early this year and the rebels began
retreating from Turkey to bases in Iraq and Iran. The Turkish armed
forces did not recognize the cease-fire.
In the past, KDP forces have assisted the Turkish military in operations
against the PKK inside Iraq.
The KDP and the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan control the Kurdish
zone of northern Iraq, an area whose autonomy has been protected by U.S.
and British planes since Iraqi government forces brutally put down a
Kurdish revolt there in 1991.
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
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