DATE=7/27/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=TURKEY - KURDS (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-252202
BYLINE=AMBERIN ZAMAN
DATELINE=ANKARA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Turkey's top military official has denied
reports that Turkish air-force jets bombed a
Kurdish rebel base in Iran. Amberin Zaman in
Ankara reports the General, Huseyin Kivrikoglu,
denied Iran's claims that Turkish planes had
struck inside Iran, killing five Iranians, saying
there is in his words no possibility of any
mistake
TEXT: General Kivrikoglu's statement followed a
report published in the Turkish press Tuesday
quoting Turkey's air-force chief as saying
Turkish jets had struck a Kurdish rebel base
inside Iraq on June 18th.
The air-force chief, Ilhan Kilic, said the base
belonging to rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers' Party (P-K-K) was located about one-and-
one-half kilometers inside Iraqi territory, close
to Iraq's border with Turkey and Iran.
General Kilic says some Iranian officers, whom he
says were training the rebels, probably died in
the attack. His comments follow accusations from
the Iranian government that Turkish planes had in
fact hit a base of Iran's elite Islamic
revolutionary guards, killing five people and
wounding 10 others. Iran accused Turkey of
acting under orders from the United States and
Israel.
Turkey has long accused Iran of providing arms
and bases to the Kurdish rebel group, which has
been waging a 15-year armed campaign for Kurdish
self rule.
Two Turkish soldiers were detained by Iranian
authorities last week as they were pursuing P-K-K
rebels inside Iran. Tensions between the two
countries have been escalating ever since.
Turkey says many P-K-K rebels shifted their bases
to Iran, after Turkey threatened Syria with
military action if it refused to expel P-K-K
forces from Syrian territory last October.
A high-level Turkish delegation of diplomats and
security officials is set to travel to Iran
Wednesday to secure the release of the Turkish
soldiers, and to present Iran with what Turkey
says is documented evidence of P-K-K activities
in Iran. (Signed)
NEB/AZ/JWH/WTW
27-Jul-1999 11:20 AM LOC (27-Jul-1999 1520 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
