Kurds

11 June 2008 -- Turkey has stepped up military operations this year against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq's Kurdistan region. These operations include frequent cross-border shelling campaigns. The Kurdistan government is again condemning Turkish military action in Iraq.

Kurdish village, Dohuk, Kurdistan: US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) photograph by ACoE photographer Jim Gordon

Kurdistan officials say Turkey's military frequently shells unpopulated mountain areas not far from the Turkish border. Turkey says it is targeting rebels of the Kurdistan Worker's Party, the PKK, which has been fighting for independence in southeastern Turkey for nearly 25 years.    » read more »

Irbil, Iraq -- 28 May 2008 -- An Amnesty International report on worldwide human rights says violence against women is widespread in northern Iraq.

In its report, Amnesty International says women and girls throughout the world suffer disproportionately from violence - in times of both peace and conflict - at the hands of their governments, their communities and their families.

Iraqi woman, Kurdistan: Photo by James Gordon (CC)

The report highlights the issue of violence against women as a major problem in northern Iraq. That is an assessment that the Kurdistan regional government's human-rights minister, Yousif Aziz, has already reached.    » read more »

16 April 2008 -- The Turkish military says its warplanes attacked a group of Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq as they tried to sneak across the border into Turkey.

A military statement issued Wednesday said the rebels were "rendered ineffective" by the raid on Tuesday. The military did not provide casualty figures.

A spokesman for the rebel Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), said Turkish airplanes bombed some areas of the Zagros Mountains bordering Turkey and Iraq, but he added there were no reports of any casualties.

Turkey-Kurdistan border: Photo by James Gordon (CC)    » read more »

07 February 2008 -- Turkey's military says its aircraft destroyed about 70 Kurdish rebel positions in raids on northern Iraq earlier this week.

The military Thursday said Turkish warplanes made direct hits Monday on Kurdistan Workers' Party shelters, caves, logistical facilities and training sites. The Turkish military released video footage of the operation, showing missiles hitting alleged rebel targets.

There was no independent confirmation of the damage from the air strikes.    » read more »

29 January 2008 -- Iraq has halted crude oil exports to South Korea, in protest of an exploration deal between Korean firms and the Kurdish regional government.

The annual contract between Iraq and South Korea's top refiner, SK Energy, was due for renewal January 1. SK Energy says it has been told to back out of the Kurdistan deal if it wants exports to resume.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2007 – The Turkish government provided “ample notification” of plans to conduct air strikes against Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq over the weekend, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters today.

Morrell disputed press reports that the United States had been left in the dark as the Turkish air force attacked Kurdistan Workers' Party – known as “PKK” -- positions Dec. 16, insisting that the notification process worked smoothly.    » read more »

19 December 2007 -- A senior Turkish diplomat says U.S. intelligence shared with Turkey led to recent raids inside northern Iraq against Kurdish rebels from the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK.

Turkey's Ambassador to Washington, Nabi Şensoy, told reporters Wednesday that about 50 Turkish fighter planes were involved in two waves of air strikes early Sunday morning against PKK targets inside northern Iraq.

"As a result there is heavy damage to the infrastructure of PKK presence in the Qandil Mountains and in the [PKK] camps along the Turkish border," he said.    » read more »