Iraqi Kurds caught between rebels, foreign forces

By Sherko Raouf

RAZAGA, Iraq (Reuters) – Kurdish villagers are fleeing
their homes in northern Iraq after shelling and incursions by
Iranian forces and a massive build-up of Turkish troops as both
militaries move to crush separatist guerrillas.

Government leaders in Iraq’s Kurdistan say Iran has
attacked Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas in Iraq three
times in the past two weeks, and Turkey insists it has the
right under military law to carry out cross-border operations
if need be.

The PKK, seeking a Kurdish homeland including southeastern
Turkey, accuses Ankara and Tehran of mounting coordinated
operations against the group and its Iranian wing, PJAK.

About 60 of the 70 families in the village of Razaga, 6
miles) from the Iranian border, fled after almost four hours of
shelling on Monday, local people told visiting reporters later
in the week. Iran denies hitting targets inside Iraq.

“We were sleeping and a shell landed behind our house,”
said 53-year-old shopkeeper Van Hama Ameen, speaking in a
nearby village where she had sought shelter.

“We woke up in horror and ran away screaming …

“The shelling was random and we left our house without
taking even a scrap of spare clothing. Then we walked three
hours to reach another, safer village.”

SPRING OFFENSIVE

Turkey, which traditionally launches a spring offensive
against the rebels, has sent 40,000 troops to its own Kurdish
areas to reinforce the 220,000 already there, the biggest
build-up in years after an increase in PKK attacks.

NATO member Turkey also has 1,500 special forces troops at
stationed in northern Iraq.

On Wednesday, a senior rebel commander threatened to
retaliate if Turkey or Iran attacked PKK bases.

The president of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, Masoud
Barzani, has also warned of a tough response if outsiders move
in.

“If some people imagine they can threaten us in Kurdistan,
let them know we will disturb their peace in their regions —
and I mean what I say,” he told al-Arabiya television. Barzani
enjoys widespread sympathy among Turkey’s Kurds.

More than 30,000 people have been killed since the PKK
began its fight in 1984. It has in the past launched bomb
attacks in Turkish cities and tourist resorts as well as
fighting troops.

Turkey and Iran are wary of the autonomy Iraqi Kurds have
consolidated since the 2003 Iraq war and fear it might lead to
more unrest among their own large Kurdish populations.

About 5,000 PKK fighters are believed to be operating out
of camps in Iraq’s Kurdistan.

Turkey has voiced concern the conflict in Iraq is allowing
the PKK to be more active and has asked the United States,
which has more than 130,000 troops in Iraq, to do more.

Some analysts say the massing of Turkish troops on the
border is partly aimed at putting pressure on Washington.

A senior official with the ruling Kurdistan Democratic
Party in Iraq warned the fighting could destabilize the region.

“Any fight that may erupt in Kurdistan because of the
Turkish or the Iranian army will cause financial losses, as
well as psychological damage to the people and to stability in
the region for years.” said Mohammed Qadhi.

He said the PKK’s presence was hurting villagers, who faced
the danger of rebel landmines and being caught in the
crossfire.

In Razaga after the shelling, Sham Kuthir, a 45-year-old
mother of eight, was staying put after the bombardment but was
fearful and distraught.

“We live off the cattle my husband has. Now most of them
have been killed by the shelling. But where can we go to earn
our living?” she asked.

“I have no relatives to go to, what can I do? I am afraid
of more shelling, so I have dug a shelter to protect my
children if it starts again.”

(Additional reporting by Shamal Aqrawi in Arbil and Terry
Friel in Baghdad)