Kurdistan

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Iran Seizes 3 US Tourists
 Iran Seizes 3 US Tourists 
Aug 1, 2009 5:51 AM CDT

Iran Seizes 3 US Tourists

(Newser) - Iran has arrested three American tourists who were hiking near the border in Iraq's Kurdistan region, the BBC reports. Kurdish officials believe the hikers were seized after accidentally straying into Iranian territory. State Department officials say they are investigating and taking the matter very seriously. "It looks like the...

Gates: Troops May Leave Iraq Early

(Newser) - The United States is considering speeding up its withdrawal from Iraq because of the sustained drop in violence there, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today, following discussions with his top commanders in the war. "I think there's at least some chance of a modest acceleration," this year, Gates...

Kurd-Arab Conflict Now Biggest Threat to Iraq

(Newser) - Tension between Arabs and Kurds, rather than the usual friction between Sunnis and Shia, has become the greatest threat to Iraqi security, says the top US general in the country. The oil-rich Kurdish region has become "the No. 1 driver of instability," Ray Odierno told reporters yesterday, and...

Suicide Bomber Kills 55 in Iraqi Restaurant

ALL ART IS FILE STUFF. NOTHING FROM AP YET

(Newser) - A suicide bomber killed 55 people and wounded 120 in a crowded restaurant in northern Iraq today, as Kurdish officials were meeting there with Arab tribal leaders to discuss long-standing ethnic tensions, the AP reports. It appeared to be the deadliest attack in Iraq in nearly 6 months.The blast...

Ex-Pentagon Official Eying Iraq Oil Deal

Noted war booster Perle denies deal, Kazakh connection

(Newser) - Former Pentagon official Richard Perle is on board with a consortium seeking to drill for oil in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, the Wall Street Journal reports—though both Baghdad and Washington want a national oil law passed before regional business is done. The Iraq war backer denies that he’s...

Would-Be Oil Barons Venture Into Kurdistan

Northern Iraqi region awash in untapped black gold—and risk

(Newser) - Kurdistan, Iraq’s mostly autonomous northern region, is brimming with oil, but the big oil companies won’t touch it. The Kurdish government gladly hands out exploration contracts, but taking one invites the wrath of the central government in Baghdad. That’s left the forbidden fruit to “wildcatters,”...

White House in Loop on Troubling Iraq Oil Deal

Bush crony's Kurdistan deal undermined Baghdad government

(Newser) - The State Department was fully aware that a Texas firm linked to President Bush planned to sign a controversial Kurdistan oil deal that undermined the Iraqi government, reports the New York Times. Documents released by a congressional committee yesterday reveal that Hunt Oil—run by a close associate of the...

Turkey Launches New Airstrike in Iraq

Military reports 'neutralizing' Kurdish rebels

(Newser) - Turkey's air force flew into northern Iraq this morning, firing on a group of Kurdish guerrillas who officials said were attempting to cross the border, Reuters reports. The strikes "neutralized" several members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, said Turkish military authorities. The Kurdish separatist group confirmed the Turkish attack...

Kurds Battle Riot Police in Turkey

Shouting PKK slogans, Turkish Kurds clash with police

(Newser) - Thousands of Kurds battled police with rocks and fires in Turkish cities today, the BBC reports. Dozens were injured, including almost 40 demonstrators and 15 officers, as cops arrested more than 130 people. One policeman and three protesters are in intensive care. Sparked by Turkey's strikes on Kurdish rebels in...

Turkey Pulls Out of N. Iraq
Turkey Pulls Out of N. Iraq
Feb 29, 2008 8:57 AM CST

Turkey Pulls Out of N. Iraq

Says it made its point to the PKK

(Newser) - Turkey pulled its troops out of northern Iraq today, ending a controversial offensive that had Washington and Baghdad on edge, Reuters reports. In a statement, Turkey said it had made its point. “There was no question of completely liquidating” the PKK, the military said, “but Turkey has shown...

Reb Leader Calls for Kurd Uprising in Turkey

Insurgency urged as Iraq battle continues

(Newser) - As Turkish troops continue their unprecedented ground offensive in northern Iraq, a leader of the targeted Kurdish separatist group has called for Kurds living in Turkey to rebel. A news agency loyal to the Kurdistan Workers' Party carried the call of the rebel Kurd commander to make Turkish cities "...

10,000 Turkish Troops Enter Iraq
10,000 Turkish Troops Enter Iraq
Feb 22, 2008 5:57 AM CST

10,000 Turkish Troops Enter Iraq

Ground offensive marks major escalation in fight with Kurd separatists

(Newser) - Turkey has sent 10,000 troops over the border into northern Iraq to hunt down militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, marking the first major ground incursion into the country since 1997, reports Bloomberg. The Turkish military said that the action began last evening, and local television is reporting that...

Kurds Lead Charge to Oust Iraqi Leader

US tries to stave off no-confidence vote against PM Maliki

(Newser) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is under fire again, this time from Kurdish politicians who say he hasn’t followed through on promises he made after the Kurds propped him up last summer. A Kurdish/Sunni coalition against Maliki almost has enough votes to depose him, a development the US fears...

Turkish Troops Cross Into Iraq
Turkish Troops Cross Into Iraq
Dec 18, 2007 6:14 AM CST

Turkish Troops Cross Into Iraq

Ground operations follow air raids on Kurdish rebels

(Newser) - Turkey sent hundreds of troops across the Iraqi border today to battle Kurdish separatists, the first large-scale ground incursion since tensions rose in the fall, Reuters reports. About 300 lightly armed troops arrived in a semi-autonomous mountainous region, Iraqi officials said. Ankara had no immediate comment on the operation, which...

Baghdad Vows to Curb Kurds
Baghdad Vows to Curb Kurds
Nov 3, 2007 4:36 PM CDT

Baghdad Vows to Curb Kurds

Iraqi PM refuses to rule out joint military strike with Ankara against rebels

(Newser) - Iraq vowed today to “chase and arrest” Kurds who are striking Turkey from northern Iraq, the BBC reports. "We will co-operate with our neighbors in defeating this threat," Maliki told diplomats at international talks in Istanbul. Baghdad showed its muscle by shutting a Kurdish political office, but...

If Turks Cross Border, It's War: Kurdish Prez

Says Turkiey is trying to undermine Kurdish prosperity in Iraq

(Newser) - Kurdish President Massoud Barzani has warned the Turkish government that any move into his territory will be considered a declaration of war. The warning came yesterday as Turkish troops attacked separatist PKK guerrillas inside Turkey, killing 20, reports the London Times. Turkish officials have charged that the largely autonomous Kurdish...

Turkey Masses Troops, Ready to Invade

'We don't need permission' to strike Kurds, PM says

(Newser) - Turkey will invade Northern Iraq “the moment an operation is needed,” Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan vowed after talks with Baghdad crumbled last night. Ankara has up to 100,000 troops on the Iraqi border, backed by tanks and fighter plans, ready to strike roughly 3,000 Kurdish rebels....

US Forces Will Do 'Nothing' About Kurds

Top general in the region says it's up to Turkey, Iraq

(Newser) - Despite Turkish calls for action, the top US military commander in northern Iraq said today that he intended to do "absolutely nothing" to counteract strikes against Turkey by Kurdish militants, the AP reports. The blunt assertion is consistent with the Bush administration's desire to keep US forces out of...

Turkish Troops Said Missing
Turkish Troops Said Missing
Oct 22, 2007 7:28 AM CDT

Turkish Troops Said Missing

Troops and trucks mass on northern Iraqi border after Kurdish ambush; incursion looms

(Newser) - A Turkish convoy with dozens of military vehicles joined tens of thousands of troops massed on the Iraqi border today, as the military announced that eight soldiers were missing, in addition to 12 killed, in an ambush by Kurdish militants early yesterday morning. The Turks shelled Kurdish camps over the...

Armenian Genocide Vote Withering in Turkish Heat

Pols backing off to avoid angering key ally

(Newser) - Members of Congress are backing off a resolution that would classify Turkish purges of Armenians as genocide. The bill's approval by a committee last week infuriated the Turks, who called home their ambassador and have threatened to forbid US military use of Turkish airspace and bases to support Iraqi operations...

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