Thursday 30 July 2015

Iran Chief of Staff: Turkey’s Move against Kurds Means Direct Aid to ISIL

Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Hasan Firouzabadi warned that Ankara's attacks against the Kurdish forces would backfire on Turkey and eases the Takfiri terrorists' access to the Turkish borders, FNA reported.

"The mistake that the Turkish government has made in recent days and attacked the Kurds - who resisted against the ISIL - under the cover of assault on ISIL terrorists will facilitate the access routes of Takfiri terrorists to the Turkish borders," Firouzabadi said on Wednesday.

He described the Turkish government's attack against the Kurdish population and fighters as a strategic mistake, and warned Ankara to show more care and tactfulness when choosing friends.

"The Turkish, Saudi and Qatari governments shouldn’t count on their alliance with the ISIL; the ISIL wants to rule over the Islamic countries, and Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are no exception," Firouzabadi stressed.

The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) said on Monday that the Turkish tanks shelled their fighters near Kobani in Northern Syria.

Turkey said it was investigating the claim but insisted that its forces were not targeting Syrian Kurds.

The YPG said its forces had been shelled in the Kurdish-held village of Zormikhar, West of Kobani, on Sunday evening.

It added that, an hour later, one of its vehicles had come "under heavy fire from the Turkish military East of Kobani in the village of Til Findire".

In a statement on Monday, the YPG said, "Instead of targeting ISIL terrorists' occupied positions, Turkish forces attack our defenders' positions. We urge [the] Turkish leadership to halt this aggression and to follow international guidelines."


Source: Agencies	30-07-2015 - 16:21 Last updated 30-07-2015 - 16:21

Three Turkish Soldiers Killed in PKK Attack in Sirnak Province

Local Editor

Three Turkish troops were killed on Thursday when Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants opened fire on their convoy in the southeastern province of Sirnak, the army said.

"As a result of an attack by the Separatist Terror Organization three of our brave personnel - one officer, one non-commissioned officer and one private - were killed," said the army in a statement, using its customary phrase for the PKK which it never refers to by name.

The army said that the military convoy was ambushed by PKK members as it was travelling along a road while carrying out a security operation in the Akcay district of Sirnak province, which borders both Syria and Iraq.

"Drones, helicopter gunships and commando units have been dispatched to the scene," it said, adding that one "terrorist" had been killed in the clashes and operations were continuing.

The killings are the latest in a spike in unrest as Turkey carries out a bombing campaign against targets of militants of the so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL) takfiri group in Syria and PKK militants in northern Iraq.

The PKK has largely observed a ceasefire since 2013 but over the last week deadly attacks on the security forces blamed on the militants have occurred almost daily.