Thursday, July 20, 2006

Kurdish official says Iran shells Kurds in Iraq

Reuters:
A senior Iraqi-Kurdish official accused Iranian forces on Thursday of shelling Kurdish guerrillas in northern Iraq. READ MORE

Othman Mahmoud, interior minister of the Kurdish regional government in the north, said shelling was going on along the border about 170 km (105 miles) north of the city of Sulaimaniya.

Militants from minority Kurdish groups from Iran and Turkey have based themselves in northern Iraq.

Mahmoud said it was still not clear whether there were any casualties.

"We in the regional Kurdish government condemn this act which is a violation of international law," said Mahmoud.

There was no immediate comment from officials in Iran.

Kurdish officials have previously accused Iranian forces of shelling Iranian Kurds based in Iraq.