Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Iraqi Turkomen Front expels 'terrorist' members
Politics
The Iraqi Turkoman Front has issued a statement saying it has expelled a number of terrorists from the party, the Kurdish newspaper "Khabat" reported on November 13. The statement named Dr. Bashar Abdullah as one of those ousted. Abdullah is suspected of leading a "group of terrorists, killers, and wrongdoers who have attempted to create rifts and foment trouble between the Kurdish, Arab, and Turkoman peoples." The statement also indicated that high-ranking officials in the front and others living in Turkey are trying to inflame tensions between the three groups. The Turkoman Front pledged to strengthen the spirit of coexistence among the three peoples and fight terrorism. "We, the legitimate representatives of Turkomans, who were the first to open the Turkoman Front headquarters in the town of Tal Afar, promise, side by side with all the patriotic forces and with our Kurdish and Arab brothers, to stand against terrorism and terrorists," the statement said.
COMMENT: The Iraqi Turkman Front was established in April of 1995 and is a Turkoman Ethnic Opposition Group led by San'an Ahmad Agha and funded by Turkey. It is popularly perceived as campaigning for the interests of Turkey in Iraq. The group repeatedly issues statements complaining that it has not been allowed a voice in the new Iraqi government. The front is a coalition of 26 Turkman groups including: the Turkoman Shura Council, the Iraqi Turkoman National Party, the Turkomaneli, and the Independent Turkomans. Strongly supports having a major role in the future governance of Kirkuk (which it portrays as the Turkman capital) and Irbil, which it identifies at Turkman territory. COMMENT ENDS.
