Friday, May 18, 2007
Kurdish politician - no room for Al Qaeda in Kurdistan
Kurdistan, Security
(AKI) - The armed Kurdish groups which belong to al-Qaeda "have no popular support in Kurdistan and will not find anywhere to put down roots in this region," warned Saadi Ahmad Bira, a member of the executive of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) the party of the Iraqi president Jalal Talabani. Speaking to Adnkronos International (AKI) Bira underlined that "Ansar al-Islam is fully backed by Iran. If Tehran continues to support them, we will interpret that as a declaration of war against us".
The politician went on to say that Kurdistan and Iran "have common economic interests, as well as being linked by the long mutual borders which force us to have exemplary ties," he said. Bira said he hoped "the much anticipated talks between Iran and the US are successful and in Iraq's interests." Regarding the internal security situation in Iraq, the Kurdish politician underlined how important it was for "the government of Nouri al-Maliki to move forward its commitment to disarm militias..in particular the Mahdi Army and trim the authority of its leader," Moqtada al-Sadr.
At the same time it is normal that Iran is trying to create problems for the US in Iraq, given the statements by US president George W Bush who declared Iran, Iraq and North Korea the "axis of evil". Given this, Bira concluded, the Baghdad government has two options - "show its capacity to impose the authority of the state and disband the militias or let itself be dragged along by the armed groups."
Labels: Al Qaeda, Ansar al-Islam, Iran, Kurdistan, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Saadi Ahmad Bira
Thursday, May 17, 2007
The growing threat facing Kurdistan
Kurdistan, Security
(RFE/RL) - Two high-profile bomb attacks targeting Kurdish institutions this month have drawn attention to security in the region, which had escaped much of the violence plaguing other areas in Iraq. But threats against the Kurds from Al-Qaeda and other insurgent groups have been growing.
The Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for both attacks in Internet postings. In a statement on the May 9 attack, the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group said the attack came "in response to the participation of the apostate peshmerga forces with the Safawi [a reference to the Shi'ite-led government in Iraq] government of [Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri] al-Maliki in the so-called 'Baghdad law enforcement plan.'"
Addressing Kurdistan region President Mas'ud Barzani and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, the group promised more attacks, adding, "We will not stop attacking you until you withdraw your mercenaries from the Baghdad province and cease to support the Crusaders [U.S.-led coalition forces] and the Safawis."
The Islamic State of Iraq first warned Kurdish soldiers against taking part in the Baghdad security plan in January. "We tell you that the martyrs brigades of the Islamic State of Iraq, particularly the Ansar martyrs [a reference to the terrorist group Ansar Al-Islam, whose bases in Kurdistan were crushed by a U.S. bombing campaign in the opening days of the war] cannot wait to confront you as to speed your arrival in hell," an Internet statement said.
The Kata'ib Kurdistan (Kurdistan Brigades), a group that pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda in March, also claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted to the Ansar Al-Islam website, the news website Kurdish Aspect reported on May 10. The brigades are reportedly part of Ansar Al-Islam, which is aligned with Al-Qaeda.
According to Kurdish Aspect, a source from within the Kurdish peshmerga said that Ansar Al-Islam and the Ansar Al-Sunnah Army are reorganizing their ranks and deploying their forces along the Iran-Iraq border. Kurdish leaders have also attributed recent attacks against Kurdish forces in the town of Penjwin to Ansar Al-Islam, saying the group moves freely across the Iran-Iraq border. Kurdish security sources told local media that the KRG was on alert for a terrorist attack in the days preceding the two incidents, based on intelligence that included detained terrorists' confessions, as well as the discovery of weapons caches.
Observations of websites and forums frequented by insurgents in Iraq and their supporters suggest that indeed, the Islamic State of Iraq and Ansar Al-Islam/Sunnah are attempting to gain a foothold on areas in the north. Apart from their stated claim of seeking retribution against the Kurds, their presence in the north would provide them with a valuable gateway for foreign fighters and supplies through the porous Iran-Iraq border.
The resurgence of insurgent activity in Kurdistan can be seen in the plethora of statements appearing on insurgent websites and forums in recent weeks, and Kata'ib Kurdistan has issued at least one video documenting its attacks. Moreover, Kurdish-language statements have appeared on forum websites with increasing frequency, suggesting insurgents may be trying to recruit Kurdish fighters to join their cause.
The frequency of attacks against Kurdish targets both in the Kurdish region and neighboring governorates to the south suggest that Kurds will remain under fire for some time to come. The potential consequences of an Al-Qaeda/Ansar campaign would be devastating to the region's economy, stability and governance. It could prompt Turkey to carry out plans for a large-scale incursion into Iraqi Kurdistan to hunt down PKK militants based there. Or worse yet, Turkey might take steps to secure Turkoman control over Kirkuk, a move that would evoke a violent reaction from Iraqi Kurds.
The Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for both attacks in Internet postings. In a statement on the May 9 attack, the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group said the attack came "in response to the participation of the apostate peshmerga forces with the Safawi [a reference to the Shi'ite-led government in Iraq] government of [Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri] al-Maliki in the so-called 'Baghdad law enforcement plan.'"
Addressing Kurdistan region President Mas'ud Barzani and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, the group promised more attacks, adding, "We will not stop attacking you until you withdraw your mercenaries from the Baghdad province and cease to support the Crusaders [U.S.-led coalition forces] and the Safawis."
The Islamic State of Iraq first warned Kurdish soldiers against taking part in the Baghdad security plan in January. "We tell you that the martyrs brigades of the Islamic State of Iraq, particularly the Ansar martyrs [a reference to the terrorist group Ansar Al-Islam, whose bases in Kurdistan were crushed by a U.S. bombing campaign in the opening days of the war] cannot wait to confront you as to speed your arrival in hell," an Internet statement said.
The Kata'ib Kurdistan (Kurdistan Brigades), a group that pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda in March, also claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted to the Ansar Al-Islam website, the news website Kurdish Aspect reported on May 10. The brigades are reportedly part of Ansar Al-Islam, which is aligned with Al-Qaeda.
According to Kurdish Aspect, a source from within the Kurdish peshmerga said that Ansar Al-Islam and the Ansar Al-Sunnah Army are reorganizing their ranks and deploying their forces along the Iran-Iraq border. Kurdish leaders have also attributed recent attacks against Kurdish forces in the town of Penjwin to Ansar Al-Islam, saying the group moves freely across the Iran-Iraq border. Kurdish security sources told local media that the KRG was on alert for a terrorist attack in the days preceding the two incidents, based on intelligence that included detained terrorists' confessions, as well as the discovery of weapons caches.
Observations of websites and forums frequented by insurgents in Iraq and their supporters suggest that indeed, the Islamic State of Iraq and Ansar Al-Islam/Sunnah are attempting to gain a foothold on areas in the north. Apart from their stated claim of seeking retribution against the Kurds, their presence in the north would provide them with a valuable gateway for foreign fighters and supplies through the porous Iran-Iraq border.
The resurgence of insurgent activity in Kurdistan can be seen in the plethora of statements appearing on insurgent websites and forums in recent weeks, and Kata'ib Kurdistan has issued at least one video documenting its attacks. Moreover, Kurdish-language statements have appeared on forum websites with increasing frequency, suggesting insurgents may be trying to recruit Kurdish fighters to join their cause.
The frequency of attacks against Kurdish targets both in the Kurdish region and neighboring governorates to the south suggest that Kurds will remain under fire for some time to come. The potential consequences of an Al-Qaeda/Ansar campaign would be devastating to the region's economy, stability and governance. It could prompt Turkey to carry out plans for a large-scale incursion into Iraqi Kurdistan to hunt down PKK militants based there. Or worse yet, Turkey might take steps to secure Turkoman control over Kirkuk, a move that would evoke a violent reaction from Iraqi Kurds.
Labels: Ansar al-Islam, Ansar al-Sunnah, bomb attacks, Iran, Islamic State of Iraq, Jalal Talabani, Kata'ib Kurdistan, KDP, KRG, Kurdistan, Kurdistan Brigades, Massoud Barzani, Peshmerga
Friday, May 11, 2007
Kurdistan sends troops to Iranian border
Security, Kurdistan
(AFP) - Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region has sent 1,000 peshmerga troops to its border with Iran to prevent attacks by the Islamist insurgent group Ansar al-Islam, a spokesman said on Thursday. Major General Jabbar Yawir said an Ansar-allied group calling itself the "Kurdistan Brigades of Al-Qaeda" has repeatedly attacked Iraqi Kurdish forces in the region around the border town of Penjwin.
Labels: Al Qaeda in Kurdistan, Ansar al-Islam, Iran-Iraq border, Kurdistan, Major General Jabbar Yawir, Penjwin, Peshmerga
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Kurdish official says Iran is sending terrorists into Kurdistan
Security, Insurgency
(AINA) - While Iran's connection to Sunni Islamist terrorism is hotly debated in Washington, it is not disputed in Iraqi Kurdistan, about 60 miles from the border with the Islamic Republic. In an interview yesterday inside his headquarters, the director of the security ministry for the Sulaimaniya province, Sarkawt Hassan Jalal, said he has no doubt Iran is helping send Sunni jihadists into his territory. He listed the five border towns on the Iranian side where he says they are based: Mariwan, Pejwan, Bokan, Sina, and Serdai.
For General Jalal, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's original group, known as Tawhid and Jihad, was sent by the Iranians and Al Qaeda to attack the Kurds and Americans. At the end of a 90-minute interview, he summed up his view of Iran as follows: "Iran is at the top of the terrorism in all the world. There will be peace in the world when you change the authorities in Iran." He is in a position to know; Kurdish Islamist groups, by his count, tried to assassinate him on three separate occasions.
Those direct public remarks are almost singularly rare for a senior Kurdish official. When American forces on January 10 seized five Iranians it claimed were members of Iran's elite Quds Force in the Kurdistan provincial capital of Irbil, Iraq's foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd, publicly urged the Americans to return the men he claimed were acting as diplomats. Privately, Kurdish officials say the supposed diplomats were supporting terrorists, providing maps and training, but that the raid failed to net any senior Iranian operatives despite initial intelligence suggesting the no. 3 man in the Quds Force was there.
The main threat for Iraq's Kurds here is the next generation of Ansar al-Islam, an Islamist group initially affiliated with the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab Zarqawi, who has since been slain. In 2002, Ansar al-Islam tried to assassinate the current deputy prime minister, Barham Salih. The organization has also attacked Kurdish police chiefs. In the first days of the war, the base of the organization was destroyed at their camp in Biara, near the Kurdish town of Halabja, the site of the Iraqi army's infamous poison gas attack in 1988.
The American and Kurdish operation, known as Viking Hammer, wiped out the Ansar al-Islam base, but many of the senior leaders fled to Mariwan and the other towns on the Iranian side of the border. Since 2003, the Kurdish security services have been fighting a campaign to keep the new Islamists, who have regrouped under the banner of Ansar al-Sunna, out of Iraq and out of their territory. Today that group's Web site calls itself Al Qaeda in Kurdistan.
Military intelligence in particular has linked members of Iran's Quds Force in Iraq to supporting operations and individuals in the new Ansar al-Sunna, as The New York Sun first reported in January. On April 10, Major General William Caldwell announced that America had evidence of Iranian support and had found Iranian-produced arms in Sunni terrorist strongholds.
For General Jalal, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's original group, known as Tawhid and Jihad, was sent by the Iranians and Al Qaeda to attack the Kurds and Americans. At the end of a 90-minute interview, he summed up his view of Iran as follows: "Iran is at the top of the terrorism in all the world. There will be peace in the world when you change the authorities in Iran." He is in a position to know; Kurdish Islamist groups, by his count, tried to assassinate him on three separate occasions.
Those direct public remarks are almost singularly rare for a senior Kurdish official. When American forces on January 10 seized five Iranians it claimed were members of Iran's elite Quds Force in the Kurdistan provincial capital of Irbil, Iraq's foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd, publicly urged the Americans to return the men he claimed were acting as diplomats. Privately, Kurdish officials say the supposed diplomats were supporting terrorists, providing maps and training, but that the raid failed to net any senior Iranian operatives despite initial intelligence suggesting the no. 3 man in the Quds Force was there.
The main threat for Iraq's Kurds here is the next generation of Ansar al-Islam, an Islamist group initially affiliated with the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab Zarqawi, who has since been slain. In 2002, Ansar al-Islam tried to assassinate the current deputy prime minister, Barham Salih. The organization has also attacked Kurdish police chiefs. In the first days of the war, the base of the organization was destroyed at their camp in Biara, near the Kurdish town of Halabja, the site of the Iraqi army's infamous poison gas attack in 1988.
The American and Kurdish operation, known as Viking Hammer, wiped out the Ansar al-Islam base, but many of the senior leaders fled to Mariwan and the other towns on the Iranian side of the border. Since 2003, the Kurdish security services have been fighting a campaign to keep the new Islamists, who have regrouped under the banner of Ansar al-Sunna, out of Iraq and out of their territory. Today that group's Web site calls itself Al Qaeda in Kurdistan.
Military intelligence in particular has linked members of Iran's Quds Force in Iraq to supporting operations and individuals in the new Ansar al-Sunna, as The New York Sun first reported in January. On April 10, Major General William Caldwell announced that America had evidence of Iranian support and had found Iranian-produced arms in Sunni terrorist strongholds.
Labels: Al Qaeda in Kurdistan, Ansar al-Islam, Ansar al-Sunnah, Iran, Kurdistan, Sarkawt Hassan Jalal, Tawhid and Jihad, terrorists, Viking Hammer
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Kurdistan's prime minister to visit Iran
Kurdistan, Iran
(RFE/RL) - Kurdistan regional Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani announced on April 19 that he will visit Iran in the coming days to discuss the issue of terrorists crossing the Iranian border into the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, "Ibril Peyamner" reported. "We have had a thorough follow-up on the recent failed terrorist attack against a border point in Pinjwin," east of Al-Sulaymaniyah, Barzani said. "We take those events very seriously because they pose a threat to the security and stability of our region." Kurdish officials have indicated that the Iraqi Kurdistan-Iranian border region has been used as an entry point by the terrorist group Ansar Al-Islam to infiltrate Iraq and carry out attacks.
Labels: Ansar al-Islam, border, Iran, Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani
