Iran leaflets threaten Kurds in northern Iraq with 'cleansing'
BAGHDAD — Iran has demanded that Iraqi Kurds leave their border
villages.
Kurdish sources said Iran's military has dropped leaflets into Iraqi
Kurdish villages that call for their immediate evacuation. The leaflets
warned the Kurds of impending Iranian military strikes.
"The authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran will work on cleansing
this area," the leaflet said.
Also In This Edition
On Aug. 20, Kurdish sources said an Iranian military helicopter was shot
down by Kurdish insurgents near the Iranian-Iraqi-Turkish border. The
helicopter was said to contain at least six Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps officers assigned to direct attacks against the Kurds.
The leaflets were distributed in the northern province of Irbil on Aug.
19 as Iranian troops began deployment along the Iraqi border. Kurdish
sources said Iran appeared ready to launch an offensive against Kurdish
insurgents from the so-called Party of Freedom of Life, which demands
autonomy for
Kurds in Iran.
The sources said Iranian forces were deployed near the Iraqi town of Haj
Omran. The military operation was said to have been coordinated with Turkey.
"Our enemies, mainly the Americans, are trying to plant security hurdles
in our country," the Iranian leaflet said. "They achieved this through using
agents in the [Iraqi] areas of Kandil and Khaneera inside the Kurdish
region."