Turkish army says at least 15 Kurdish rebels killed in Iraq
13h50 - ANKARA, March 29, 2008 (AFP) - At least 15 Kurdish rebels were killed in two days of bombardment by Turkish artillery and warplanes this week in neighbouring northern Iraq, the Turkish army said Saturday.

US condemns Syria over deaths of Syrian Kurds
21h38 - WASHINGTON, March 28, 2008 (AFP) - The United States on Friday condemned Syria over the deaths of three Syrian Kurds a week ago and urged the government in Damascus to open a full independent probe of the incident.

Kurds 'ready for solution to issue of Kirkuk' in Iraq
17h12 - ARBIL, Iraq, March 28, 2008 (AFP) - Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region would be ready to accept an equitable political solution other than a referendum to the controversial issue of control of the oil-rich Kirkuk area, a senior official said on Friday.

Kurdish party leader risks 10 years in jail in Turkey: report
15h10 - ANKARA, March 28, 2008 (AFP) - The leader of Turkey's main Kurdish party risks up to 10 years in jail on charges of evading military service with a false medical report, Anatolia news agency reported Friday.

PKK threatens to retaliate against Turkey
07h44 - MOUNT QANDIL, Iraq, March 28, 2008 (AFP) - Turkey's rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has threatened to retaliate against Ankara after the violence during the New Year celebration of Newroz in southeastern Turkey.

Japan says giving residency to Turkish Kurd's family
06h36 - TOKYO, March 25, 2008 (AFP) - Japan said Tuesday it was giving residency to a Turkish Kurd, his Filipina wife and their daughter in a rare move by a country that accepts few refugees or immigrants.

Several injured in fresh Kurdish demos in Turkey: sources
13h21 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 24, 2008 (AFP) - Several people were injured Monday as fresh violence erupted in two Turkish cities following the deaths of two Kurdish protestors at the weekend, security sources and witnesses said.

Suspected Kurdish militant arrested in Belgium: prosecutor
16h32 - BRUSSELS, March 23, 2008 (AFP) - A Kurdish man accused by Turkey of instigating attacks during the 1990s that killed 16 people has been arrested in Belgium, Belgian authorities said Sunday.

Two dead on third day of Kurdish New Year unrest in Turkey
16h29 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 23, 2008 (AFP) - A third day of unrest in the Kurdish region of southeast Turkey on Sunday left two people dead and two police officers injured, officials and witnesses said Sunday.

Two dead in violent Kurdish demos in Turkey
13h40 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 23, 2008 (AFP) - Two demonstrators died Sunday in southeastern Turkey as clashes between the police and Kurdish protestors continued for a third day, government and health officials said.

Second Kurdish protestor dies in Turkey: medics
12h36 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey / , March 23, 2008 (AFP) - A second demonstrator died Sunday in southeastern Turkey as clashes between Kurdish protestors and the police continued for a third day, hospital sources said.

Second protestor dies in Kurdish demos in Turkey: hospital
12h20 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 23, 2008 (AFP) - A second demonstrator died Sunday in southeastern Turkey as clashes between Kurdish protestors and the police continued for a third day, hospital sources said.

Protestor dies after Kurdish demos in Turkey: official
09h34 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 23, 2008 (AFP) - A demonstrator died Sunday from injuries sustained in clashes between Kurdish protestors and the police in the eastern Turkish city of Van, government and health officials said.

Dozens injured, 300 detained in Kurdish protests in Turkey
19h26 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 22, 2008 (AFP) - Dozens were injured and 300 detained Saturday as police used truncheons and tear gas to break up violent Kurdish protests in several Turkish cities, police and media reports said.

Dozens injured, detained in Kurdish protests in Turkey
17h01 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 22, 2008 (AFP) - Dozens of people were injured and around 300 detained Saturday as police used truncheons and tear gas to break up violent Kurdish protests in several Turkish cities, officials and media reports said.

Police clamp down on Kurdish protests in Turkey: reports
11h26 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 22, 2008 (AFP) - Dozens of people were injured and scores detained as police used truncheons and tear gas to break up violent Kurdish protests in several Turkish cities Saturday, media reports said.

Turkey's Kurds celebrate New Year amid tight security
12h04 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 21, 2008 (AFP) - Tens of thousands of Kurds celebrated Newroz, their new year, across Turkey Friday under tight security less than a month after a Turkish army incursion against Kurdish rebel bases in neighbouring northern Iraq.

Kurds say Syrian police kill 3 celebrating New Year
09h59 - DAMASCUS, March 21, 2008 (AFP) - Syrian police killed three Kurds in clashes which broke out as the Kurds celebrated their New Year at Qameshli near the border with Turkey, an official of the Kurdish Yakiti party told AFP Friday.

Iranian military shells Iraqi villages: mayor
14h41 - SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq, March 19, 2008 (AFP) - The Iranian military on Wednesday shelled seven Iraqi border villages, causing no injuries or damage but terrifying residents, an Iraqi official said.

Cheney presses Iraqi Kurds on reconciliation
15h18 - ARBIL, Iraq, March 18, 2008 (AFP) - Visiting US Vice President Dick Cheney urged a top Iraqi Kurd leader on Tuesday to help forge a long-term US-Iraq security agreement and pass laws seen as key to national reconciliation.

Thousands of candles lit in Stockholm for murdered Iraqi Kurds
16h38 - STOCKHOLM, March 16, 2008 (AFP) - Thousands of candles were lit in central Stockholm on Sunday in memory of around 5,000 Iraqi Kurds from Halabja massacred 20 years ago in a chemical attack blamed on Saddam Hussein's forces.

Iraqi Kurds mourn victims of gas attacks 20 years ago
12h26 - HALABJA, Iraq, March 16, 2008 (AFP) - Iraqi Kurds mourned on Sunday the deaths of around 5,000 villagers from Halabja who were massacred 20 years ago in chemical attacks blamed on Saddam Hussein's forces during the Iran-Iraq war.

Iraqi Kurds still burying victims of gas attacks 20 years ago
01h44 - HALABJA, Iraq, March 16, 2008 (AFP) - Ismail Abdallah Rashid was buried two days ago in the northern Iraqi village of Halabja -- his body finally succumbed to the effects of gas attacks carried out by Saddam Hussein's forces on this day 20 years ago.

Analysts say political rights key to wooing Turkey's disenchanted Kurds
01h32 - ANKARA, March 15, 2008 (AFP) - The Turkish government's pledge of more investment and television broadcasts for its disenchanted Kurds is unlikely to end a long-running bloody insurgency as it fails to address key Kurdish demands for ethnic acceptance and political rights, analysts say.

Italian authorities arrest senior Kurdish separatist: press
17h35 - ROME, March 14, 2008 (AFP) - Italian authorities have arrested the alleged treasurer of Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) at Rome airport, the Corriere della Sera daily reported Friday.

Norway's DNO revises oil deal with Iraq's Kurdish authorities
12h49 - OSLO, March 14, 2008 (AFP) - Norwegian oil company DNO International said Friday it had revised an agreement with Kurdish authorities on splitting oil production in two licensing areas in northern Iraq.

Purported lover of PKK leader Ocalan arrested
17h15 - BERLIN, March 13, 2008 (AFP) - A presumed former lover of jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan has been arrested in Germany on charges of belonging to the banned PKK, authorities said Thursday.

Turkish army says 10 Kurdish rebels killed near Iraq border
15h36 - ANKARA, March 13, 2008 (AFP) - Turkish troops killed 10 Kurdish rebels, among them a woman, in a security operation in the country's southeast near the Iraqi border, the Turkish army said Thursday.

Iran destroys 'terrorist' cells on Iraqi border: report
13h26 - TEHRAN, March 13, 2008 (AFP) - Iranian security forces have killed members of two "terrorist" cells who crossed the Iraqi border to a Kurdish-populated province ahead of parliamentary polls, the Mehr news agency reported Thursday.

Turkish PM pledges TV channel, more investment for Kurds
12h00 - ANKARA, March 13, 2008 (AFP) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday the government would launch a Kurdish-language television channel and invest billions of dollars in infrastructure projects in the Kurdish-majority southeast.

Iranian military shells Iraqi villages: mayor
09h09 - SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq, March 13, 2008 (AFP) - The Iranian military on Thursday subjected three Iraqi border villages to an early-morning barrage of shelling, causing no injuries or damage but scaring residents, an Iraqi official said.

One killed in suicide car bomb in north Iraq
16h51 - SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq, March 10, 2008 (AFP) - A suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden car outside a luxury hotel in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaimaniyah on Monday, killing one person and wounding 13, Sulaimaniyah's governor said.

Blast outside luxury hotel in northern Iraq
16h28 - SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq, March 10, 2008 (AFP) - A powerful explosion rocked the normally peaceful city of Sulaimaniyah in northern Iraq late Monday, an AFP journalist reported.

Turkey marks out 'security zones' in PKK campaign
17h02 - ANKARA, March 8, 2008 (AFP) - The Turkish army said Saturday it has carved out six temporary "security zones" along the southeastern border with Iraq, to be patrolled by the military for three months from June 11.

Iraq vows to block oil contracts signed by Kurds
11h05 - ANKARA, March 8, 2008 (AFP) - Baghdad will block any contracts signed by foreign oil companies with Iraqi Kurdish regional authorities, Iraq's Oil Minister Hussein Chahristani said on Saturday.

Iraq, Turkey vow to boost ties, act against Kurdish rebels
21h00 - ANKARA, March 7, 2008 (AFP) - The leaders of Iraq and Turkey pledged Friday to take measures against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq during talks to soothe tensions following a Turkish cross-border offensive against the militants.

US sees no Turkish talks with PKK
19h08 - WASHINGTON, March 6, 2008 (AFP) - The United States said Thursday it was closely watching Turkey's campaign against separatist Kurdish fighters based in Iraq and firmly backed its ally's refusal to negotiate with the rebels.

Protestor dies in violent Kurdish demo in Turkey: police
14h24 - ANKARA, March 6, 2008 (AFP) - Kurdish protestors and police clashed in eastern Turkey leaving one demonstrator dead and 14 police injured, police and media reports said Thursday, amid contradictory accounts of the death.

Turkey must end confinement of rebel chief Ocalan: rights watchdog
12h12 - STRASBOURG, March 6, 2008 (AFP) - The Council of Europe's anti-torture body urged Turkey Thursday to end the solitary confinement of jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, highlighting the threat to his mental health.

Turkey must end confinement of rebel chief Ocalan: watchdog
10h55 - STRASBOURG, March 6, 2008 (AFP) - The Council of Europe's anti-torture committee Thursday urged Turkey to end the solitary confinement of jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan highlighting the threat to his mental health.

Iraqi Kurds vow to resist any new Turkish strike
09h42 - DOHUK, Iraq, March 6, 2008 (AFP) - "I'm a fighter on the inside, my priority is to defend Kurdistan," said a female college student in Dohuk, a mountainous snowbound town in far northern Iraq near the border with Turkey.

Kurdish former minister killed in disputed Iraq oil city
16h06 - KIRKUK, Iraq, March 5, 2008 (AFP) - A Kurdish academic who served as Iraqi labour minister in the 1970s was gunned down near the disputed northern oil city of Kirkuk on Wednesday, police said.

PKK says Turkey strikes northern Iraq
15h41 - ARBIL, Iraq, March 5, 2008 (AFP) - Turkish warplanes and artillery fired on targets inside the Kurdish region of northern Iraq on Wednesday, a spokesman for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) said.

Turkey strikes northern Iraq: PKK spokesman
14h29 - ARBIL, Iraq, March 5, 2008 (AFP) - Turkish warplanes and artillery fired on targets inside the Kurdish region of northern Iraq on Wednesday, a spokesman for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) said.

Turkish army hits back at criticism over Iraq pullout
09h28 - ANKARA, March 5, 2008 (AFP) - The Turkish army has hit back at criticism from opposition parties over a week-long offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq amid a row that the operation was ended too quickly under US pressure.

More attacks on PKK if need be: Turkish army chief
16h13 - ANKARA, March 3, 2008 (AFP) - Turkey will launch further strikes on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq if need be, army chief Yasar Buyukanit said Monday, rejecting suggestions that last week's incursion was cut short by US pressure.

Ahmadinejad calls upon Iraq, Turkey to fight Kurdish rebels
19h01 - BAGHDAD, March 2, 2008 (AFP) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday called upon Iraq and Turkey to jointly cooperate with his government in the fight against Kurdish rebels.

Turkish president says Iraq withdrawal was on schedule
15h13 - ANKARA, March 2, 2008 (AFP) - Turkish troops withdrew from northern Iraq on schedule, President Abdullah Gul said Sunday, rejecting claims that US pressure had ended Ankara's ground offensive against Kurdish rebels.

Turkish military operation failed: PKK leader
16h16 - SULAIMANIYAH, March 1, 2008 (AFP) - The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader said Turkey had failed to achieve its aims with its military operation against his guerrillas in northern Iraq, in a telephone interview on Saturday.

Iraqi Kurds express joy as Turkey ends incursion
12h26 - QARAWOLA, Iraq, March 1, 2008 (AFP) - Iraqi Kurdish villagers expressed joy at the end of Turkey's eight-day military operation inside northern Iraq on Saturday, but many said they were worried that Ankara's soldiers could return.

Analysts question US role in Turkey's Iraq withdrawal
12h16 - ANKARA, March 1, 2008 (AFP) - Turkey's top general said the withdrawal of troops from northern Iraq was not based on political concerns, but analysts on Saturday questioned whether US pressure had accelerated the end of a ground offensive against Kurdish rebels.

Talabani praises Turkish decision to withdraw from Iraq
11h41 - BAGHDAD, March 1, 2008 (AFP) - President Jalal Talabani on Saturday praised Ankara for ending its incursion against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, and said he is looking forward to accepting an invitation to visit Turkey.

Turkish army chief denies US pressure led to Iraq pull-out
09h13 - ANKARA, March 1, 2008 (AFP) - Turkey's withdrawal from northern Iraq was based solely on military needs, the head of the army said in remarks published Saturday, dismissing "unfair" criticism that Ankara had bowed to US pressure.