Sunday, 9 April, 2006 , 19:38 AFP — The future of Iraq's embattled Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari hung in the balance on Sunday as deadly violence flared on the third anniversary of Saddam Hussein's ouster, adding to mounting concerns that the country was in the throes of civil war.

Sunday, 9 April, 2006 , 19:16 AFP — Kurdish political leaders in Iraq on Sunday rejected incumbent Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari staying on in the post, one of their negotiators said.

Sunday, 9 April, 2006 , 12:52 AFP — Syria's state security court on Sunday sentenced one Kurdish political activist and one Syrian taxi driver to two-and-a-half years each in prison, human rights lawyer Anwar Bunni told AFP.

Saturday, 8 April, 2006 , 21:45 AFP — The violent clashes between the Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants continued unabated on Saturday, causing deaths on both sides and sparking a short-lived hostage taking in Istanbul.

Saturday, 8 April, 2006 , 18:21 AFP — Turkish security forces have killed seven Kurdish rebels in the past 24 hours in the southeast of the country, local security sources and a news agency said Saturday.

Saturday, 8 April, 2006 , 09:08 AFP — Turkish security forces on Friday killed six Kurdish rebels suspected of involvement in the deaths of five soldiers, local security sources said Saturday.

Friday, 7 April, 2006 , 16:17 AFP — Three people were injured in a suspected bomb explosion Friday in the mainly Kurdish southeastern city of Diyarbakir, security sources said.

Friday, 7 April, 2006 , 13:49 AFP — Istanbul police Friday rounded up 11 suspected Kurdish militants and seized nearly eight kilograms (17.5 pounds) of explosives believed to have been destined for bomb attacks in Istanbul, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Thursday, 6 April, 2006 , 17:14 AFP — Hundreds of sympathisers of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Turkey protested Thursday in northern Iraq against killings by Turkish security forces during clashes with Kurds last week.

Thursday, 6 April, 2006 , 15:23 AFP — Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan angrily rejected criticism Thursday that an excessive use of force was to blame for the loss of life during Kurdish riots last week.