Kurdish Guerrillas
Wage 4-Pronged Attack On Turkish Troops
Duhuk, Feb 26, (VOI) – Fighters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) waged a
four-pronged attack on Turkish forces in the area of al-Zab, near the
Iraqi-Turkish borders, a PKK official said on Tuesday.
"The Turkish side lost 21 soldiers and still the PKK fighters keep the bodies of
five of them. Our fighters also seized their M-16 weapons," Ahmed Deniz, the PKK
official in charge of foreign affairs, told VOI.
"The PKK has lost only one fighter, though," Deniz said.
He said the PKK also thwarted a landing by Turkish paratroopers in the area of
Jamjou, adding "our fighters withstood the landing and forced the Turks to
withdraw.
"The fighting is still flaring up in the areas of Bazia and al-Zab but it ended
in Irsh, where the Turkish troops pulled out," he said.
Roz Wallat, a female commander of the PKK, said "the Turkish troops' position is
very hard due to the ferocious resistance showed by our fighters."
Wallat, however, expected military escalations on the Turkish side, noting "they
(the Turks) are preparing for fresh operations."
The PKK had admitted on Tuesday the killing of four of its fighters in clashes
with Turkish forces in northern Iraqi, affirming that the Turkish offensive was
repulsed and troops denied further advances.
"Fighting is still going on for the sixth day running in several areas,
including the Avashin, al-Zab and Bazia, where we managed to repulse the Turkish
attack and deny Turkish forces more advances," Wallat told VOI.
"The number of Turkish fatalities reached 80 while some others froze to death
due to snowfall in the area," Wallat said.
On the PKK losses, Wallat replied that the PKK lost four fighters in addition to
others wounded after Monday's attacks.
