Two Dead In Kurdish Militia Clashes

[kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu]

From: Arm The Spirit <ats at locust.cic.net>
Subject: Two Dead In Kurdish Militia Clashes In N. Iraq

Two Dead In Kurdish Militia Clashes In N. Iraq 

ANKARA, Dec 2 (Reuter) - Two Kurdish militiamen died in fighting at the 
weekend between rival groups in northern Iraq that could put 
Western-brokered peace talks in danger, an Iraqi Kurdish faction said on 
Monday. 

"KDP forces attacked on November 30 at Didevan, a mountain 30 km (18 
miles) southwest of Koy Sanjak town and they took it from us," Patriotic 
Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Ankara representative Shazad Saib told Reuters. 

"The clashes continued yesterday, killing two PUK fighters," he said. 
Officials from the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) were not 
immediately available for comment. 

The two sides have held several rounds of peace talks under U.S., British 
and Turkish mediation since they declared a ceasefire in October to end 
months of fighting that had increased Baghdad's influence in the 
mountainous region. 

"It is very negative indication for the future of the peace talks," Saib 
said. 

Iraqi troops and tanks helped Massoud Barzani's KDP take the key city of 
Arbil from the rival faction in August, prompting U.S. missile strikes on 
Iraqi targets in retaliation. 

The Kurds broke from Baghdad after the 1991 Gulf War. They are protected 
from any Iraqi attack by a U.S.-led allied air force. 

"We heard those reports over the weekend but we are hoping that those 
clashes are local in nature and will not effect their ongoing efforts to 
strenghten the ceasefire," Turkey's foreign ministry spokesman Sermet 
Atacanli told a news briefing. 


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