Iranians Shell Kurdistan

Villagers are displaced and eight Iranian soldiers may have been killed in shelling and skirmishes within Kurdistan -- more evidence that the Ahmadinejad/Mullah regime understands the threat democracy poses.

The target of the shelling supposedly was the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK --watch a video here and note the Soviet-esque logo), which is widely regarded as a terrorist organization, so this Guardian story is not a tale in black-and-white -- but it is a story of growing boldness in Iranian foreign policy.

Turkey and Iran have dispatched tanks, artillery and thousands of troops to their frontiers with Iraq during the past few weeks in what appears to be a coordinated effort to disrupt the activities of Kurdish rebel bases.

Scores of Kurds have fled their homes in the northern frontier region after four days of shelling by the Iranian army. Local officials said Turkey had also fired a number of shells into Iraqi territory.

Some displaced families have pitched tents in the valleys behind Qandil Mountain, which straddles Iraq's rugged borders with Turkey and Iran. They told the Guardian yesterday that at least six villages had been abandoned and one person had died following a sustained artillery barrage by Iranian forces that appeared designed to flush out guerrillas linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), who have hideouts in Iraq.

One more big headache for the U.S. in Iraq -- and scary collaboration between Iran and Turkey:

Frustrated by the reluctance of the US and the government in Baghdad to crack down on the PKK bases inside Iraq, Turkish generals have hinted they are considering a large-scale military operation across the border. They are said to be sharing intelligence about Kurdish rebel movements with their Iranian counterparts.

Whoever said fighting Islamofascism was going to be easy?

Hat-tip: Memeorandum; Related Tags: Kurdistan, PKK, Iran, Turkey, Foreign policy