Kurds Fear Full Cooperation between Baghdad and Ankara To End Southern Kurdistan "state"

An informed Kurdish source in the city of Dohuk in South Kurdistan revealed that the Iraqi leadership has conducted talks with officials of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) over the past a few days regarding the security of the region, reported the Arabic newspaper Sharq Al-Awsat yesterday.

The source indicated that a high level delegation from the Iraqi Defense Ministry attempted to convince the Kurdish authorities that they should allow the establishment of an Iraqi security post inside Kurdish-administered Southern Kurdistan to monitor the movements of the Turkish army along the border areas between Northern and Southern Kurdistan, indicating that the Iraqi army will deter any attempt of the Turkish army to occupy Southern Kurdistan.

The KDP refused the Iraqi demand and ordered its forces to be vigilant of the Iraqi army movements in the areas of Southern Kurdistan bordering with Iraq. Many Kurdish sources in Kurdistan have surmised that rather than defend against Turkey, Iraq has coordinated a plan of full cooperation with the Turkish regime. According to the plan, the Turkish forces would occupy part of Southern Kurdistan to give Saddam's army a pretext to interfere and recapture the Kurdish-administered regions of Southern Kurdistan.