Al Jazeera's correspondent Hoda Abdel-Hamid reports from the mountains of Northern Iraq as Turkey's parliament weighs authorising a military incursion into northern Iraq to fight Kurdish rebels. Cabinet members are due to vote on the proposal in a few hours. Ankara is under pressure from the United States and Iraq not to launch a cross-border offensive against the PKK. In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, the PKK's leader says they don't want to fight, but will respond to any military action. Abdel-Hamid reports: We drove six hours up to Mount Qandil to meet with the PKK leader Murat Karayilan. The Turkish government is threatening cross border operations to rid him and his fighters from their base in Mount Qandil. It says that from here they plan and support attacks on Turkish soil. Murat Karayilan says that as long as Kurds in Turkey are not given their rights they will continue their struggle. "Its not true that we are crossing the border. We have fighters everywhere, even on the border, its not necessary to send any from here," he says. "How can we send them from here to the Black sea its too far. They are not telling the truth, Turkey's aim is to attack Iraqi Kurds." So Turkey has a point when it says there are fighters to go from here into southern Turkey? A: Yes, Turkey might very well attack. Its real aim is to put pressure on Iraqi Kurdistan. But its doing this now, because of the bill on the Armenian genocide. They are putting pressure on the US to gain ...

• published: 02 Jul 2012
• views: 1883
• author: HotLatestNews

Al Jazeera's correspondent Hoda Abdel-Hamid reports from the mountains of Northern Iraq as Turkey's parliament weighs authorising a military incursion into northern Iraq to fight Kurdish rebels. Cabinet members are due to vote on the proposal in a few hours. Ankara is under pressure from the United States and Iraq not to launch a cross-border offensive against the PKK. In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, the PKK's leader says they don't want to fight, but will respond to any military action. Abdel-Hamid reports: We drove six hours up to Mount Qandil to meet with the PKK leader Murat Karayilan. The Turkish government is threatening cross border operations to rid him and his fighters from their base in Mount Qandil. It says that from here they plan and support attacks on Turkish soil. Murat Karayilan says that as long as Kurds in Turkey are not given their rights they will continue their struggle. "Its not true that we are crossing the border. We have fighters everywhere, even on the border, its not necessary to send any from here," he says. "How can we send them from here to the Black sea its too far. They are not telling the truth, Turkey's aim is to attack Iraqi Kurds." So Turkey has a point when it says there are fighters to go from here into southern Turkey? A: Yes, Turkey might very well attack. Its real aim is to put pressure on Iraqi Kurdistan. But its doing this now, because of the bill on the Armenian genocide. They are putting pressure on the US to gain ...

• published: 02 Jul 2012
• views: 1883
• author: HotLatestNews