IRANIAN FORCES ATTACK IRAQI KURDISH VILLAGES

C O N F I D E N T I A L KIRKUK 000097 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/22/2016 TAGS: PGOV PBTS PINR PINS PREF PNAT PREL PTER PHUM IZ IR, SY, TU SUBJECT: IRANIAN FORCES ATTACK IRAQI KURDISH VILLAGES CLASSIFIED BY: JBIGUS, PRT LEADER, REO Kirkuk, DoS. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) On April 21, Iranian military forces bombed Iraqi villages near the tri-border area of Iraq, Iran, and Turkey. Deputy speaker of the Kurdistan National Assembly, Kamal Kirkuki, confirmed that the attacks occurred around 5:00 A.M. in the northern Iraqi villages of Haji Umran and Kherena. Kirkuki reported that Iraqi Kurds had fled their homes as a result of the attacks. Presidents Talabani and Barzani were aware of the attacks, but had not yet taken any action. ¶2. (C) Kirkuki stated that he had received reports of a covert Iranian-Turkish plan to weed out Kurdish resistant groups around the tri-border area. He said he thought the attacks were targeting Iranian Kurd resistance groups that have a strong presence in the tri-border area. Kirkuki speculated that Iran was delivering retributive attacks for recent assassinations against Iranian military leaders in the area. Kirkuki also said he had separate information indicating that Iranian and Turkish military units were amassing along the border. BIGUS