ERBIL, Iraq, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Officials with the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party Thursday blamed Iran and Turkey for shelling its positions in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Ahmad Denis, foreign relations officer of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, said the Iranian military struck several border villages in Iraq's Kurdish regions, the Iraqi satellite channel al-Sumaria reported Thursday.
Denis said the Turkish military struck several border regions in the northern Iraqi Qandil Mountains, where the PKK is believed to hold several positions.
The separatist PKK is considered a terrorist organization by several states, including the United States, Turkey, Iraq and Iran. U.S. military officials in Iraq share intelligence on PKK activity with their Turkish counterparts.
Iraq's PUKmedia, the media outlet associated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, confirmed the Iranian military had struck several villages along the border with Iraq in an effort to hit PKK strongholds.
Turkey and Iran also have battled PKK affiliates with the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan, PJAK, which allegedly carries out attacks in the Kurdish provinces of Iran.
Iran's Press TV, however, said Monday PJAK admitted defeat at the hands of the Iranian military and laid down its weapons.
