Iraqi Kurds vow to fight if attacked

Iraq's autonomous Kurds vowed yesterday to fight off any attack on their region, as Turkey mulled a military incursion to crack down on Kurdish rebels.
Iraqi Kurds were not to blame for the trouble between Turkey and the rebels from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), said a statement issued from the office of Kurdish regional president Massoud Barzani.
"We frankly say to all parties: if they attack the region or Kurdistan experiment under whatever pretext, we will be completely ready to defend our democratic experiment and the dignity of our people and the sanctity of our homeland," it said.
The Turkish parliament gave permission to the military on Wednesday to launch an incursion into northern Iraq to pursue the rebels although Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoyan has indicated that no such action is imminent.
Turkey says the PKK enjoys free movement in northern Iraq and is tolerated or even actively supported by Iraqi Kurdish leaders, something they strongly deny.
"We are astonished by this tension during the past few days and the Turkish stance in crossing Kurdistan's borders under the pretext of striking at the PKK.