Re: Results of Fact-finding mission to
PJAK bases in northern Iraq
(View the signatories)
When Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan comes to visit you on November
5, he will be asking your approval to launch military action against
Kurdish rebels based in Northern Iraq.
While not expressing any opinion about the activities of the Turkish
Kurds, commonly identified as the PKK, we want to bring to your
attention the myths and disinformation regarding the Party of Free Life
of Iranian Kurdistan, commonly known as PJAK, and urge you NOT to give
Prime Minister Erdogan a green light to invade northern Iraq.
A Turkish invasion of northern Iraq
will not only destabilize a
peaceful, prosperous, and pro-American region of Iraq: it will directly
benefit the interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Indeed, it is our opinion that Prime
Minister Erdogan, is acting as
a stalking horse for the Islamic Republic of Iran in this matter.
PJAK is currently the ONLY Iranian opposition group that has
launched a
comprehensive political and military struggle against the Iranian
regime.
They are an independent, pro-American group, totally separate from
the PKK, that has served America’s strategic interests since 2003 by
preventing the infiltration of Iranian-backed insurgents and weapons
into Iraq from Iran in the areas of the Qandil mountains under their
control.
And yet, Mr. Erdogan, in alliance with the Islamic Republic of Iran,
wants your permission to destroy PJAK by false allegations that they
are “a branch” of the PKK.
A recent fact-finding tour of PJAK bases in Northern Iraq by FDI
president Kenneth R. Timmerman came to the following conclusions:
1) PJAK has bases in northern Iraq in a totally
different sector of the border region from those used by the PKK.
2) There is no PKK presence at PJAK bases, and no
political, military, or strategic cooperation between the two groups.
3) The Islamic Republic of Iran has forged a
political and military alliance with Turkey to smash PJAK under the
guise of Turkey’s war with the PKK, because PJAK is currently the only
political opposition group that poses a real threat to the regime.
4) PJAK seeks to democratize Iran through a
broad-based political struggle, backed by “self-defense forces” whose
purpose is to deter repressive actions by the Revolutionary Guards and
other security forces. They do not seek a military confrontation with
the regime, nor are they asking for U.S. military assistance.
5) PJAK has no involvement and, indeed, does not
endorse the actions undertaken against Turkey by the HPG self-defense
forces, commonly (and erroneously) known as the PKK.
6) Without PJAK bases along Iraq’s border with
Iran, the Quds Force would be able to open a new front against the
United States and our allies in Iraq and transform the Kurdish Regional
Governate in northern Iraq into a battleground.
7) The war against PJAK and the PKK has been a
joint venture between Iran and Turkey from the start. When Turkish
artillery commenced artillery bombardment of suspected PKK hideouts in
northern Iraq on the morning of August 16, Iranian artillery began
shelling PJAK areas at the same time.
8) As part of the Iran-Turkey alliance, Turkish
military officers are currently stationed at Revolutionary Guards
headquarters in Urmieh and in other Iranian cities close to northern
Iraq, where they are advising Iranian troops in counter-insurgency
methods.
Mr. President, don’t take our word for what’s going on in the
PJAK-controlled areas along Iraq’s northern border with Iraq. Ask Lt.
Gen. Bernard Mixon, commander of U.S. forces in northern Iraq.
General Mixon stated unequivocally last week that the Coalition
would not send forces into northern Iraq against Kurdish rebels, nor
would the Coalition ask the Kurdish Regional Government to expel them.
His reason was simple: if PJAK were to be expelled from the border
area, Iran would open a new infiltration route to supply insurgents
with arms, money, and Explosively-Formed-Penetrators (EFPs) for use
against coalition forces and our Iraqi allies.
Without PJAK control of Iraq’s border with Iran, Erbil and
Suleymaniyah would ressemble the Fallujah and Ramadi of early 2006.
Mr. President, PJAK has been a de facto U.S. ally in the war on terror
since April 2003.
Allowing Turkey to do Iran’s dirty work in eliminating the PJAK
presence in northern Iraq would run directly counter to our national
security interests.
It would also strike a devastating blow to the goal you have so
eloquently expressed of helping the Iranian people to bring freedom and
democracy to their country.
Therefore we urge you, Mr. President, not to give in to these false
representations regarding PJAK.
Sincerely,
Kenneth R. Timmerman
President, Foundation for Democracy in Iran
Hon. David Beasely
Former S.C. Governor (1995-1999)
President, Center for Global Strategies, Ltd
Frank Gaffney
President & CEO, Center for Security Policy
Cliff Kincaid
President, America’s Survival, Inc.
Amy Ridenour
Vice Chairman, Americans for the Preservation of Liberty
William J. Murray
President, Religious Freedom Coalition
Peter Huessy
President, Geo-Strategic Analysis, Inc.
Peter Ferrara
Executive Director, American Civil Rights Union
Richard Falknor
Executive Vice President, Maryland Taxpayers Association
David Ridenour
Vice President, National Center for Public Policy Research
Rev. Dr. Keith Roderick
Secretary General, Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights
The Foundation for Democracy in Iran is a private, non-profit corporation registered in the State of Maryland. Contact: Kenneth R. Timmerman, Executive Director (exec@iran.org). FDI materials are available free-of-charge via the Internet at http://www.iran.org/.