SULEYMANIYAH - U.S. soldiers who had raided the bureau of the Turkish special team in Suleymaniyah in northern Iraq the day before had raided many other buildings around the bureau, including the office of the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) at the same time, sources said on Saturday.
Speaking to the A.A correspondent, ITF's representative in Suleymaniyah Isa Muhsin Kasap said, ''U.S. soldiers raided the bureau of special force as well as the bureau of Iraqi Turkmen Front, the building of Turkmen's TERT Radio, a nursery and Turkmen Cultural Center. U.S. soldiers have kept our personnel under detention for four hours. They carried out a search in the buildings. They came to our buildings without permission and without saying anything. We could enter our buildings today after holding talks with local security forces.''
Kasap denied allegations saying that flags were torn.
Noting that four Turkmen security officials had still been under detention, Kasap said that their weapons were seized.
Kasap said that a female cooker and her son working at the bureau of the Turkish special team were released.
''The bureau of the Turkish special team has still been kept by local public security forces,'' he added.
(MS-UK) 05.07.2003