Israeli Embassy Denies News Stories Claiming That Israel Trained Kurdish Groups In Northern Part Of Iraq

ANKARA - The Israeli Embassy in Ankara has denied news stories claiming that Israel had trained Kurdish commando units in northern part of Iraq.
In an interview with the A.A correspondent, an official of the Embassy said on Tuesday that the news stories were totally baseless, stressing that Israel did not have any activities in northern part of Iraq.
Earlier in the day, Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said that Israel had informed them that the news stories about relations between Israel and the Kurdish groups in Iraq were baseless.
In an article in the New Yorker Magazine, columnist Seymour M. Hersh claimed that Israeli intelligence and military operatives are now quietly at work in northern part of Iraq, providing training for Kurdish commando units and, most important in Israel's view, running covert operations inside Kurdish areas of Iran and Syria.
(UK-AÖ) 22.06.2004