Iran continues shelling Iraqi Kurds

AP/Washington Times:

As explosions boomed in the distance, a Kurdish woman stood outside her house and pointed to where shells scorched parts of her father's grape and plum orchards.

"It was a bad day when some 20 shells hit our village in a single day last week. We were crying as we prayed to God to protect us from the bombs of the Islamic Republic of Iran," said Serwa Ibrahim, 33, one of the few remaining villagers in Mardow, about 25 miles from the Iranian border.

Iranian troops are accused of bombing border areas for weeks against suspected positions of the Free Life Party, or PJAK, a breakaway faction of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party. Iran says PJAK — which seeks autonomy for Kurds in Iran — launches attacks inside Iran from bases in Iraq.

Shelling of border areas resumed yesterday after a brief lull, with Iranian shells hitting the Iraqi side of the border and causing fires. AP Television News showed white smoke billowing from mountainous areas, and Kurdish shepherds carrying carcasses of sheep killed by the shelling.

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In Baghdad there has been criticism of the shelling. That seems like a pretty mild reaction for an act of war. The US seems to be extremely quite about the attacks too, but the attacks do give the US an important pretext for attacking Iran with the massive attacks that have been planned to wipe out Iran's nukes and her other war making capacity. Right now it is just another count in the indictment being prepared to explain why we are going to attack Iran should the need arise.

Oliver North looks at the other flashing lights on Iran.