Kurd group says Iraqi troops massing near north .
ANKARA 1996-08-28
An Iraqi Kurdish group on Wednesday said Iraq was massing troops near Kurdish regions in the north , where a U.S.-led allied air force protects the local population against attacks from Baghdad .
" The Iraqi regime has started threatening the Kurdish population by massing troops in preparation to attack Kurdish towns and population centres , " the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan ( PUK ) said in a statement .
The PUK said it had received confirmed reports that Iraqi troops , supported by tanks , artillery and armoured vehicles , have already penetrated some Kurdish areas .
It said the military presence reflects cooperation between President Saddam Hussein and the PUK 's rival , the Kurdistan Democratic Party ( KDP ) .
The PUK statement follows KDP assertions that the PUK is receiving military support from Iran .
Hostilities between the two warring Iraqi Kurdish factions have continued in the last few days despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire last Friday .
The PUK called on the United Nations and allied forces to halt the Iraqi aggression .
U.S. , French and British aircraft have safeguarded the Iraqi Kurdish population against aggression from Baghdad since shortly after the Gulf War in 1991 .
The allied force , known as Operation Provide Comfort , is based in southern Turkey .