Iraq accused on Sunday the Iranian forces of invading Iraqi territories and pounding positions of the rebel Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) in northern Arbil province.

"The Iranian forces attacked a border area named Haj Umran, crossing 5 km over the border and pounded Lolan area with more than 180 heavy artillery shells targeting the PKK," an Iraqi Defense Ministry statement said.

Iraqi Kurdish sources said that the Iranian forces also attacked the Iranian Kurdish rebel positions inside the Iraqi territories on April 21.

Iran and Turkey have been bounded by a treaty, in which Iran pledged to fight the outlawed PKK members, who has waged a 15-year insurgency against the Turkish government, and the Turks to fight the Iranian armed opposition group, the Iraq-based Mujahedi Khalk (People's Mujahedeen).

The PKK was born out of the leftist student organizations in Turkey in the 1960s. It's main goal is to set up an independent Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey.

It's founding and ideological base was primarily the work of Abdullah Ocalan, who established the group and laid down its goals, strategy, and structure.

Although the PKK was born in Turkey, it carried out its major activities from the Kurdish regions of northern Iraq, which came about in the wake of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, when Iraqi Kurds established a de facto state in northern Iraq.

Source: Xinhua