text: Iraqi Kurds say Iranian troops enter north Iraq . ISTANBUL 1996-08-31 Iranian troops on Saturday entered Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq in the wake of an assault backed by Baghdad into the region , an Iraqi Kurdish group told Reuters . " They entered this morning . They have occupied the area to the depth of 40 km ( 25 miles ) . They have established a headquarters in Chuman , " Faik Nerweyi of the Kurdistan Democratic Party ( KDP ) told Reuters by telephone from Ankara . Nerweyi said he did not know the size or nature of the Iranian force in northern Iraq , but said KDP fighters had been easily outgunned in the area close to the Iranian border and had quickly withdrawn further west . " They were far too strong , " he said . Nerweyi said he did not know if there were any casualties . A U.N. official in Baghdad said the KDP , backed by Iraqi tanks , heavy artillery and helicopters had taken control of the main northern Iraqi city of Arbil after fighting on Saturday . U.S. President Bill Clinton has authorised the repositioning of U.S. firepower in the Gulf region in response to the Iraqi attacks . The KDP charges that the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan , which took control of Arbil in fighting in December 1994 , has backing from Iran . The PUK accuses the KDP of collaborating with Baghdad . Northern Iraq has been under Iraqi Kurdish control since after the 1991 Gulf War . U.S.-led allied planes based in Turkey are intended to protect the Kurds from Baghdad .