HAJ OMRAN, Iraq — Iraq said Monday it has protested to Iran over what it called an improper use of force in the northern Kurdistan region, a reference to repeated shelling there.

Iranian troops have been shelling the region for at least 12 days in pursuit of Kurdish rebels, according to Lt. Saleh Ahmed of the Kurdish security forces. He said Iranian artillery killed a 14-year-old girl and wounded three villagers on May 30. Iranian troops with artillery and tanks crossed the Iraqi border last Thursday and began building an outpost and a road leading back into the Iranian side of the border, he said.