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UPDATES:militants Afrin / ldlib

A place to talk about domestic politics in Middle East (Iran, Iraq , Turkey, Syria) Also includes topics about Assyrian, Armenian, Chaldean .

Re: Importance of Afrin and why Turkey wants to attack it

PostAuthor: Anthea » Tue Jan 16, 2018 2:40 am

Erdogan: we will 'strangle' U.S.-backed force in Syria "before it's even born"

Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan threatened on Monday to “strangle” a planned 30,000-strong U.S.-backed force in Syria “before it’s even born,” as Washington’s backing for Kurdish fighters drove a wedge into relations with one of its main Middle East allies.

The United States announced its support on Sunday for plans for a “border force” to defend territory held by U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led fighters in northern Syria.

The Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad responded on Monday by vowing to crush the new force and drive U.S. troops from the country. Assad’s ally Russia called the plans a plot to dismember Syria and place part of it under U.S. control.

But the strongest denunciation came from Erdogan, who has presided as relations between the United States and its biggest Muslim ally within NATO have stretched to the breaking point.

“A country we call an ally is insisting on forming a terror army on our borders,” Erdogan said of the United States in a speech in Ankara. “What can that terror army target but Turkey?”

“Our mission is to strangle it before it’s even born.”

Erdogan said Turkey had completed preparations for an operation in Kurdish-held territory in northern Syria.

The Kurdish-led regions in Syria say they need the border force to protect them against threats from Ankara and Damascus.

“To prevent any attack... there must be a deterrent force that protects the border between our areas and the others,” Fawza Youssef, a senior Kurdish politician, told Reuters.

“Until a political settlement is reached in Syria, these areas need protection. Now, there aren’t any guarantees,” she said.

The United States has led an international coalition using air strikes and special forces troops to aid fighters on the ground battling Islamic State militants in Syria since 2014. It has about 2,000 troops on the ground in Syria.

The U.S. intervention has taken place on the periphery of a near seven-year civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and driven more than 11 million from their homes.

Islamic State was effectively defeated last year, but Washington says its troops are prepared to stay to make sure the Islamist militant group cannot return.

For much of the war, the United States and Turkey worked together, jointly supporting forces fighting against Assad’s government. But a U.S. decision to back Kurdish fighters in northern Syria in recent years has enraged Ankara.

Meanwhile, the Assad government, backed by Russia and Iran, has made great strides over the past two years in defeating a range of opponents, restoring control over nearly all of Syria’s main cities. It considers the continued U.S. presence a threat to its ambition to restore full control over the entire country.

On Sunday, the U.S.-led coalition said it was working with its militia allies, the mainly Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to set up the new force to patrol the Turkish and Iraqi borders, as well as within Syria along the Euphrates River which separates SDF territory from that held by the government.

“DON‘T FORCE US TO BURY”

Turkey views the Syrian Kurdish forces supported by the United States as allies of the PKK, a banned Kurdish group waging an insurgency in southern Turkey.

“This is what we have to say to all our allies: don’t get in between us and terrorist organizations, or we will not be responsible for the unwanted consequences,” Erdogan said.

“Don’t force us to bury in the ground those who are with terrorists,” he said. “Our operations will continue until not a single terrorist remains along our borders, let alone 30,000.”

Syria’s main Kurdish groups have emerged so far as one of the few winners in the Syrian war, working to entrench their autonomy over large parts of northern Syria. Washington opposes those autonomy plans even as it has backed the SDF.

The Syrian government and the main Kurdish parties have mostly avoided conflict during the civil war, as both sides focused on fighting other groups. But Assad’s rhetoric toward the Kurds has turned increasingly hostile.

Damascus denounced the new border force as a “blatant assault” on its sovereignty, Syrian state media said. It said any Syrian who joined the force would be deemed “a traitor”.

“What the American administration has done comes in the context of its destructive policy in the region to fragment countries ... and impede any solutions to the crises,” state news agency SANA cited a foreign ministry source as saying.

Assad’s allies have also chimed in. In an apparent reference to the force, senior Iranian official Ali Shamkhani said it was “doomed to failure”, Fars news agency reported.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: “The actions that we see now show that the United States does not want to maintain the territorial integrity of Syria.”

“Fundamentally, this means the breakup of a large territory along the border with Turkey and Iraq,” Lavrov said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mide ... SKBN1F41HJ
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Re: Importance of Afrin and why Turkey wants to attack it

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Re: URGENT: Afrin is NOW at imminent risk of attack by Turke

PostAuthor: Anthea » Tue Jan 16, 2018 11:04 am

First rule of marketing:

KEEP IT SIMPLE

One of the biggest problems Kurds face in Western Kurdistan, is that some fool decided to use the Kurdish spelling of Western Kurdistan (Rojavayê Kurdistanê) but omitted the work Kurdistan X( X( X(

I am FURIOUS because many friends died fighting for WESTERN KURDISTAN

They were proud Kurds who hoped one day that Western Kurdistan would be part of an Independent KURDISTAN

They were PATRIOTS

    Definition of patriot:
    One who loves his or her country and supports its authority and interests

The general public are aware that Kurds were fighting the Islamic State

People realise Western Kurdistan is a part of Kurdistan because the name speaks for itself

BUT

I estimate that out of every 100 non-Kurdish people who know of Western Kurdistan, fewer than 10% would know anything about Rojava and far less than 1% would know anything about Afrin

Simple:

    Kurds need international recognition and support
    Almost everyone knows Kurds fought ISIS
Therefore:

    Any and all publicity needs to contain the words Kurds or Kurdistan
Which will get more attention:

    Turkey threatens Western Kurdistan
or
    Turkey threatens Afrin
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Re: Afrin, West Kurdistan at imminent risk of attack by Turk

PostAuthor: Anthea » Tue Jan 16, 2018 12:47 pm

Erdogan says Turkish operation in Afrin to be supported by rebels

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey’s planned military operation against Kurdish militia forces in Syria’s Afrin region will be supported by Syrian rebel fighters.

In recent days, Erdogan has repeatedly warned of an imminent incursion in Afrin after the U.S.-led coalition said it was working with the mainly Kurdish YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to set up a new 30,000-strong border force.

The plan has infuriated Turkey, which considers the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group, which has fought an insurgency in southeast Turkey since 1984. The PKK is considered a terrorist group by the European Union, Turkey and the United States.

Asked if Syrian rebels would be involved in the operation against Afrin, Erdogan told reporters in parliament: “Of course they will, together. This struggle is being conducted for them. Not for us.”

Speaking at a meeting of NATO top brass in Brussels, armed forces chief General Hulusi Akar said Turkey will not allow the YPG to receive support and said NATO should not differentiate between terrorist groups, state-run Anadolu agency reported.

“We cannot and will not allow support and arming of the YPG terror group under the name of an operational partner. We hope this mistake will be corrected in the shortest time,” Akar was reported as saying.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mide ... SKBN1F5117
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Re: Afrin, West Kurdistan at imminent risk of attack by Turk

PostAuthor: Anthea » Wed Jan 17, 2018 2:11 am

Syria war: Turkish forces mass near Kurdish areas

Turkey's president has warned of imminent military offensives on two Kurdish-held areas in northern Syria, as tanks and troops mass on the border.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Syrian rebels would support Turkish efforts to clear the "terror nests" of Afrin and Manbij.

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The areas are controlled by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara considers a terrorist group.

Earlier, the Turkish army shelled Afrin from positions in the neighbouring rebel-held Syrian province of Idlib.

The Kurdish official in charge of defending the area, Bahjat Abdo, said the bombardment showed "the bankruptcy of Turkish policies in the face of resistance by the people of Afrin".

"Turkey is aware about the fact that entering Afrin will not be easy because it was the people of Afrin who turned this region into a graveyard for Turkey-backed extremist mercenaries," he told the ANHA news agency.

Kurdish media say the Afrin enclave, which is north-west of the city of Aleppo and covers about 2,300 sq km (900 sq miles), is home to as many as 500,000 people.

Turkey's president has for months been threatening to launch an assault on Afrin.

His government considers the YPG an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has fought for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey for three decades.

Turkish officials have watched in alarm over the past six years of civil war in Syria as the YPG and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance that it dominates have taken control of tens of thousands of square kilometres of territory.

In 2016, Turkey supported an offensive by Syrian rebels - dubbed Operation Euphrates Shield - to drive Islamic State (IS) militants out of the key towns of Jarablus and al-Bab, and also to stop YPG fighters moving westwards towards Afrin and taking full control of the Turkish border.

Although the rebels halted the YPG advance, the US deployed troops around the predominantly Arab town of Manbij to dissuade them trying to take it by force.

The YPG later agreed to withdraw its fighters from Manbij and move them east of the River Euphrates, but Turkish officials say that has not yet happened.

Last October, Turkey stepped up the pressure on the Kurds in Afrin by deploying troops to northern Idlib province as part of a deal agreed with Russia and Iran that set up a "de-escalation zone" with the aim of reducing fighting between rebel factions and Syrian pro-government forces.

On Tuesday, Mr Erdogan told a meeting of his AK Party that Operation Euphrates Shield "drove a dagger into the heart of the game played in Syria" by the Kurds.

"We will soon also destroy one-by-one the other nests of terror in Syria, starting with Afrin and Manbij," he vowed.

"Those who stabbed us in the back and appear to be our allies... cannot prevent it," he added, apparently referring to the US.

Mr Erdogan also urged Nato to stop the US helping the SDF create a "border security force" to protect its territory in Syria.

The US plans to train about 30,000 personnel to help prevent infiltration by IS militants across the Turkish and Iraqi borders and the River Euphrates, which effectively divides Kurdish- and Syrian government-held regions.

On Monday, the Turkish president accused the US of "creating a terror army" and said it was the duty of his government to "suffocate" the force.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-42706492
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Re: Afrin, West Kurdistan at imminent risk of attack by Turk

PostAuthor: Anthea » Wed Jan 17, 2018 7:14 pm

Syrian Kurds appeal to UN as Turkey prepares to attack

Syria's dominant Kurdish party on Wednesday called on the U.N. Security Council to act quickly to ensure the safety of Kurdish-controlled territories in the country's north, including an enclave that Turkey has threatened to attack.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will launch a military offensive in the coming days against territories controlled by the dominant Syrian Kurdish militia in northwestern and eastern Syria, and in particular the enclave of Afrin, where an estimated 1 million people live.

Turkey views the US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces as terrorists, and an extension of the Kurdish insurgency raging in its southeast. It has criticized the U.S. for extending support and arming the Kurdish forces as part of the campaign that drove the Islamic State group from large parts of Syria.

The Kurdish militia, which forms the backbone of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, now controls nearly 25 percent of Syrian territory. It is the U.S.-led coalition's chief ally in the campaign against IS in Syria.

The U.S.-led coalition recently said it is planning a 30,000-strong Kurdish-led border force, further angering Turkey.

Turkey's National Security Council met Wednesday and vowed to take steps to "eliminate" threats from western Syria — in an apparent reference to Afrin.

A statement issued at the end of the meeting also criticized the United States, saying Turkey was saddened by the fact an ally has "declared terrorists as partners" and "armed them without taking our security into consideration." It called on the U.S. to reclaim all arms supplied to Syrian Kurdish fighters.

In reference to the planned Kurdish-led border force, the statement added: "Turkey will not allow the creation of a terror corridor or an army of terror near its border."

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he told U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that those plans were a "perilous" step that would "seriously endanger ties." The two met in Vancouver Tuesday.

"Such a development would damage Turkish-American ties in an irreversible manner," the state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Cavusoglu as saying on Wednesday.

Erdogan said the imminent military operation is to "purge terror" from near its borders. Along with Afrin, Erdogan has also threatened Manbij, a town the Kurdish-led SDF seized from IS in 2016.

The Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD, the political arm of the main Kurdish militia, said that if Turkey launches an operation against Afrin, the world will bear responsibility for the lives of people residing there. The PYD called on the Security Council to "move immediately" to ensure the security of Kurdish-controlled areas in Syria.

"Such a responsible behavior will lead to the desired result in finding a resolution for the Syrian crisis," the PYD said in a statement.

The Syrian government of President Bashar Assad has meanwhile accused the SDF of being "traitors" for cooperating with the United States.

On Monday, Erdogan vowed to crush the border force and called on NATO to take a stand against the United States, a fellow ally.

Meanwhile, Syrian activists said Turkish military activities near the borders with Afrin have continued, as well as shelling of the outskirts of the town. Tanks amassed near the border with Syria, while Turkish media reported that medical personnel in Kilis, a Turkish town across the border from Afrin, were asked not to take leave, apparently in anticipation of military operations.

Turkey's private Dogan news agency quotes Turkey-backed Syrian rebels as saying they are awaiting Turkish orders to launch the Afrin operations. It says some 3,000 fighters are ready to participate in operations against Afrin and Manbij.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wir ... s-52398999
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Re: Syrian Kurds appeal to UN as Turkey prepares to attack

PostAuthor: Anthea » Thu Jan 18, 2018 4:22 am

Turkey targets Kurds in Afrin: The short, medium and long story

Turkey says it is getting ready to launch a massive assault on Kurdish forces inside Syria - potentially putting it in direct conflict with its Nato ally, the United States.

This could be a significant new development in the Syrian civil war, which is now almost seven years old. We've boiled down why it matters.

You can choose to read the short, medium story or long story below, either by themselves or one after the other.

    The Story in 100 Words
Why is Turkey launching this assault?

One main reason: Turkey considers the US-backed Kurdish militia that controls much of north-eastern Syria a terrorist group.

Turkey says the militia is part of a Kurdish rebel group it has fought for decades, and wants to prevent it consolidating its hold on Syrian territory.

The recent discovery of US plans to help the militia form a 30,000-strong "border security force" alarmed Ankara.

Turkey's president said Washington was "creating a terror army" and vowed to "suffocate" it.

He warned of imminent operations to clear Kurdish forces from two border areas - Afrin and Manbij.

    The Story in 300 Words
Turkey has vowed to crush a Syrian Kurdish militia called the People's Protection Units (YPG), which it considers a terrorist group.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says it is an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has fought for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey for three decades.

The YPG denies any direct links - an assertion backed by a US-led coalition whose air strikes have helped the militia and allied Arab fighters drive Islamic State militants from tens of thousands of square kilometres of Syria.

Ankara has condemned the US for supporting the YPG and was alarmed when it emerged on Saturday that the coalition was helping it form a 30,000-strong "border security force".

While Turkey has long threatened to clear YPG fighters from the Kurdish enclave of Afrin, in north-western Syria, and Manbij, a mainly Arab town to the east, the news appears to have brought those plans forward.

A day after vowing to stop the US "creating a terror army on our border", Mr Erdogan declared on Tuesday that Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels would soon destroy "nests of terror".

Turkish tanks have been building up along the border near Afrin and troops have been shelling the enclave from inside the rebel-held Syrian province of Idlib.

Kurdish leaders promised to defend Afrin and urged the international community to prevent Turkey targeting what they said were its 1 million residents.

Russia, the Syrian government's ally, may be key to what happens next. It is believed to have hundreds of troops in Afrin and effectively controls the enclave's airspace. A Turkish assault without its approval might prove difficult and open a new front in a war that activists say has already cost more than 340,000 lives. The UN says it is ready to help displaced civilians if required.

    The Story in 700 Words
To understand the seemingly imminent offensives, it's important to understand Turkey's relations with the Kurds, and who some of the main players are in the Syrian conflict.

Turkey has been threatening to attack the Kurdish-controlled towns of Afrin and Manbij for some time in an attempt to counter a militia called the People's Protection Units (YPG), which it considers a terrorist group.

Turkey sees the militia as being an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is banned in Turkey and has fought for Kurdish autonomy there since 1984.

The YPG denies any direct military or political links with the PKK.

The US also rejects Turkey's portrayal of the militia, which has proven to be a key ally in the battle against the jihadist group Islamic State.

The YPG is part of an alliance with a number of ethnic Arab militias called the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). With the help of US air strikes, its fighters have captured tens of thousands of square kilometres from IS.

Despite being part of the US-led coalition against IS, Turkey has vehemently opposed supporting the SDF and tried to stop it taking control of Syria's northern border.

In 2016, the Turkish military supported a Syrian rebel offensive that drove IS militants out of the key towns of Jarablus and al-Bab and stopped SDF fighters moving westwards towards Afrin.

The US dissuaded Turkey from also attempting to take the mainly Arab town of Manbij from the SDF by force, but got the YPG to agree to withdraw east of the River Euphrates. Turkish officials say that has not yet happened.

One recent development appears to have brought forward Turkey's plans to clear YPG fighters from Afrin and Manbij.

News broke on Saturday that the US was helping the SDF build a new "border security force".

US officials said the plan was to train about 30,000 personnel - half of them SDF fighters - to help prevent infiltration by IS militants across the Turkish and Iraqi borders and parts of the River Euphrates, which effectively divides SDF- and Syrian government-held regions.

The announcement enraged Turkey's government. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that he considered the border force to be a "terror army".

Syria's government, which has mostly avoided conflict with the Kurds, called it a "blatant attack" on its sovereignty. Russia, the government's ally, warned it was a step towards the partition of Syria.

On Tuesday, Mr Erdogan vowed that Turkish troops and Syrian rebels would soon destroy "nests of terror" along its border, "starting with Afrin and Manbij".

Please click on image to enlarge:
893

The map above highlights what's at stake:

    Afrin is separated from Manbij and other SDF-controlled areas by a pocket of territory held by Turkish-backed rebels

    If Afrin and Manbij were to fall, Turkish-backed forces would control a 200km (125-mile) continuous stretch of Syria's northern border west of the Euphrates
The YPG has not said how many fighters it has in the two areas, but Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency estimated that there were about 8,000 to 10,000 in Afrin.

It is also not clear if US military personnel are deployed around Manbij, as they were last year.

So why would the Turkish assault on Afrin matter?

It could bring two Nato allies into direct conflict and also have a major impact on relations between Turkey and Russia.

Russia is believed to have hundreds of troops in Afrin and effectively controls the enclave's airspace. An offensive without its approval might prove difficult for Turkey and open a major new front in a war that activists say has already cost more than 340,000 lives.

Conversely, as this piece explains, if Russia were to give tacit approval to the incursion, it might bring Moscow and Ankara closer together and have implications for Turkish relations with the West.

Secondly, a siege of Afrin could have grave humanitarian consequences.

Kurdish officials say there could be 1m people living in Afrin.

Leaving an enclave surrounded by territory held by the Syrian government, and mountains, would be difficult. A spokeswoman for the UN's refugee agency told the BBC that they had not yet received reports of people leaving Afrin, but that it was prepared to help if needed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-42704542
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Re: Syrian Kurds appeal to UN as Turkey prepares to attack

PostAuthor: Anthea » Thu Jan 18, 2018 4:51 am

Meanwhile, TOTALLT IGNORED BY THE WORLD MEDIA, some 400 miles away in and around Dersim, in the Kurdish heartland of Turkish occupied Northern Kurdistan - Turkish troops are systematically attacking Kurdish villages 40, 50, 60 even 70 at a time and placing them under curfew for weeks, sometimes months at a time.

Similar events are taking place in and around Diyarbakır also in the Kurdish heartland of Turkish occupied Northern Kurdistan and only a mere 250 miles from the soon to be invasion of Western Kurdistan (Northern Syria) by Turkish troops.

All the aforementioned places are all traditional Kurdish lands

THE WORLD IGNORES WHAT TURKS DO NORTHERN KURDISTAN
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Re: Syrian Kurds appeal to UN as Turkey prepares to attack

PostAuthor: Anthea » Thu Jan 18, 2018 4:59 am

People of Afrin line up to get arms to defend their land

Hundreds of innocent civilians line up in Civil Defence Forces (HPC) centres to get arms in Afrin amid Turkish military preparations to invade Western Kurdistan (Northern Syria)

After Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan increased his threats of invading Afrin, people of Afrin mobilized and joined HPC to defend their land. A civil defence force with five thousand members, HPC’s centres have been filled with volunteers in the last few days.

According to HPC officials, several hundred Kurds and Arabs joined the organization to defend their land against a Turkish invasion attempt.

Afrin’s HPC commander Xelil Huseyin pointed out fabricated news of the Turkish media that say people of Afrin leaving the city.

“It’s a lie that our people left Afrin because they fear the Turkish state. As you see now our people come to Civil Defence Forces and sign up to defend their land and Afrin” Huseyin said.

Hundreds lined up in HPC centres to pick up arms and deployed to military positions across Afrin canton.

“We are ready and we will never let the Turkish state enter our land. We are ready to fight until the last drop of our blood and defend our land. As people of Afrin and HPC, we will support our comrades in YPG and YPJ and we will resist together” Huseyin added.

One of the volunteers is Muhammed Bayır, who came to Afrin from Saudi Arabia. His son Murat Amanos lost his life in Kurdish freedom struggle. Now he has picked up arms to fight against Turkish invasion.

“We will never leave our land when we have our heroes by our sides. We say ‘either victory or death’. We say nothing else” he said.

Another volunteer Adil Abbud is an Afrin resident of Arab origin. He also joined the defence of the canton and said “We, as the people of Afrin, will stand against these attacks. I wanted to be a part of our land’s defense and therefore I signed up for the HPC. To defend Afrin is the duty of everybody living here”.

Volunteer Muhammed Bin Yusuf came to sign up to HPC after the threats of Erdogan. “We will defend our land and our life. We won’t allow the invasion” he said.
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Re: Syrian Kurds appeal to UN as Turkey prepares to attack

PostAuthor: Anthea » Thu Jan 18, 2018 5:04 am

European Parliament's reactions to Erdogan’s threats against Afrin

MEPs in the European Parliament continue to react to the Turkish state’s threats of military attacks on Afrin.

European Parliament’s (EP) Socialists and Democrats, United Left and Greens groups stated that they will consider the Turkish state’s plans to attack Afrin as “invasion”.

SOCIALISTS AND DEMOCRATS: “KURDS’ RIGHTS MUST BE PROTECTED”

Group Deputy Chairperson Kathleen Van Brempt held a press conference in the name of the European Parliament (EP) Socialists and Democrats and said: “Kurdish citizens’ existence in Syria, life and other rights must be respected. Comments and initiatives by Mr. Erdogan give us deep concern. Yes, we demand the rights of the Kurdish people be protected in both Syria and Turkey.”

Brempt pointed out that this most recent threat should be on the EU and EP officials’ agenda.

UNITED LEFT: “AN INVASION IS UNACCEPTABLE”

Gaby Zimmer spoke in the name of the United Left group and said: “Any military attacks by the Turkish army on Afrin or Rojava are absolutely unacceptable, as this would be an invasion attempt that targets Kurds and their rights.”

Zimmer also said, “The EU and member states should not stand in unison with the Erdogan regime,” and that she believes foreign ministers will take the developments regarding Afrin on their agenda.

GREENS: “EU SHOULD PULL ITS SUPPORT”

Co-chair Ska Keller spoke in the name of the EP Greens Group and said, “We are absolutely against military interventions on Afrin or other regions. We find it unacceptable that the EU and member states cover up Turkey’s issues including human rights issues that we have voiced countless times, or that they sell weapons to them.”
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Re: Syrian Kurds appeal to UN as Turkey prepares to attack

PostAuthor: Anthea » Thu Jan 18, 2018 1:47 pm

We like to be unbiased here at RBK

PYD/PKK oppressing Kurds in Afrin: Syrian Kurds

Afrin belongs to locals not PYD, says Syrian National Kurdish Council spokesperson
Reporting by Kerem Kocalar: Writing by Cansu Dikme

The Syrian National Kurdish Council said the PYD/PKK terrorist organization was oppressing citizens in northern Syria's Afrin city.

“PYD does not defend the rights of Kurds by any means, and it does not possess our ideology. We [Kurds in Syria] are the people who yearn for freedom, peace and tranquility,” Abdul Bari Usman, the press secretary of the council, told Anadolu Agency in an exclusive interview.

“PYD signifies oppression [in Syria],” he added.

He said the Kurdish people in Syria face torture and oppression, not just at the hands of the Assad-regime, but also PYD/PKK.

“We are trapped in a way. Locals do not know who to believe in or where to go,” he said.

Turkey is mulling over a possible operation in Afrin, a besieged city in northern Syria, to prevent a "terror corridor" from forming along its border.

Last week, Turkish security forces hit several PYD/PKK targets in Afrin.

An Afrin operation will follow Turkey's successful seven-month Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria, which ended in March 2017.

On Sunday the U.S.-led coalition in Syria controversially announced it was working with the SDF -- a group dominated by the terrorist PYD/PKK -- to set up and train a Syrian border protection force.

Turkey has long protested U.S. support for the PYD/PKK, the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terrorist group, and its military wing the YPG, while Washington has called it a "reliable ally" in its fight against Daesh in Syria.

Listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU, the PKK has waged a terror campaign against Turkey for more than 30 years, killing nearly 40,000 people.

Usman has been living in Turkey’s southeastern province of Gaziantep. He took refuge in Turkey with his four children after he fled Qamishli, the regime-controlled district of Hasakah province in northeastern Syria, after raids by PYD/PKK.

Usman said Afrin belongs to the locals who yearn for freedom.

“Afrin cannot belong to PYD, it should not. Afrin is the land of its local people."

The Assad regime handed over Afrin to the PYD/PKK without putting up any fight and the area currently hosts 8,000 to 10,000 terrorists, according to information gathered by Anadolu Agency.

Terrorists are now hiding in shelters and pits in residential areas in Afrin -- a region bordering Turkey's Hatay and Kilis provinces -- after Turkey pointed out the region was a nest for terrorists.

Usman added that the Syrian Kurds fear that PYD/PKK will hand over Afrin to the regime in case of a war.

http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/pyd-pkk ... ox/1034660
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Re: Syrian Kurds appeal to UN as Turkey prepares to attack

PostAuthor: Anthea » Thu Jan 18, 2018 2:36 pm

I feel to comment on the previous article:

Western Kurdistan is an area in the North of Syria that borders onto the Kurdish region of Turkey (Northern Kurdistan} and was almost totally inhabited by Kurds until, many years ago, the Syrian government decided to forcefully remove Kurdish towns along the Turkish/Syrian border and install Arabs onto Kurdish lands creating an Arab Belt between the Syrian Kurds and the Turkish Kurds

Western Kurdistan has been fighting the Syrian government for decades, in an attempt to gain independence - long before anyone had even heard of the PKK or Ocalan, Kurds were fighting for their independence

After the emergence of the PKK, thousands of Kurds from Western Kurdistan joined it believing Ocalan's promise of Kurdish Independence

There are now HUNDREDS of Kurdish and non-Kurdish groups fighting for a variety of causes in Syria

I will divide the main Kurdish groups:

    The original patriotic Kurds who want an Independent Western Kurdistan
    They have all lost a great many friends and relations during the fight for independence
    They are NOT happy about their homeland being referred to as
    Democratic Federation of Northern Syria
    Many of the leaders were imprisoned and tortured, some vanished
    Many Kurdish leaders were forced to leave Western Kurdistan and formed the
    Western Kurdistan Government in Exile
    Those same leaders were behind the setting up of the original KNK

    Then there are the mostly younger Kurdish YPG supporters who, for the first time in their lives feel a sense of power
    Many are from within Western Kurdistan but many more have little or no connection to Western Kurdistan
    Within this group there is a mixture of those with connections to the PKK
    This is not a particularly bad thing because without the PKK's knowledge and experience of close quarter fighting ISIS would NOT have been defeated
    The PKK also keep a tight control on it's people

Here is where the problem starts

    The YPG is NOT the PKK even though there is a strong connection
    The YPG does NOT have the same ethics nor the same strict control over it's fighters
    And sadly we have received several complaints of abuse and bullying by the YPG
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Re: Syrian Kurds appeal to UN as Turkey prepares to attack

PostAuthor: Anthea » Thu Jan 18, 2018 3:51 pm

People of Afrin respond to the Turkish state

People of Afrin staged a march against the Turkish state’s threats and gave the message “They cannot break our will”.

Tens of thousands of people joined a march on Thursday in protest at the Turkish state’s threats and attempts of invasion. Demonstrators held images of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan, flags of People’s/Women’s Defense Units (YPG/YPJ), and banners that read “Freedom of Öcalan is freedom of Kurdistan”, “Defense Forces don’t accept fascist Erdogan’s intervention”, “Afrin will never bow the head”, “Freedom for Öcalan, Status for Kurdistan” and “We will not abandon Afrin”.

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During the march from Newroz Crossing to Al-Vilat Avenue, the mass chanted “Your artillery do not scare us”, “We won’t leave our land”, “Long Live YPG resistance”, “Long Live brotherhood of peoples”, “People of Afrin are united”.

The march turned into a rally at Al-Vilat Avenue where speeches were held.

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Afrin Canton Executive Council Co-president Hevi Mustefa said; “The invading Turkish army is attacking Afrin to intimidate the people, claiming that people of Afrin are leaving their land. Our gathering here reveals the lies of the Turkish state.”

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Speaking after, YPG commander Ebdo İbrahim said the following; “Afrin people are known for their resistance. Those who do not believe this should turn and look at history. Those who torn down the throne of ISIS reveal our strength and will. Should Turkey attack Afrin, it will face the same aftermath. Afrin is our red line and nobody can cross it. People of olive land are resistant and they do not leave their land.”

El Bobena Tribe opinion leader Şerif Cemo said that; “Our gathering here today gives the message to the world that we resist and have a free will. We declare to the whole world that people of Afrin are together and united with all their components and there is no difference between them. We all are the people of this region and we will support our children in the battle fronts.”
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Re: Syrian Kurds of Afrin unite and march against Turkish th

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sat Jan 20, 2018 1:04 am

Turkey shells Kurds in Syria as full military offensive looms

Gaziantep, Turkey (CNN)Turkey intensified its shelling of Kurdish fighters in neighboring Syria on Friday as it ramped up threats to launch a full military offensive across the border, a move that would stoke tensions with the United States.

Senior Turkish officials have been warning for days of an imminent strike into the Kurdish-held region of Afrin in northern Syria, after the US announced it was training a 30,000-strong border force in Syria made up predominantly of Kurdish fighters.
The Turkish Defense Minister said on Friday that the operation was "de facto" underway.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the US -- its most powerful NATO ally -- of creating an "army of terror" along its southern border.

Ankara, which has long fought Kurdish unrest in southeastern Turkey, is determined to prevent the establishment of a Kurdish state across the border in Syria. It has used military force in the past against Kurds in northern Syria, who have seized control of swathes of territory in the fight against ISIS.

But launching a new operation solely targeting Kurdish fighters could open up a new frontier in the Syrian civil war, which has lasted for nearly seven years. It would also sharpen tensions between Turkey and the US, which supports and now openly arms Kurdish militias fighting ISIS.

A US official told CNN Friday that Washington was seriously concerned about a new operation and that the possibility of a full Turkish military incursion into Syria is the "major topic we are watching this weekend."

More than 50 Turkish vehicles, including artillery, tanks, rocket launchers and heavy equipment transporters have been observed on the Turkish-Syrian border, according to another US defense official.

In a sign of mounting tensions in the region, two other US defense officials told CNN Friday that Turkish backed rebels near Manbij, Syria are regularly firing on US military patrols and that US forces occasionally return fire. Another US military official said US troops advising local allies in the Manbij area came under fire from these Turkish backed rebels "within the last week."

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the US called on Turkey to refrain from launching the operation. "The focus needs to be on ISIS. So we don't want them to engage in violence, but we want them to keep focused on ISIS," she told reporters Thursday.

Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli told A Haber TV on Friday that the shelling showed that the "operation has de facto begun."

"What we can say is this: This operation will be carried out. The area will be cleansed of terrorist organizations. This could be today, it could be tomorrow, it could be tonight. The Afrin center operation may take a while but the terrorist organization will disassemble quickly," he said.

Turkish media has reported the movement of a large number of troops and tanks to the Syrian border in recent days.

Syria 'ready to destroy' Turkish planes

The Turkish news agency Anadolu reported that Russian forces were leaving the area and that the Turkish army's chief of staff, Hulusi Akar, met with senior Russian defense officials in Moscow on Thursday to seek Russia's support.

Russia is Syria's most powerful ally. Turkey is working with both Russia and Iran to broker a peace deal to end the war.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that officials were consulting Russia and Iran about the use of airspace for the operation, CNN Turk reported.

He called on Russia to support the operation and said Turkey would work with the country "to prevent any mishaps" that could affect Russian forces in the area.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet responded to a request for comment from CNN.

Turkish state-run media has suggested that the new operation would involve airstrikes from warplanes and drones, and that Turkish-trained militia from the Free Syrian Army alliance would be first on the ground in any land offensives.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad warned the operation would be considered a "hostile act" against the country and that Syrian army was "ready to destroy" Turkish planes in Syrian skies.

"Our worry is deep and the beating of war drums by the Turkish leadership is displeasing," Mekdad said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/19/middl ... index.html
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Re: Turkey shells Kurds in Syria as full military offensive

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sat Jan 20, 2018 2:06 am

Karayilan calls for mobilization for Afrin

Murat Karayilan called upon Kurdish people to mobilize against Turkish invasion in Afrin and said that Turkish state will suffer a historic defeat.

In an interview with Sterk TV, Karayilan spoke about Turkey’s attacks against Afrin and pointed out that an attack against Afrin will be an attack against Kurdish people. Karayilan also said that Kurds will not remain silent and will intervene if Turkey attacks Afrin.

Citing Turkish army’s failures in Nusaybin and Al-Bab operation, Karayilan said that Turkey makes noise but has no will or power to fight.

“We know this state very well because we are fighting with it for the past 35 years. Turkish state is not capable of entering Afrin. But it will fight. Because Turkish state sees the fact that it will lose all if it doesn’t fight” he said.

Karayilan criticized the statement by a spokesperson of the international coalition and said that the statement was provocative.

“This statement provoked Turkey, Syria and Iran against the Kurds in Rojava. After that they (US) said “We understand the concerns of Turkey” and “we have no presence in Afrin”. They mean that you (Turkey) can enter Afrin. This attitude raises concerns and suspicion” Karayilan said.

Here are some excerpts from Karayilan’s interview.

    “All of the world powers should know that there will be no solution in the Middle East unless Kurdish question is resolved. It’s impossible to establish a new democratic Syria without solving the Kurdish question. It’s time someone told this fact to Turkey openly and make them understand it. But they have no courage to say so. What are they afraid of? They don’t fear Turkey because it’s powerful. Turkey offers a lot of benefits to them and they know that there will be no more benefits after they say so. Bu we say, now it’s time. They should say ‘enough is enough’ against this racism.”

    “We call on all the world powers not to side with fascism or become a partner with fascism against Kurds. We say this to Russia, especially to Putin: Turkey is pursuing a genocidal policy against Kurdish people. You shouldn’t be a part of this. They are committing massacres in Kurdistan, they want to commit massacres in Afrin. There are one million people living in Afrin and we know that Turkish state won’t be able to attack Afrin unless Russia gives permission.”

    “The airspace is under Russian control. If Turkish planes fly over Afrin, they may even have Turkish flags on them it will mean that Russia sent in those planes. Kurdish people will see it like this.”

    “Our people should know that in Afrin or in Kurdistan we will first trust in ourselves. But nobody should be a partner with Turkey’s dirty aims. They should stand against it in the name of humanity. Even if they don’t stand against it, at least they can stay away from partnership with them. Because if nobody supports Turkey or be partner with it, Turkey won’t be able to cope with Kurdish people”.

    “If Kurdish people and the fighters stay together no one will be able to defeat them. Our people should know this. The enemy is not that strong. It only makes a lot of noise but it’s not strong. I believe that if AKP-MHP coalition attacks Afrin, the fighters and the people of Afrin will give them the required response. And AKP-MHP will take a historic lesson in Afrin. This is what we believe and what we hope for. AKP and MHP will be destroyed in Afrin just as AKP and ISIS were destroyed in Kobane”.

    Karayılan continued with the following message to Afrin: “Everybody should know that we are behind them. And we are not only behind them but on their side. Erdogan always says Kurdish people will get closer to the sea’. The patriotic and heroic people of Afrin are there. But if Turkey attacks we won’t stand aside and watch. It won’t be a spectator just as it was not a spectator for what was happening in Kobane. We said it before: we as Kurdistan freedom fighters are responsible of defending Kurdistan”.

    “There is a possibility of an attack against Afrin. But it’s not up to them. They should get a consent for it. But preparations should be made. I am calling upon all Kurdish people and youth: everybody should be ready to mobilize”.
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Re: Turkey shells Kurds in Syria as full military offensive

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sun Jan 21, 2018 12:58 am

Syria: Turkey war planes launch strikes on Afrin

Turkish war planes have launched air strikes on Kurdish fighters in northern Syria in a move likely to raise tensions with the US.

Turkey wants to oust the YPG militia, which it calls a terrorist group, from Afrin region on its southern border.

The US-backed YPG says at least nine people were killed in the air strikes.

Russia has moved its troops away from Afrin, saying it is concerned but will not interfere. Syria denounced Turkey's "aggression" and "brutal attack".

Turkey had been shelling the area for two days, ahead of its declaration of a military operation on Saturday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says Turkey has notified all parties involved - including the Syrian government - about the offensive. Syria denied this was the case.

What is happening in Afrin?

On Saturday, Turkey announced that an air and ground campaign, dubbed "Olive Branch", had been launched at 14:00 GMT, targeting the Kurdish YPG (Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units) and Islamic State (IS) group jihadists.

The operation would be carried out "with respect for Syria's territorial integrity", it added. A later statement said 108 targets belonging to Kurdish militants had been hit.

Pro-Turkey rebels, known as the Free Syrian Army, also began moving into the area, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.

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The YPG said the strikes had killed at least six civilians and three fighters, with another 13 civilians wounded. One of the fighters belonged to the YPG and the other two were from its all-female affiliate, spokesperson Birusk Hasaka said.

Ankara also said there were casualties, but they were all Kurdish militants.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters that ground forces would join the operation on Sunday.

Turkey's military has been shelling the area since Thursday, a move which it said was in response to fire coming from the area.

On Saturday, a spokesperson for the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said it would have no choice but to defend itself if attacked.

Risks of opening new front 'huge'
Mark Lowen, BBC Turkey correspondent, near border with Syria

In mid-afternoon the Turkish air strikes began, with plumes of smoke rising above Afrin. On the ground, Syrian rebel fighters backed by Turkey moved in, the military incursion rather inappropriately named Operation Olive Branch.

President Erdogan has vowed to wipe out a corridor, first Afrin and then the nearby town of Manbij, from where the YPG has failed to withdraw. Nobody can object when what we do is necessary, he said. We will get rid of these messy terrorists trying to invade our country.

But the risks are huge - the offensive pits Turkey against its Nato ally the US, which backs the Kurdish militia against IS, infuriating Ankara. Russia, which has troops in the area, has urged restraint - an MP in Moscow says it will be discussed at the UN.

The Syrian regime warned it would be seen as a violation of Syria's sovereignty. An estimated half a million people have been killed in the Syrian war. With this new front, the danger is that number will rise again.

Why is Turkey targeting US-backed groups?

The YPG has been a key part of the battle against IS in Syria, and has been supported by the US.

Turkey, however, believes the group has links to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and has for several months been threatening to clear Kurdish fighters from Afrin and another city, Manbij, which lies 100km away.

Turkey's military plans seem to have been accelerated by an announcement from the US that it will help the SDF alliance build a new "border security force" to prevent the return of IS.

The YPG and SDF deny any terrorist links - a claim backed by the US government.

But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the border force a "terror army".

Disagreement over the Kurdish fighters has created a sharp division between the Nato allies.

The US state department has appealed for calm, and attempted to downplay portrayals of a new "border force", instead characterising the new development as security training.

How have Russia and the US reacted?

Russia's foreign ministry says it is concerned by news of the offensive, and is urging restraint.

It said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his American counterpart Rex Tillerson had discussed "measures to take aimed at securing stability in the north of the country".

Russian senator Frants Klintsevich - who is the deputy chairman of the defence and security committee - earlier told Interfax news agency that Moscow would only respond if Russian bases in Syria were threatened.

He said that Russia has been placed in a difficult situation, as it has "good relations with both Damascus and Ankara".

Turkey's military and intelligence chiefs had been trying to get Russia's agreement to allow Turkish planes to use the Russian-controlled airspace above Afrin.

Moscow is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and until now, had a contingent of soldiers at the airport in the centre of Afrin.

It is not yet clear if Russia's claim that it will not interfere precludes allowing use of its airspace.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also discussed the military offensive with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

No details of the conversations have been provided.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-42759944
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