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    Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict

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    Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict Empty Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict

    Post  Jelena Wed Sep 09, 2009 4:11 am

    6 Turkish soldiers killed in clashes with PKK


       ANKARA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Six Turkish troops were killed Tuesday and five others wounded during clashes with the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in southeast Turkey, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

       Five soldiers died and three others injured in fighting with the PKK militants in Eruh town of the Sirnak Province, the report quoted security officials as saying.

       Another conflict between the Turkish troops and the PKK in Hakkari province killed one soldier and wounded two others, the report said.

       The wounded soldiers were taken to local military hospitals, while additional troops had been deployed to the region, according to the report.

       Established in 1978, the PKK took up arms in 1984 to create an ethnic homeland in southeastern Turkey. Some 40,000 people have been killed in conflicts over the past two decades.

       Turkey's military forces have taken tougher actions against the PKK after the country's legislature gave the government mandate to launch cross-border operations against the rebels in northern Iraq in October 2007 and extended it in 2008.

       It is estimated that there are a total of 5,000 PKK militants, the majority of whom are holed up in northern Iraq where the PKK headquarters is situated.

    http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-09/09/content_12018390.htm
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    Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict Empty Turkish air force bombs Kurdish rebels in Iraq: TV report

    Post  Eagle Sun Jun 13, 2010 9:11 am

    Turkish warplanes bombed Monday several Kurdish rebel positions in neighbouring northern Iraq, the NTV news channel reported, amid an upsurge in unrest between troops and the outlawed group.Six combat planes targeted Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) bases in Zap-Khakurk in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish zone, the channel said, citiAng the Internet site of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.The Turkish military did not immediately comment on the air strikes.

    The raid, the second in less than three weeks, follows a May 31 rocket assault claimed by the PKK on a naval base in southern Turkey that killed six soldiers and wounded seven in one of the deadliest attacks in months.The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Turkey and much of the international community, took up arms in 1984 for self rule in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeast, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000 lives.

    On June 4 PKK spokesman Ahmed Denis said the rebels had ended a unilateral truce with Turkey -- in place since April 2009 -- "because of Turkey's continuing hostility to the Kurdish people".

    But last week the president of the Kurdish autonomous zone in Iraq, Massud Barzani, pledged at the end of a landmark visit to Turkey "all efforts" to stop separatist Kurdish violence against the country.The arrival of spring brings a resurgence of violence in the area as the rebels move out from their mountain hideouts in Turkey and Iraq when the snow melts.

    About 20 fighter jets reportedly took part in the previous Turkish military air strikes on Kurdish positions on May 20, also in the Zap-Khakurk region.Nearly 50 targets were hit in day-long missions carried out mainly on intelligence passed on by the United States, the NTV news channel reported at the time.

    The Turkish army has staged a series of air raids against PKK bases in northern Iraq since December 2007, often with the help of US intelligence, and in February 2008 carried out a week-long ground incursion.Ankara says about 2,000 PKK rebels are holed up in the mountains of northern Iraq, from where they launch attacks on Turkish territory.
    AFPhttp://theasiandefence.blogspot.com/2010/06/turkish-air-force-bombs-kurdish-rebels.html
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    Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict Empty Re: Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict

    Post  Admin Mon Jun 14, 2010 6:06 am

    Iraqis are getting pretty pissed at these border incursions. It will be interesting to see what they do once they get their F-16s. Could lead to a border "incident."
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    Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict Empty Kurds indepedence struggle

    Post  As Sa'iqa Wed Jan 08, 2014 5:44 pm

    Neither Turkey not Saudi Arabia nor Qatar are Russia-friendly countries, Assad now seems to be winning but may be overrun in the future by almost unlimited manpower of Sunni rebels and Iraq may explode into another civil war... And if that happens, Kurds may be the only winners as Kurdish military units are well trained and organized and there is a lot of cooperation between PYD, PPK and Peshmerga. Do you think they can become a new ally of Russia and declare their own statehood?
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    Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict Empty Re: Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict

    Post  TR1 Wed Jan 08, 2014 7:11 pm

    Sacrificing relations with Turkey (relations that have been pragmatic and growing for past 10 years btw) for a stateless entity hated by everyone in the region would be pretty much the worst step Russia could take, IMO.
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    Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict Empty Re: Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict

    Post  Werewolf Wed Jan 08, 2014 7:22 pm

    I think any relationship with turkey under erdogan the puppet of USrael is a waste of resources and time, regardless of what conditions and aggreements you make under his hardliner regime, one word from pentagon and all efforts and accomplishments for both countries relationsships will be flushed down the toilette.
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    Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict Empty Re: Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict

    Post  flamming_python Wed Jan 08, 2014 11:02 pm

    Kurds would be very eager for any allies - so yes it can be done; but Russia is very conservative in regards to such matters and for good reason. It has contacts with them right now; I believe some Kurdish delegations from Iraq, Syria maybe have already visited Russia, and it had contacts with the PKK during the Cold war times.
    But Russia will under no circumstances recognize them or provide any sort of support. Maybe if they gain independence, in 10 years time Russia might start formal contacts, if other countries start to do it too, etc...

    Werewolf wrote:I think any relationship with turkey under erdogan the puppet of USrael is a waste of resources and time, regardless of what conditions and aggreements you make under his hardliner regime, one word from pentagon and all efforts and accomplishments for both countries relationsships will be flushed down the toilette.

    True to an extent, but he won't be around forever - in fact Turkish society is gradually mobilising against him; especially the urban popualtion, middle-class, intelligencia, left-wing organisations, etc...

    As to Turkish-Russian relations - they have gone beyond the point where any external force can influence them that massively, after all they are backed first of all not by any political convenience or military co-operation - but huge amounts of trade, i.e. solid economic ground.
    Erdogan can follow the US's lead all he wants but his own party and backers probably won't even let him break all the trade relations with Russia if he tried.
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    Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict Empty Re: Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict

    Post  GarryB Thu Jan 09, 2014 4:05 am

    I agree with the comments posted here... Turkey would be a much better friend than enemy... especially since Turkey is in NATO but not within the EU and therefore is not ruled from Brussels directly.

    Equally the Kurds will want large parts of Syria, parts of Turkey, Northern Iraq, and parts of Iran... I really don't think they will be popular in the region if they get their way.

    It would not benefit Russia to purposely go out of its way to support every group that does not have the support of the west, they should only offer support where there is mutual benefit... military, political, and economic.

    Russia no longer has an ideology to spread and doesn't need to carry groups the west is not interested in... ie Castros Cuba.

    Of course now there is a relationship with Cuba and Russia should certainly not abandon its old allies unless those old allies choose to abandon Russia (ie most of eastern europe etc).
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    Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict Empty The Kurdish revolt:

    Post  George1 Thu Oct 23, 2014 9:10 am

    Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament Approves Sending Forces to Kobani: Kurdish Political Party

    BAGHDAD, October 23 (RIA Novosti) - The Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament has approved sending Kurdish Peshmerga forces to the Syrian town of Kobani, besieged by Islamic State (IS) militants, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) said on its official website Thursday.

    According to the website, the parliament's decision made during an emergency meeting on Wednesday night, allows Iraqi Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani to send Peshmerga forces and advisors to the town on the Syria-Turkey border which Kurdish locals continue to defend against the IS.

    On Monday, US cargo jets and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq sent medical supplies, weapons and ammunition to Kobani as part of the Kurdistan Region's ongoing efforts to support Western Kurdistan, according to an official statement from Kurdistan Region Presidency. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the airdrop of supplies at a news conference in Ankara on Wednesday saying the weapons sent were allegedly seized by IS militants. The Pentagon admitted one bundle of weapons drifted off course and into the hands of the IS fighters after the extremist group released a video on Tuesday showing off the hand grenades and other weapons and supplies.

    The decision also follows Turkey's decision to allow Peshmerga across its border to join the People's Protection Units (YPG) in fighting against the IS on Monday.

    The IS, which is also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has fought the Syrian government since 2012. It extended attacks to north and west Iraq in June and declared the creation of an Islamic caliphate.
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    Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict Empty Re: Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict

    Post  George1 Sat Oct 25, 2014 2:34 pm

    Details of Peshmerga Fighters’ Passage Through Turkey Not Finalized Yet: Ambassador

    MOSCOW, October 24 (RIA Novosti), Daria Chernyshova - The details of the passage of 200 Peshmerga fighters from Iraq to Syrian Kurdistan's Kobani through Turkey in order to help repel the Islamic State (IS) offensive are not finalized, and the issue is still being discussed, Turkish Ambassador to Russia Umit Yardim told RIA Novosti on Friday.

    “The details of this issue have been worked [discussed]; it is not finalized yet. My recent information is that about 200 people will be passing through Turkey to that region. Naturally, they will be passing under circumstances the Turkish side agrees [to],” the ambassador said, emphasizing that the fighters will be passing through the country without any weapons, flags or uniforms.

    Yardim added that details and conditions of the Kurdish forces’ transit to Syria are still being discussed.

    Earlier in the week, Turkish media reported that Ankara will allow a squad of 200 Iraqi Peshmerga fighters armed with heavy weapons to pass through its territory to join the fight against the IS in Syria’s Kobani.

    For the past several weeks Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab, one of the largest towns in the Kurdish region of Syria bordering Turkey, has been under attack by IS militants. Turkey has seen mass protests by its Kurdish population over Ankara’s position of noninterference in the Syrian conflict.
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    Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict Empty Re: Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict

    Post  George1 Sun Oct 26, 2014 1:15 am

    Kurdish Forces Regain Control of Strategic Town in Northern Iraq

    MOSCOW, October 25 (RIA Novosti) - Kurdish armed forces have retaken control of town Zumar in northern Iraq and pushed Islamic State (IS) militants out of several nearby villages, a Kurdish security official said Saturday.

    A source in the Kurdish intelligence told Reuters that Islamic State fighters had put up a fight as they were evicted by local Kurdish forces, who made considerable gains on Saturday morning.

    Zumar lies some 60 kilometers (36 miles) northwest of Mosul, a city which is key to Iraq's oil and gas production.

    It was reported earlier that US Air Force and its allies from the 60-member anti-IS coalition carried out new airstrikes against jihadist positions in Syria and Iraq.

    The IS, a Sunni jihadi group, has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. In June 2014, it launched an offensive in Iraq, seizing vast areas in both countries and announcing the establishment of an Islamic caliphate on the territories under its control.

    This prompted a US-led air campaign against Islamic insurgents in August. Since then, Kurdish forces have regained some ground, though IS still controls swathes of land in northern Iraq and Syria.
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    Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict Empty Re: Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict

    Post  brisas2k Tue Oct 28, 2014 4:50 pm

    "...* As President Erdoğan was flying to Latvia he said that no civilians remained in Kobanê, that it had not fallen as he had said earlier, and then he criticized the United States for opening up an air corridor and bringing weapons. At a press conference in Latvia on October 23, referring to the American aid, he said “Did Turkey look positively at this? No it did not. America did this despite Turkey and I also told them. I said ‘right now Kobanê is not a strategic place for you. At most it is a strategic place for us and it is to us that sensitivity needs to be shown.’” On the other hand a change in policy is expected from Turkey. How do you evaluate this?

    Erdoğan really wanted Kobanê to fall. He wanted it to fall more than ISIS. However it did not go as he expected. Until now he has been using delay tactics. He wanted it to fall., perhaps tonight, perhaps tomorrow or the other day. This resistance convinced everyone that it would not fall. That is why Erdoğan lost. Erdoğan says that it’s “not strategic.” It is strategic. In fact [on the radio] the YPG heard ISIS say this: “If we win this battle we will win the whole of Syria. If we lose we will lose everything.” They look at it as being that strategic. Let me give you some information. These days ISIS has stopped fighting against everyone over the whole of Syria. They have sent all their forces to Kobanê. That is to say they are insistent. They are saying “we will take Kobanê.” And for this they have stopped there fighting every else. Kobanê is our city. Whatever happens we will not abandon it. For us this is a principal. If we abandon it that means surrender. For us this city is strategic and meaningful. The 19th of July Revolution began in Kobanê. Kobanê is a symbol for us. More than that we want to break ISIS. Their attacks need to be stopped wherever they occur.

    * The first martyr of the Kurdish movement in Rojava was Dicle. Years later youths are coming from different parts of Kurdistan, from the resistance in Gezi and from Europe for the Kobanê resistance. An international unity is also forming…

    Kobanê became Stalingrad. In the same way that Stalingrad changed the balance of the Second World War. A democratic front formed there. The Nazi forces were broken. The Battle of Stalingrad changed the balance entirely and Kobanê is now playing that role. For that reason it is strategic. For that reason it has become a battle of honor for Kurdistan and for others. Not only for Kurds. In particular 1,500 fighters have come from Bakur [North Kurdistan]. We are fighting against this terror for the world and all its peoples. Everyone should help us in the war we are waging. We are the most successful force defending against terrorism, that is to say the Kurds. We will be successful. And Kobanê has in fact been successful. Following the Kobanê resistance ISIS has started to head toward the cliff."

    Duhok Agreement: Exclusive interview with Aldar Xelîl. from DIHA News.


    the geopolitics of the region are quite complex. The american military intervention in the area, throught the turkish, jordanian, saudi and israeli operatives is having a lot of ramifications, and perhaps, unintended consequences. The revival of Kurdish nation most have caused quite a sleepless night on Erdogan and its cohorts.
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    Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict Empty YPG Commander: "We need heavy weaponry against ISIS"

    Post  brisas2k Tue Oct 28, 2014 5:15 pm

    Sipan Hemo: YPG needs heavy weaponry against ISIS

    28 October
    15:59 2014
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    KOBANÊ (DİHA) - Speaking on the “Bûyer” program on Ronahi TV via telephone, YPG General Commander Sipan Hemo gave some details regarding the historic resistance going on in Kobanê town of West Kurdistan, Rojava, for the 43rd day now.

    YPG General Commander remarked that YPG forces needed heavy weaponry in the fight against ISIS in Kobanê, adding that international powers must take this fact into consideration and provide the necessary arms aid to YPG. Hemo said the resistance in Kobanê marked a new historic stage, adding that even the gangs themselves have abandoned hope on victory in Kobanê but still continued their attacks on the town.

    Sipan Hemo stressed that the brave resistance of the YPG/YPJ forces continued, and rendered the gangs unsuccessful in their attacks, remarking that the airstrikes of the international forces have played an important role but yet it was a belated support and the effect of the attacks were limited. Hemo underlined that ground fight against ISIS was essential.

    Hemo emphasised that; "We are waging a huge battle against the savage attacks of ISIS gangs only with the individual weapons we possess, and we succeed in this fight. We however lack the weaponry necessary in order to break the ISIS attacks entirely and to stop ISIS being a threat to the whole region.The international powers must provide heavy weaponry aid to YPG by taking this fact seriously into consideration. And the Turkish state must not try to prevent it.”
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    Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict Empty Is PYD collaborating with imperialism?

    Post  brisas2k Tue Oct 28, 2014 5:24 pm

    Is PYD collaborating with imperialism?

    28 October
    10:11 2014
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    NEWS CENTER (DİHA) - The following piece – “PYD emperyalizmle işbirliği mi yapıyor?” -was written by Rıdvan Turan, the General Secretary of the Socialist Democratic Party (SDP) in Turkey, and confronts allegations made by some on the left that the PYD is ‘collaborating’ with imperialism. It originally appeared in Özgür Gündem and has been translated into English below.

    The US airstrikes on ISIS positions around Kobanê and the subsequent delivery of weapons to the PYD has caused a fictitious debate within the left around the question of imperialism.

    The debate is revolving around whether or not accepting weapons from the United States is the same as collaborating with imperialism. I am of the opinion that this thesis’ approach to imperialism is counter to Marxist-Leninism insomuch that ignores any manner of engagement with existing praxis and the current conjuncture of class forces.

    But the basis of this question has a dimension that is related to the way Kurdish resistances have been approached historically.

    It is not a secret that among those who make this criticism there is tendency to view the processes around Kurdish nation-building and the struggles in this direction as collaboration with imperialism from a denialism inspired by Kemalism. The directives from the Comintern to support the Kemalist regime against the Kurdish rebellions, which were proclaimed to be ‘backwards’ and ‘feudal,’ are well known, as is what the Turkish Communist Party actually did around this question. There are some, both then and now, who have already sized up everyone by employing their “god given” anti-imperialism rubric and who have long since sacrificed the right of self-determination to national chauvinism. They have an easy time proclaiming the Kurds to be collaborating with imperialism while not seeing their own state’s collaboration with imperialism. It carries no value that the PKK has for years avoided coming to resemble the KDP, but their acceptance of the delivery of weapons from the United States under the shadow of massacre is collaboration.

    This rote recitation of the same discourse does not change despite the fact that the characteristics of the system in Kobanê have been determined by a leftist paradigm, and the Kurds remain unable get out from under the accusation of collaboration. What kind of abandonment of reason is this that instead of seeing the success of the Kobanê resistance as a step forward for the revolutionary center forming in the Middle East and of supporting the resistance they joyfulling shout out “look you see – they are collaborating with imperialism”?

    Is it not necessary that one choke on one’s own words when claiming that the PYD is collaborating with imperialism while a people resist – man, woman and child – face to face against gangs which have themselves been produced by imperialism? There is more than two years of cooperation, in both word and deed, between the United States, Turkey and the KDP around the Rojava question. Do not forget that just yesterday US imperialism and Turkish colonialism was pressuring the PYD to become a part of the Free Syrian Army and fight against Assad. Do not forget that they wanted the PYD to join the National Council of Syrian Kurds (ENKS), which is controlled by Barzani, and be rendered powerless; do not forget the border politics nurtured by the alliance between Turkey and Barzani, nor the implementation of an undeclared embargo. Up until the debate about military aid, imperialism had many times attempted to manipulate Rojava through the use of regional powers. Those who are now sounding the alarm about collaboration never once raised their voices against these colonialist/imperialist onslaughts. Why do you think that those who now degrade the acceptance of arms delivered by the United States while under the shadow of a communal massacre as collaboration with imperialism have for years never brought attention to this movement’s liberatory and anti-imperialist stance? Let me tell you, because of an unredeemable social chauvinism.

    Collaboration is not accepting military aid while under the threat of massacre but of entering into imperialist dependency and colonial relations. To claim that the acceptance of weapons has this meaning is to discount the class struggle entirely. The character of such relations are defined not in the “moment” but over the course of a “process.” The reverse means to claim that imperialist dependency and colonial relations are established independently and automatically from the momentary circumstances determining the class struggle. To advance this argument is to see imperialism as ‘Almighty.”

    Remember that it was Lenin’s transportation from Switzerland to Saint Petersburg with the necessary material support of German imperialism that produced one of the finest moments of the First World War. The hope of the Germans was to contribute to the confusion in Russia and work toward the overthrow of the Czar. As a result Germany would end the Russian war and send all of it forces on the Eastern front to the Western front. The plan was carried out and civil insurrection broke out in Russia.

    The Soviet revolution became the most important response to those who in that period claimed that Lenin was a German agent. It was not the support which Germany gave to Lenin that determined the character of the process but the revolution which emerged from the creative forces of the class struggle in Russia. The class struggle has long since provided an answer to the question “is Lenin a great revolutionary or a collaborator with German imperialism” to all of those who were incessantly ringing the warning bells of collaboration. Just as it is now. We see that some are running the risk of declaring Lenin an imperialist collaborator and even a German agent in order to declare that the PYD is collaborating with imperialism. One is surprised and cannot help but ask: where is the dignity of all this hostility to the Kurds?

    (nt)

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    Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict Empty Re: Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict

    Post  George1 Wed Oct 29, 2014 10:49 am

    150 Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have arrived in Turkey where they plan to cross into Syria to battle Islamic State militants besieging the town of Kobane bbc.in/1yHbTLr
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    Kurdish [PKK,YPG]–Turkish conflict Empty Kobane explained: What's so special about it?

    Post  brisas2k Wed Oct 29, 2014 4:52 pm

    Kobane explained: What's so special about it?

    Syrian town grabs all the headlines in fight against ISIL - but does it really matter?
    Tanya Goudsouzian Last updated: 21 Oct 2014 11:55
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    Kobane on the Syrian-Turkish frontier now symbolises the Kurdish resistance [Getty]

    Over the past few weeks, a rural town on the Syrian-Turkish frontier has taken centre stage in the US-led war on ISIL. The Kurdish-majority town of Ayn al-Arab, known as Kobane, was, like most of the Syrian countryside, unknown to the outside world until it came under siege on September 16.

    Ironically, it is now being described as the most decisive battle in the US-led campaign against ISIL's region-wide ambitions - now that few discuss the fall of Mosul in Iraq.

    For such a "decisive" battle, the hesitant international response to the Siege of Kobane came later than hoped for by the town's 45,000-odd inhabitants, most of whom were settled farmers. For days, Western media accused the US-led coalition of ignoring the escalating humanitarian crisis.

    Neighbouring Turkey was also lambasted for failing to intervene as hundreds of civilians were killed - albeit, few eyewitness accounts corroborated the allegations. A number of hashtag campaigns were launched in support of the besieged town, including #SaveKobane and #USHearKobane in a bid to pressure the US military to take action in earnest.

    Although the US did wage air strikes around the town, US officials have made it clear that Kobane is not part of US strategy. "Kobane does not define the strategy for the coalition in respect to [ISIL]," said US Secretary of State John Kerry on October 13.

    More substantial assistance only came on Sunday when the US began air-dropping weapons and supplies to the Kurdish fighters, begging the question "why now?" And on Monday, Turkey agreed to allow Iraqi Kurdish reinforcements to enter Kobane through its border with Syria - even if Ankara considers the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) elements engaged in various battles as "terrorists".

    RELATED: Analysis: Can US strategy defeat ISIL?

    While the actual strategic value of Kobane remains widely mooted, what's missing from the debate is how exactly the once-irrelevant town become a powerful symbol of Kurdish national aspirations across the four corners of the notional Greater Kurdistan - as well as an important card on the Turkish negotiating table.

    Iraqi Kurds long for the oil-rich city of Kirkuk - often dubbed the "Kurdish Jerusalem". For Syria's Kurds, many of whom trace their arrival to Syria to the 1920s, it is less a connection to Kobane itself and more about their oppression under the Assad regime - and now ISIL - that drives their campaign for autonomy.

    "Kobane symbolises the Kurdish resistance, not only in Syria but in other parts of the Middle East. Its loss would translate into a defeat for the entire Kurdish nation," says Sirwan Kajjo, a Syrian-Kurdish analyst based in the US.

    "The city has gained strategic importance now, partly because it is the first Syrian town to stand against ISIL for such a long time. Other Syrian towns and cities fell into ISIL hands without any resistance."

    'The Turkish Kurds are much closer to the Syrian Kurds than to the Iraqi Kurds. They speak the same language - Kurmanji. Their villages were artificially divided by the borders imposed in 1921. Mustafa Kemal [Ataturk] decided the border would be the railroad because there was no other demarcation. So that meant the villages had to be divided in two.'

    - Cengiz Aktar, Turkish analyst

    Kobane/Ayn al-Arab was founded as a small settlement in 1892 during the Ottoman period. Then called Arab Punar in Turkish, it became a town in 1911 with the construction of a railway station there.

    It was soon populated by Armenian refugees fleeing persecution in Turkey in 1915, although many were forcefully moved further south, scattered between Qamishli and Deir el-Zor.

    The Armenians were followed by Kurds from Anatolia. The Kurdish name for the town, Kobane, is supposedly a bastardized version of the word "company", derived from the German company that built the railway. Others surmise it derived from the German word "bahn" for train.

    In 1921, the town was split with the arbitrary demarcation of the border with Turkey - the Turkish side is now known as Mursitpinar, and it is there more than 100,000 refugees from Kobane and other nearby towns and villages are now camped out.

    "The area of Suruc province is also called 'the Armenian cemetery' because of the thousands of Armenians who died there during the deportations," says Cengiz Aktar, a Turkish political analyst and senior scholar at the Istanbul Policy Center.

    "It was a terrible place when the Armenians arrived back then, and the area has a tragic history. It is being repeated now."

    For others, the symbolism of Kobane has little to do with its past.

    "Kobane [now] lies at the heart of a Kurdish dream," says Mostafa Minawi, director of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Initiative at Cornell University.

    "It is less connected with history and more connected with future ambitions. Kobane was phase one of the implementation of a wider local-rule model [for both Syria's and Turkey's Kurds]."

    Despite Turkey's 11th hour assistance in allowing Iraqi Kurdish fighters to cross into Kobane from its border, some analysts are pushing the theory that ISIL is basically doing Ankara's dirty work by quashing whatever autonomy Syria's Kurds have attempted to achieve.

    "Syrian Kurds took advantage of the power vacuum in the country to set up three semi-autonomous cantons: Afrin, Jazirah and Kobane," says Aktar. "They were experimenting already with what the Turkish Kurds have been demanding for years in Turkey. So the end of Kobane, if it happens, will mean a big blow to Turkish Kurdish aspirations. In that sense, it is extremely important."

    For Aktar, it is equally crucial not to underplay the kinship bonds between the Kurds of Turkey and Syria.

    "The Turkish Kurds are much closer to the Syrian Kurds than to the Iraqi Kurds. They speak the same language - Kurmanji. Their villages were artificially divided by the borders imposed in 1921. Mustafa Kemal [Ataturk] decided the border would be the railroad because there was no other demarcation. So that meant the villages had to be divided in two."

    This is one of the reasons, Aktar says, why Syrian Kurds have always been sympathetic to the struggles of the outlawed PKK in Turkey.

    "Since the very beginning of the PKK, the Syrian Kurds were heavily involved. Out of the 40,000 or so PKK fighters who have been killed since 1984, about 5,000 of them are from Syria. It's a huge number," he says. "And Turkish Kurds have been instrumental in lobbying for US support for their kin in Syria now."

    On September 22, one of the leaders of Turkey's pro-Kurd People's Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas flew to the US where he met with US officials to persuade them to ramp up their efforts to help Kobane. On September 30, he visited Kobane.

    VIDEO: Turkey's ISIL dilemma

    Yet, beyond nationalist symbols and cross-border kinship, there are compelling strategic concerns for both Turkey and the US-led coalition if Kobane were to fall to ISIL. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has proposed the establishment of a buffer zone - albeit, critics have already panned the plan as a Turkish ploy to occupy northern Syria, much like northern Cyprus.

    Kurdish pundits have emphatically warned for weeks that the fall of Kobane would mean a major strategic gain for ISIL; they say it would grant the group control over the main road connecting its stronghold, Raqqa, with Aleppo.

    However, as ISIL already controls several key border crossings with Turkey, some argue that such claims are exaggerated and the real value of the acquisition lies elsewhere.

    For Aktar, the threat is bigger than giving ISIL just another border crossing for weapons and supplies.

    "Kobane and the other cantons that are part of the Kurdish autonomy experiment are entirely flat. If Kobane falls, the two other cantons will fall easily because they are impossible to defend. And they are integral to securing the 1,200km border with Turkey. If ISIL takes control of the Kurdish enclave, they will have taken full control of the Turkish border."

    Furthermore, an ISIL takeover of Kobane would mean defeating the forces of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (YPG) - and by proxy, deal a major blow to its sister organisation, the PKK.

    Some pundits have gone so far as pointing out that ISIL's attack on Kobane roughly coincided with the release of the 46 Turkish hostages in Mosul. Questions have been raised over what deals may have been struck to secure the handover.
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    Kobane's injured fighters keen to return to battle

    "For Turkey, [Kobane] is essentially a PKK issue," says Aktar.

    Also at stake are Ankara's peace talks with the PKK.

    "Ankara has taken advantage of events in Syria to toughen its [negotiating] position,” says Minawi. "PKK wants to send fighters and weapons to their cousins in Syria, and for that they need the permission and help of the Turkish state. Ankara, in effect, is using ISIL to bolster its negotiating position with PKK."

    There have already been reverberations from Kobane in Turkey, says Kajjo.

    "The peace talks have already been jeopardised, because Turkey's Kurds believe that Ankara is supporting ISIL, whether directly or indirectly," he says. Albeit, it's a charge Turkish officials have repeatedly denied.

    Or, as Aktar puts it: "Ankara does not support ISIL, but they are certainly using the situation to their advantage. Let's just say, they are not unhappy to see ISIL overrun the [Kurdish] areas."

    Source:Al Jazeera
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    Post  George1 Thu Nov 27, 2014 2:08 am

    Kurdish Independence Good for Iraq: Iraqi Politician

    ERBIL, Kurdistan Region -- Kurdish independence is inevitable and will be a good thing for Iraq, according to Sunni Arab Iraqi Parliamentarian Misha'n al-Juburi.

    In an interview with Rudaw, al-Juburi -- a member of the newly-formed al-Arabiya Coalition -- said the Islamic State (ISIS) threat convinced him of need of rapprochement with the Kurds. "After the resurgence of the Islamic State, I decided that it is time to resolve our differences," he said. "Together we must protect Iraq and the Kurdistan Region from this group."

    al-Juburi said he was a friend of the Kurds but also that his role in Baghdad was "to raise awareness of the Kurdish plan to divide Iraq and deepen sectarian divisions."

    It is clear the Kurds are maneuvering towards independence, he said. "All their efforts are to make this happen."

    "I understand why the Kurds have concerns about a strong united Iraq," he said, blaming former prime minister Nouri Al-Maliki for threatening the Kurds. "He was an autocratic leader just like the former regimes in Iraq," he said. "We must no longer allow for another dictator to emerge in Iraq."

    He acknowledged that the Kurds had been shrewd strategists and superior lobbyists in post-Saddam Iraq but also blamed a host of actors for planning the division of the country. "The Kurds have been lobbying the United States' politicians better than the Arabs," he said. "If I were in their shoes I would have done the same thing -- working toward dividing Iraq."

    The Kurds were not the only group who would benefit from such a division. "Israel wants the region divided into smaller states," he claimed.

    He also blamed the Coalition Provisional Authority and Kurds for masterminding a constitution "that only aims to divide Iraq." Jiburi was one of a minority of Sunni Arab politicians to support the constitution in the 2005 referendum.

    A one-time Saddam Hussein loyalist, al-Juburi fled into exile in the 1990s after his involvement in a planned coup was uncovered. He later returned as an ally of the Kurds, seizing Mosul after the 2003 US-led invasion. Later corruption allegations saw him return again to temporary exile in Syria, according to a 2006 New York Times article.

    The political chameleon said eventual Kurdish independence would actually be a boon for Iraq though. "Only then Sunnis and Shiite would stop killing each other," al-Juburi said. "All the problems will go away."

    But he warned that Kirkuk remaining under KRG control was untenable, not only because Baghdad would never accept it but also because it could revitalize divisions between the Kurds.

    "If the Kurds continue to remain in the disputed territories, they might risk a civil war among themselves," he said. "Right now, the disagreements between the PUK and KDP are mainly over Kirkuk."

    An independent Kurdistan would still face numerous challenges though, al-Juburi said. "Domestic divisions and their energy resources are their weak points," he said, noting that the region's geographical location meant the Kurds were reliant on their neighbours to export their oil.

    For now, however, realpolitik dictates that Baghdad and Erbil have a shared interest in combatting ISIS. "The truth is that what the Kurds have been able to achieve against ISIS others failed to do."
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    Post  George1 Sun Jan 11, 2015 3:52 am

    US Should Give Iraqi Kurds Weapons to Fight Islamic State: Senator

    Senior member of the US Senate Armed Services Committee said that providing the Kurds of Iraq with weapons is crucial in defeating Islamic State extremists.

    WASHINGTON, January 10 (Sputnik) – Providing the Kurds of Iraq with weapons is crucial in defeating Islamic State (IS) extremists, senior member of the US Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), Jim Inhofe, has said in a statement.

    "The Kurds in Iraq have proven themselves to be fierce fighters in combatting ISIL. Providing them with the necessary weapons and equipment will be key to enabling them to successfully defeat this well-funded and organized terrorist organization," Inhofe said in a statement released Friday, after the Senator's meeting with Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) Representative to the United States, Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman.

    According to the statement, the Kurds, who currently share a lengthy border with IS, have requested assistance to continue fighting against IS, which has ceased vast territories in Iraq and Syria.

    "I strongly urge that sufficient resources be directed to the Kurds so that they are fully empowered to defeat ISIL [IS]. Resources should include, at a minimum, training, light and heavy weapons, vehicles, counter-IED [Improvised Explosive Devices] support and support equipment so that the Kurdish refugee population can safely return to their homes that were previously occupied by ISIL," Inhofe stressed.

    The Senator emphasized that equipping the Kurds is not a responsibility of the United States only and urged international anti-IS coalition allies to increase their support too.

    Formed in September 2014, the US-led coalition has been conducting airstrikes against IS positions in Iraq and Syria. The Kurdish militia, known as the Peshmerga, fights IS militants on the ground on a daily basis.

    IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), is a Sunni jihadist group that has proclaimed the establishment of an Islamic caliphate on the territories under its control in Iraq and Syria.

    The extremist group, known for its violent tactics, has forced thousands of people, mostly religious minorities, to flee their homes.
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    Post  George1 Fri Mar 13, 2015 7:46 pm

    Peshmerga Fighters Take Key Ridgeline in Iraq - US Central Command

    The United States Central Command said that Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters assisted by the international anti-ISIL Coalition cleared an important ridgeline in Northern Iraq and took back 70 square kilometres of land.

    WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters assisted by the international anti-Islamic State Coalition cleared an important ridgeline in Northern Iraq and took back 70 square kilometres of land, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

    “Peshmerga Fighters supported by Combined Join Task Force — Operation Inherent Resolve, seized a key ridgeline in Northern Iraq west of Kirkuk,” the statement, issued on Thursday, said.

    The offensive pushed the Islamic State militants away from the Kirkuk oilfields.

    “These forces overcame ISIL [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] resistance in this section of Iraq, and denied the terrorist group its freedom of maneuver in the area,” the statement explained.

    The Peshmerga fighters took control of important positions on Route 80 within Iraq during the operation, three-to-five kilometers over a large front, taking back 70 square kilometers, according to the statement.

    The statement added that Operation Inherent Resolve military forces utilized air strikes in support of the Peshmerga forces, destroying ten ISIL fighting positions, five tactical units and weapons systems.

    Peshmerga fighters are poised to retake more territory from IS after the gains they made in Northern Iraq, according to the statement.

    Operation Inherent Resolve is a coalition of nations whose goal is to defeat the IS and eliminate the threat the militants pose to Iraq, Syria, the Middle East and the world.

    Read more: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150313/1019430149.html#ixzz3UID8ljFA
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    Post  George1 Mon Apr 06, 2015 11:59 pm

    Kurds Maintain Independence Ambitions With Top Priority to Defeat ISIL

    Kurdish Regional Government representative to the United States Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman claims that KRG will eventually gain full independence, but the top priority is the fight against ISIL.

    WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) will eventually gain full independence, but the top priority is the fight against the Islamic State (ISIL), KRG representative to the United States Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman told Sputnik on Monday.

    “I think every day we get nearer to independence,” Rahman said. “I believe we will have an independent Kurdistan, the question is timing.”

    Rahman explained that independence is “not the immediate priority,” because at present the Kurdish forces have to deal with the ISIL.

    “The house is on fire, and we have to put the fire out,” she said.

    In July 2014, KRG President Massoud Barzani announced his intention to hold an independence referendum in the coming months. The measure was delayed shortly after the announcement as the KRG became embroiled in the fight against the ISIL militants.

    “We will have a referendum at some point,” Rahman stated, adding that the “vast majority of people will vote in favor of independence.”

    The KRG has been encouraging members of the international anti-ISIL Coalition of more than 60 nations to provide direct arms and training to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, rather than going through the central Iraqi government in Baghdad.

    Rahman noted that the US Congress is currently considering a bill that would provide direct military aid to the KRG, and other coalition members including Germany, Italy and France are actively considering the possibility of direct support.

    “If the US takes the lead, the others will follow. That’s the reality,” she said.

    The Kurdish Peshmerga is part of the international anti-ISIL Coalition and have largely expelled ISIL from their territory in northern Iraq, taking back 90 percent of the territory seized by the extremists in August 2014, according to reports from the KRG.

    The KRG currently relies on the Iraqi central government in Baghdad to allocate military equipment and to allocate funds for the regional government.

    Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi addressed the KRG budget dispute in a Monday press conference during his first visit to Iraqi Kurdistan since taking office in August 2014. Al-Abadi explained that Iraq’s government is suffering a financial crisis affecting all regions.

    Read more: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150406/1020546194.html#ixzz3WZKNLwIS
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    Post  George1 Thu May 07, 2015 12:42 am

    Kurdish Independence 'Is Coming' - Regional Government Head

    Iraqi KRG President Masoud Barzani said that independence for the Kurdish Regional Government is expected soon, but will depend on an improved security situation and defeating ISIL.

    WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Independence for the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) is expected soon, but will depend on an improved security situation and defeating the Islamic State (ISIL), Iraqi KRG President Masoud Barzani said in a Thursday speech in Washington, DC.

    “I cannot confirm whether it will be next year or when, but certainly the independent Kurdistan is coming,” Barzani told an audience at the Atlantic Council.

    The path towards Kurdish independence is “a continuing process,” Barzani stated. “It will not stop, it will not step back.”

    The KRG was expected to hold a referendum on independence in 2014, but the measure was delayed when ISIL militants began an assault on territories in Iraq, Syria and Kurdistan.

    “The referendum will take place when the security situation is better, when the fight against ISIS [ISIL] is over,” Barzani announced.

    In Washington, Barzani met with US President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. He described the meetings as “very successful,” adding that Obama and Biden want the Kurdish armed forces, or Peshmerga, “to receive the right weapons and the right ammunition” to continue the fight against the ISIL.

    At present, legislation in the US Congress would authorize the President to directly arm the Peshmerga, circumventing the Iraqi government in Baghdad.

    Kurdish regional independence has been an ongoing issue in Iraqi politics for decades. The recent successes of Kurdish fighters against the IS have prompted renewed attention to the issue.

    Read more: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150506/1021799157.html#ixzz3ZOv1nvIe
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    Post  George1 Wed Jun 10, 2015 10:18 pm

    US to Expedite Weapons Delivery to Iraqi Kurdish, Tribal Forces

    Read more: http://sputniknews.com/military/20150610/1023190491.html#ixzz3cgzD2dXX
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    Post  George1 Sat Jun 13, 2015 2:33 pm

    US Military Aid Proposal to Kurds ‘Dangerous Precedent’ - Iraqi Ambassador

    The US military aid to Peshmerga could pit the parts of the Iraqi society against one another, Baghdad's ambassador to the US said.

    WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Iraq’s Ambassador to the United States Lukman Faily is warning Washington about the danger of passing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) amendment, which would give direct military aid to Kurdish Peshmerga forces to fight against Islamic State terrorists, a US media outlet reported on Friday.

    “The Senate amendment, in its current form, would pit elements of our society against one another and would create a dangerous precedent that would undermine Iraq unity and sovereignty at this critical time,” Faily told Politico in a statement on Friday.

    The legislation would give temporary, emergency authority to US President Barack Obama to directly arm the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters without the weapons first going through the Iraqi central government in Baghdad, as required under current US law.

    The Peshmerga has played a leading role in the international fight against the Islamic State. By late May, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) forces had recaptured up to 90 percent of the territory seized by ISIL in August 2014, according to reports from Peshmerga commanders.

    The US House of Representatives introduced similar legislation in March, calling on the US president to directly provide training and equipment to the Kurdish forces.

    Read more: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150612/1023284214.html#ixzz3cwdiPSOq
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    Post  ShahryarHedayatiSHBA Mon Jul 20, 2015 11:07 pm

    Bomb blast in Turkey


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    Post  George1 Sat Jul 25, 2015 4:23 pm

    Kurdish Militants End Ceasefire With Ankara After Turkey’s Airstrikes Bye bye Turkey!! attack

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