Rojava/ Kurdish Regions Newswire

[khad]

Don't look now, but Turkey is now attacking northern Syria, where the YPG is trying to seal the border and connect the cantons. SAA positions have also been shelled.

The general sentiment I've been getting from kurds on social media has been swinging hard pro-Russia, as the United States has called on the YPG to call off the offensive and go back to Afrin. The Turks now have a joint operations room with the Saudis (not NATO, trololol) and are threatening to launch a ground invasion.

http://eaworldview.com/2016/02/syria...g-militia/#YPG
http://www.dailysabah.com/diplomacy/...ation-in-syria
https://www.rt.com/news/332414-turke...shell-kurdish/

When push comes to shove, the preservation NATO is the USA's most important strategic goal in the region. I can't believe people lost sight of that.

[ChangeAndChance]

A new SDF/Kurdish campaign appears to have been launched into the ISIS-held city of al-Shaddadi and its surrounding villages and oil fields with great success.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Sha...ffensive_(2016)

There is also heavy fighting to defend the YPG exclave in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood just north of Aleppo.

[khad]

Right after the ceasefire went into effect, Islamic State forces entered Tel Abyad from the Turkish side of the border.

Hassan Ridha ‏@sayed_ridha 11h11 hours ago #IS have entered Tel Abyad from the Turkish side and is clashing with #SDF elements inside the city


Hassan Ridha ‏@sayed_ridha 2h2 hours ago Clashes continue between #IS & #YPG/#Asayish in Tel Abyad


J. Faraday ‏@CTstudies 15m15 minutes ago currently under attack by Daesh (as claimed by Amaq): Tal Abyad, Bir Marwan, Suluk

[khad]

Salih Muslim's official account just tweeted this

Saleh Moslem ‏@serokepyd Mar 2 How the U.S. Lost the Kurds http://t.usnews.com/Zibavm?src=usn_tw … via @usnews

[khad]

+ YouTube Video

ANNA reporter says that despite the ceasefire the intensity of the clashes here hasn't decreased and that the Islamists are redeploying forces to the vicinity of Sheikh Maqsud which were freed up by their ceasefire with the Syrian Army. Seems like the rebels will storm Sheikh Maqsud soon.

At 0:50 - 2:50 they go to a street where 2 rebel shells from Ashrafiyeh landed(mostly Kurdish rebels there by the way, this is basically an inter-Kurdish conflict). 2 building were destroyed, and they recover a civilian casualty from the first one.

At 3:00, another shell lands nearby, but doesn't explode.

At 3:50, they find the unexploded shell. It's one of the "Hell Cannon" mortar rounds.

Then more UXOs are shown.

At 5:30 they go to the clinic where the casualties are treated.

Sheikh Maqsud is that Kurdish area in Aleppo

[ckaihatsu]

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ne...aper-takeover/


Turkey: Zaman newspaper taken over as government steamrolls press freedom

4 March 2016, 13:11 UTC

Updated at 16:10 GMT.

Today’s government takeover of Zaman newspaper is the latest deeply troubling episode in the Turkish authorities’ ongoing onslaught on dissenting media, Amnesty International said today.

According to the state news agency Anadolu, at the request of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a court appointed trustees to take over the newspaper's management.

“By lashing out and seeking to rein in critical voices, President Erdogan’s government is steamrolling over human rights,” said Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International’s Turkey expert.

By lashing out and seeking to rein in critical voices, President Erdogan’s government is steamrolling over human rights.
Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International’s Turkey expert
“A free and independent media, together with the rule of law and independent judiciary, are the cornerstones of internationally guaranteed freedoms which are the right of everyone in Turkey.”

Just last week, the TV channel IMCTV was taken off air, silencing the only national news channel reporting a counter view of the situation in south-eastern Turkey, where round-the-clock curfews were imposed as armed clashes devastated entire towns.

Last October, court-appointed administrators took over media outlets within the Koza İpek group. President Erdogan has even refused to recognize a Constitutional Court ruling releasing the prominent Cumhuriyet journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül. The two had been had been imprisoned since November 2015, awaiting trial on charges of assisting a terrorist organization, espionage and revealing confidential documents.

Last week Amnesty International documented a disturbing pattern of attacks on freedom of the press in Turkey in its Annual Report on the State of World’s Human Rights.

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[John Nada]

10 revolutionary organisations from Kurdistan and Turkey have announced the establishment of Peoples' United Revolutionary Movement as a unity of force and action formed in the wake of discussions ongoing since December.

10 revolutionary organisations from Kurdistan and Turkey have announced the establishment of Peoples' United Revolutionary Movement as a unity of force and action formed in the wake of discussions ongoing since December.

Representatives of 10 revolutionary organisations attended a joint press meeting in guerrilla zones to announce their alliance with the purpose of stepping up the revolution in all areas including armed struggle against the “collaborative fascist AKP and TC (Turkish Republic) system of sovereignty”.

Speaking here before the press release, PKK Executive Committee Member Duran Kalkan listed the names of the following revolutionary organisations from Turkey and Kurdistan that got united to defeat fascism and become a glimmer of hope for peoples; TKP/ML, PKK, THKP-C/MLSPB, MKP, TKEP-LENİNİST, TİKB, DKP, DEVRÎMCÎ KARARGAH and MLKP.

While Proletarian Revolutionary Coordination also joins the United Revolutionary Movement, Resurrection Movement has voiced favorable opinion to join the association.

Kalkan said this unity of revolutionary forces has been formed to accomplish revolution against the AKP that is trying to establish a new fascist dictatorship by restoring the fascist military coups of 12 March and 12 September. He pointed out that the Peoples' United Revolutionary Movement has also been announced on 12 March at the 45th anniversary of 12 March 1971's fascist military coup, 21st anniversary of 12 March 1995 Gazi massacre, and 12th anniversary of 12 March 2004 Qamishlo massacre.

Kalkan continued, inviting all those revolutionary organisations and societal circles that want to fight fascism to join the joint struggle.

Kalkan's speech was followed by the read-out of the joint declaration in Turkish and Kurdish, which called attention to the ongoing crisis and war in the Middle East that threatens the whole humanity.

Stressing that the AKP government took part in one of the dirtiest alliances formed by regional and international powers in this bloody war, the joint declaration pointed to the all-out war the AKP is waging against all the peoples and opposition groups in the country today, with especially the Kurdish people suffering a massacre under tank and artillery fire targeting their ancient living areas.

"The Turkish Republic is trying hard to establish a one-party dictatorship and suppress the entire opposition by gathering behind itself all the traditional, modern, reactionary and fascist powers of the system of sovereignty. This bloody and fascist alliance is being sustained over enmity against Kurds today. The heavy destruction, pain and exploitation created by regional powers has brought the revolutionary state to maturity and paved the way for Peoples' United Revolutionary Movement. Defending and progressing the Rojava revolution, Kurdish resistance for self-rule and United Revolutionary Struggle of our peoples means defending the life safety and future of all the oppressed, laborers, intellectuals, democrats and all the people. No social circle in Turkey has a safe future within this system as all opposition powers are under attack. If the Kurdish resistance for self-rule gets broken, the AKP government will suppress the entire opposition in Turkey with blood in the same aggressiveness and cruelty. The future of progressive, revolutionary and pro-labor circles in Turkey is therefore intertwined with the future of the Kurdish resistance”, the declaration said.

The statement underlined that Peoples' United Revolutionary Movement aims to attain democracy and free future for peoples against imperialism, capitalism, chauvinism, fascism and racism, by considering the overthrow of the fascist AKP ruling with all its social bases through popular revolution as essential.

Peoples' United Revolutionary Movement called upon everyone harmed by fascism and reactionism, mainly women, youth and workers to get organised, united and fight for freedom, democracy and fraternity of peoples.

https://anfenglish.com/news/peoples-...joint-struggle

[John Nada]

25 March 2016

Kurdish Question

Kurdistan Communities’ Union (KCK) Executive Council co-chair Cemil Bayik has responded to the recent call for “national mobilisation” by Turkey President Erdogan and said, “Erdogan has called for national mobilisation against the Kurds, as if the PKK is trying to divide Turkey. By doing this he wants to legitimise his dirty war. This war has nothing to do with the historical wars in Malazgirt (1071), Çanakkale (1915) and the National War of Independence (1919); Erdogan has declared war on the Kurds, the biggest supporters of the Turks in these wars.”

In an article written for Kurdish daily Azadiya Welat, Cemil Bayik, leader of the Kurdish Movement’s umbrella organisation, the KCK, said, “[Erdogan] has a mentality, politics and practice that is antithetical to the historical relations between Turks and Kurds. The Kurds are not dividing anyone’s homeland; they want to live freely and democratically in their own homeland. The resistance to achieve self-governance is to make Turkey a joint-homeland. It is, for this reason, complete demagoguery when they say we are trying to divide the country and they are defending it. What is happening is that they want to enslave, eliminate and deny Kurds their rights and are using this rhetoric to hide this policy."

Erdogan is the real separatist

Bayik who recently told the British Times that they wanted to topple Erdogan and the AKP government because a resolution to the Kurdish question and peace would not be possible otherwise, went on to say, "The real separatist in Turkey is Erdogan; it is Erdogan and the AKP government who are preventing unity between the Kurdish people and the peoples of Turkey. Kurds want to live in a joint-homeland within a democratic nation. And they have declared this in no uncertain terms, both ideologically and politically. However Erdogan’s response has been to disregard a joint-homeland and co-existence, instead he has vowed to eliminate the Kurds. He is intent on destroying the co-existence of diverse groups and is insisting on Turkification. This is their policy and what they have agreed with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

Mobilisation for democracy and peace

"It is Erdogan and the AKP’s policies that are dividing the country. To counter this and achieve democratic unity we need mass mobilisation. We need a democracy bloc against the AKP-MHP’s fascist bloc, which is eroding democracy. We need a peace and democracy bloc against the war being perpetrated on the Kurdish people and democracy forces. It is unacceptable that democracy forces are scattered and not uniting when there is such a great attack on democracy by Erdogan. The forces of democracy must unite around a programme for democracy and a just peace."

Source: http://kurdishquestion.com/index.php...mil-bayik.html

[ckaihatsu]

Congress: Don't Fund Groups Attacking Syrian Kurds


Just Foreign Policy

Dear Chris,

Urge Congress to cut off support for groups in Syria that attacked Syrian Kurds fighting ISIS.

Take Action

CIA-backed armed groups in Syria have been attacking Syrian Kurdish forces that the Pentagon supports because they are fighting against ISIS. According to the Los Angeles Times, CIA-backed groups that have attacked Syrian Kurds include Fursan al Haq and the Suqour Al-Jabal brigade.

Urge Congress to cut off all U.S. assistance to armed groups in Syria that have attacked Syrian Kurds.

U.S. policy towards the Syrian Kurds can move. Many Members of Congress of both parties were never jazzed about CIA backing of jihadist groups in Syria in the first place. And even the New York Times is now saying that the U.S. should be open to Kurdish proposals for self-rule in Syria.

Urge Congress to cut off all U.S. assistance to armed groups in Syria that have attacked Syrian Kurds by signing and sharing our petition now.

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[Sentinel]

FSA together with Nusra and assorted islamists have begun an eastward offensive against Daesh along the border east of Afrin canton, reportedly supported by Turkish artillery. They have made large gains, capturing the town and border crossing of al-Ra'i and lots of adjacent villages. This area changing owners potentially complicates the chances of SDF/YPG to unify the Rojavan territories without provoking Turkey further; on the other hand Turkey hasn't been accepting of YPG gains against Daesh in this particular region either.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...er-map-update/

[pastradamus]

Irish YPG fighter arrested in Iraq:
http://www.thejournal.ie/joshua-moll...21604-Apr2016/

her biji kurdistan!

[MarxSchmarx]

PLEASE READ THIS STICKIED THREAD IN POLITICS BEFORE POSTING ABOUT THE COUP!!!!

http://www.revleft.com/vb/threads/19...ary-power-grab

[A Revolutionary Tool]

The first Arab Commune is being set up in a village south of Kobane:

The residents of the Girane village in the south of Kobanê have declared the formation of the first commune in an Arab village.The Democratic Autonomous Administration and Democratic Society Movement (TEV-DEM) of Rojava are continuing their efforts to form communes in the villages of Kobanê. A meeting was held recently in Girane village in the south of Kobanê to form the first commune in an Arab village.
TEV-DEM member Amed Kobanê, Society Defence Forces (HPC) member Cemil Hemze and villagers were present at the meeting. Following a minute’s silence in memory of those killed in war, Cemil Hemze gave a seminar about the mentality behind a communal life and the work done in the village to form the commune.
After the seminar, the commune’s co-chairs and 17 executives were elected for the commune assembly. Committees for education, economy, defence, peace and public services were also formed.
As is the rule, a man and woman were elected to be the co-chairs of the commune. In their speeches co-chairs Mihemed El-Mestûr and Menal Hemûd promised to serve the people and take their roles seriously.

40 families live in Girane village with most of them belonging to the Ebûlas tribe. Girane is known for being the last village liberated from Islamic State (IS/ISIS) in the south of Kobanê.
http://www.kurdishquestion.com/article/3347-first-commune-in-an-arab-village-formed-in-kobane

Does anybody have any links talking about the economic situation in Rojava and how things like this Commune relate to the wider economy?

[John Nada]

The first Arab Commune is being set up in a village south of Kobane

IIRC they've have Arabs and many other nationalities participate in all other organizations in Rojava. Seems Bedouin Arabs are more open to democratic confederalism for some reason. Maybe this is the first in an Arab village without Kurds? Ocalan did theorize that democratic confederalism could be applicable not just for Kurds, but all the nations in the Middle East, replacing the nation-states with a Democratic Nation(a post-nation). If it catches on among Arabs too, this could challenge the hegemony of capitalist modernity and provide a revolutionary alternative to both Baathist nationalism and semi-feudal Islamism.

Does anybody have any links talking about the economic situation in Rojava and how things like this Commune relate to the wider economy?

https://roarmag.org/magazine/buildin...thout-a-state/ http://kurdishquestion.com/oldsite/i...-councils.html http://kurdishquestion.com/oldsite/i...ternative.html There's not much industry. The economy is largely based on agriculture. Under the Syrian state, thought it did make some agrarian reforms, this largely excluded Kurds and more benefited bureaucratic capitalists. Wheat monoculture, climate change and state mismanagement has damaged what was a breadbasket(possible being a big contributing factor to the Syrian Civil War). The Syrian state largely neglected the Kurds and was often hostile to Bedouin Arab tribes too. Most of the economy seems to be ran by cooperatives now.

[John Nada]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-37171995 The Turkish military and its "moderate" child-beheading rebel allies are launching an offensive against Jarablus with US support. Daesh quickly retreated.

Turkey's offensive is to prevent the SDF from connecting the cantons. The US is demanding the SDF to retreat back east of the Euphrates, which was liberated after a blood battle with Daesh. YPG says no, and reportedly there's clashes between Turkish-backed FSA and the SDF: http://www.kurdishquestion.com/artic...litary-council

This is a big deal. There's a possibility of all-out war between Turkey and Rojava.

[ckaihatsu]

reportedly there's clashes between Turkish-backed FSA and the SDF: http://www.kurdishquestion.com/artic...litary-council

Turkish tanks and FSA militants had earlier entered Jarablus and taken the already evacuated city from Islamic State.

http://www.kurdishquestion.com/artic...litary-council

From this I'm thinking that the weakening of the Islamic State would create a power vaccum that could be vied-for by the differing interests of Turkey (backing the *anti-Assad* FSA), and that of the Kurds (involved with the U.S. in the *pro-Syrian* SDF).

The SDF claims to be fighting to create a secular, democratic and federal Syria.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Democratic_Forces

Even though Turkey recently distanced itself from the U.S. -- an act that most likely fed-into the precipitating of the anti-Erdoğan coup -- it looks very much like Turkey's *military* orientation hasn't budged *a bit*: it still is backing the FSA against Assad, which has been a Western / NATO / neocon objective all along.


---

Suleyman Soylu, Turkey’s labor minister, went so far as to charge that “The United States is behind the coup.” Erdoğan himself has attributed the entire affair to followers of his former ally and current enemy, the pro-American Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen, who lives in exile in Pennsylvania and apparently enjoys protection from within the US state. When Erdoğan denounces Gülen, it is safe to say that he is really talking about Obama.

The attempted rapprochement with Russia reportedly involves discussions on a political settlement in Syria outside the control of the US government.

[O]n the eve of the coup, Turkey’s new prime minister even talked of reviving relations with Syria.

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/201.../pers-j18.html

[John Nada]

An HGP car bomb wiped out a police station in Cirze. 11 cops dead, 78 wounded(three civilians): http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/0...055329048.html

[John Nada]

ANKARA — One Turkish soldier was killed and three others wounded in a rocket attack on a tank close to the northern Syrian town of Jarablus on Saturday, Turkish military sources said, after Turkey launched a cross-border offensive this week.

The sources said the rocket was fired from territory held by the Kurdish YPG militia.

Rebels opposed to the Turkish intervention had earlier on Saturday denied there were Kurdish forces in the area. Turkey has said its campaign in Syria is targeting Islamic State and preventing Kurdish forces extending their territory in north Syria.

(Reporting by Orhan Coskun; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Patrick Markey)

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/...html?ref=world

[ckaihatsu]

Turkey expands invasion of Syria

By Jordan Shilton

26 August 2016

With support from the US Air Force and military “advisers,” Turkish soldiers expanded their invasion of northern Syria Thursday.

Operation Euphrates Shield is being justified by Ankara as necessary to seize the town of Jarablus from Islamic State forces and push back the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) east of the Euphrates River. In reality, the military operation marks a major escalation of the US-backed regime change operation in Syria aimed at overthrowing the government of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus which threatens to plunge the entire region into conflict and draw in the major powers.

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2016.../syri-a26.html

[Tankie]

It's actually hard not to think about flying over there and joining them in their revolutionary fight. Idk... Has anyone else thought about it?