[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Sunday, 27 July, 2014
Whilst the Islamic State (IS/ISIS) was propelled into the limelight in spectacular manner in Iraq, controlling Mosul, Tikrit and large swathes of territory across Iraq, for the Kurds of Syria their deadly battles with the al-Qaeda offshoot over the past year or so have largely failed to make headlines.
The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) has ubiquitously engaged in furious battles against IS militiamen across the areas in Syria under Kurdish control. Those Kurdish areas are of strategic importance, as they straddle the Turkish border — and with it some of the most vital border crossings — and are home to some of Syria’s largest oil fields.
Conversely, the battle of the Peshmerga forces in Iraq has been well noted, as they have formed a formidable frontier against IS rebels, all but saving Kirkuk and many other cities from falling to the IS, which recently changed its name from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
In the same manner as the Peshmerga, the YPG should be acknowledged for its vital role in keeping IS at bay in Syria.
Fresh from their gains in Iraq, a buoyant IS has returned to Syria with a new onslaught on Kobane and other Kurdish towns and villages. However, this time the goalposts have shifted. Armed with significant booty from their Iraq conquests, including Humvees, tanks and artillery — not to mention millions of dollars in funds – IS quickly shifted their guns to the Syrian Kurds once more.
According to Jabar Yawar, secretary general of the Peshmerga ministry, “ISIS has different types of rockets, tanks and other heavy weaponry that they got from the Iraqi army and now they use these weapons to attack Kobane.”
Faced with a barrage of attacks on Kobane from different sides, Kurdish forces have fervently confronted IS forces; but they will ultimately struggle under inferior firepower. The co-chair of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), Salih Muslim, warned that IS now possesses “heavy weaponry like mortars and tanks, which concerns our forces. We can’t use our weapons against their bulletproof tanks.”
Furthermore, Syrian Kurds have complained at lack of humanitarian aid over the past couple of years and have been hampered under the cautious eyes of Ankara. YPG spokesperson Redur Xalil called on the international community to “intervene immediately and carry out their duty toward Kobane.”
The Syrian Kurds freed themselves from decades of tyranny and repression and announced self-rule across three cantons. But lack of political unity between the main PYD party and other political parties threaten the existence of the administration in the midst of increasing danger.
The situation has not been helped with lukewarm relations between the PYD and the Kurdistan Region leadership.
There could be no better time for the Kurds to unite and protect the Kurdish population in Syria and also preserve hard-fought Kurdish self-rule. IS is not just an internal matter for the Syrian Kurds: What happens there is very much a problem for the Iraqi Kurds.
Because if Kobane and other major Kurdish cities fall, the IS gets even stronger. That is not good for Erbil, which is also somewhere on the IS priority list of enemies to annul.
For Abdul-Salam Ahmed, co-chair of PYD, Kobane was effectively becoming a factor to “the end of the Sykes-Picot agreement,” the 1916 pact by which the powers of the time redrew the Ottoman Empire borders, essentially dividing the Kurds in the process. Whilst rallying Kurdish unity, Kurdish veteran politician Ahmet Turk emphasized that there is no difference between Kobane and Kirkuk.
PYD head Muslim warned that the unity of the three cantons and ultimately the Syrian Kurdish autonomous region itself depends on Kobane, which he labeled as the “symbol of the Kurds’ identity and resistance.” He urged Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani to join a common struggle against the Islamic militants, claiming that Barzani “had not fully grasped the nature of ISIS.”
Whilst the Kurdish Region edges towards independence, the importance of a stable, secure and prosperous Kurdistan Region of Syria as a key neighbor cannot be discounted.
To this effect, the Syrian Kurds, who have already imposed compulsory military service, have tried to rally Kurds in Iraq and particularly Turkey. Gharib Haso, an official from the PYD, claimed that “Young Kurds from all parts of Kurdistan are going to Syria.”
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdul Rahman stated that at least 800 Kurdish fighters had crossed the Turkish border into Syria to join the battle.
“It’s a life-or-death battle for the Kurds. If ISIS takes Ayn al Arab (Kobane), it will advance eastwards toward other Kurdish Syrian areas, such as Hasakah in the northeast,” he warned.
The ultimate success of greater Kurdistan rests with all its four parts. There is no better place to start than with a political alliance amongst Kurdish parties in Syria and the fostering of better ties between the Rojava administration and the Kurdistan Region.
LINK
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Sunday, 27 July, 2014
Whilst the Islamic State (IS/ISIS) was propelled into the limelight in spectacular manner in Iraq, controlling Mosul, Tikrit and large swathes of territory across Iraq, for the Kurds of Syria their deadly battles with the al-Qaeda offshoot over the past year or so have largely failed to make headlines.
The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) has ubiquitously engaged in furious battles against IS militiamen across the areas in Syria under Kurdish control. Those Kurdish areas are of strategic importance, as they straddle the Turkish border — and with it some of the most vital border crossings — and are home to some of Syria’s largest oil fields.
Conversely, the battle of the Peshmerga forces in Iraq has been well noted, as they have formed a formidable frontier against IS rebels, all but saving Kirkuk and many other cities from falling to the IS, which recently changed its name from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
In the same manner as the Peshmerga, the YPG should be acknowledged for its vital role in keeping IS at bay in Syria.
Fresh from their gains in Iraq, a buoyant IS has returned to Syria with a new onslaught on Kobane and other Kurdish towns and villages. However, this time the goalposts have shifted. Armed with significant booty from their Iraq conquests, including Humvees, tanks and artillery — not to mention millions of dollars in funds – IS quickly shifted their guns to the Syrian Kurds once more.
According to Jabar Yawar, secretary general of the Peshmerga ministry, “ISIS has different types of rockets, tanks and other heavy weaponry that they got from the Iraqi army and now they use these weapons to attack Kobane.”
Faced with a barrage of attacks on Kobane from different sides, Kurdish forces have fervently confronted IS forces; but they will ultimately struggle under inferior firepower. The co-chair of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), Salih Muslim, warned that IS now possesses “heavy weaponry like mortars and tanks, which concerns our forces. We can’t use our weapons against their bulletproof tanks.”
Furthermore, Syrian Kurds have complained at lack of humanitarian aid over the past couple of years and have been hampered under the cautious eyes of Ankara. YPG spokesperson Redur Xalil called on the international community to “intervene immediately and carry out their duty toward Kobane.”
The Syrian Kurds freed themselves from decades of tyranny and repression and announced self-rule across three cantons. But lack of political unity between the main PYD party and other political parties threaten the existence of the administration in the midst of increasing danger.
The situation has not been helped with lukewarm relations between the PYD and the Kurdistan Region leadership.
There could be no better time for the Kurds to unite and protect the Kurdish population in Syria and also preserve hard-fought Kurdish self-rule. IS is not just an internal matter for the Syrian Kurds: What happens there is very much a problem for the Iraqi Kurds.
Because if Kobane and other major Kurdish cities fall, the IS gets even stronger. That is not good for Erbil, which is also somewhere on the IS priority list of enemies to annul.
For Abdul-Salam Ahmed, co-chair of PYD, Kobane was effectively becoming a factor to “the end of the Sykes-Picot agreement,” the 1916 pact by which the powers of the time redrew the Ottoman Empire borders, essentially dividing the Kurds in the process. Whilst rallying Kurdish unity, Kurdish veteran politician Ahmet Turk emphasized that there is no difference between Kobane and Kirkuk.
PYD head Muslim warned that the unity of the three cantons and ultimately the Syrian Kurdish autonomous region itself depends on Kobane, which he labeled as the “symbol of the Kurds’ identity and resistance.” He urged Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani to join a common struggle against the Islamic militants, claiming that Barzani “had not fully grasped the nature of ISIS.”
Whilst the Kurdish Region edges towards independence, the importance of a stable, secure and prosperous Kurdistan Region of Syria as a key neighbor cannot be discounted.
To this effect, the Syrian Kurds, who have already imposed compulsory military service, have tried to rally Kurds in Iraq and particularly Turkey. Gharib Haso, an official from the PYD, claimed that “Young Kurds from all parts of Kurdistan are going to Syria.”
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdul Rahman stated that at least 800 Kurdish fighters had crossed the Turkish border into Syria to join the battle.
“It’s a life-or-death battle for the Kurds. If ISIS takes Ayn al Arab (Kobane), it will advance eastwards toward other Kurdish Syrian areas, such as Hasakah in the northeast,” he warned.
The ultimate success of greater Kurdistan rests with all its four parts. There is no better place to start than with a political alliance amongst Kurdish parties in Syria and the fostering of better ties between the Rojava administration and the Kurdistan Region.
LINK
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
» utube 6/13/24 MM&C IQD Update-Iraqi Dinar-2024 Budget Gazzette-Dollar Decline-WTO Working Group Ju
» Iraq withdraws its signature from the Swiss peace summit statement
» Corrupt politicians win votes and occupy positions... What about democracy?
» The Honest: The new American ambassador’s threat to use the terror terrorists will not achieve her g
» Radhi: The defections in progress have weakened Al-Halbousi
» Clerics in Anbar denounce the US ambassador's statements
» Aqdar Watan calls for changing Washington's ambassador
» Badr renews its demand to remove American forces from Iraq
» Iraq is at the top of the list of Arab countries that most developed oil pipelines
» Among them in Iraq...the most prominent global oil and gas discoveries in 2024
» 4 government measures to reduce counterfeit gold.. How can the citizen’s rights be restored?
» Traffic announces the unification of fines with Kurdistan and addresses roads operating with radars
» A psychological expert talks about the "biggest cancer" in Iraqi society and calls for imposing fine
» Parliamentary comment on the failure to recover fugitive major corruption figures - urgent
» Al-Hakim calls for peaceful demonstrations and political objections in accordance with the constitut
» New details regarding the Basra-Shalamcheh railway link project for transporting passengers
» Al-Hakim renews his call to resolve the position of Speaker of Parliament
» The government tightens its measures to reduce counterfeit gold
» The first “official” Iraqi response to Tracy Jacobson: Your speech is not compatible with your work
» A government plan to move the industrial zone from Al-Kadhimiya Holy City
» The infection of “quotas” affects unions.. How did institutions disturbing the authority turn into “
» The Minister of Immigration reveals government procedures for the voluntary return of expatriates
» Iraq begins subjecting travelers to “AIDS testing” and imposing penalties on those who default
» Oil Advisor: The arrival of the Aqaba pipeline to Haditha means the possibility of exporting via Syr
» A significant decline in Iranian steel exports to Iraq.. An official reveals the reason
» The Legal Committee reveals to Alsumaria the most important laws that will be passed after the legis
» Next August, Iraq and Turkey agree to a new round of talks in Ankara
» An economic expert enumerates the stages of the new salary scale legislation and rules out that it w
» Iraq to the United States: The Sudanese government is continuing to implement the provisions of its
» More than 100 suspended laws in the Iraqi Parliament
» Iraq receives a suspect it recovered from Belarus on charges of embezzling 6 billion dinars
» Vice President of the Karbala Council told Nina: Karbala oil wells are within the next licensing rou
» Minister of Labor: We call on all media organizations to register their journalists under the Social
» Al-Sudani confirms the progress of the fight against corruption “in every corner where it hides”
» Iranian Ambassador: We support the unity of Iraq
» Popular demands to activate laws to restrict weapons and address the arms chaos in Iraq
» State of law: The new American ambassador violated Iraqi sovereignty before her arrival
» American officials: The safety of our soldiers in Iraq is more important than dragging us into a con
» The ambassador's statements are sovereign violations... and the absence of a response harms Iraq
» The new American ambassador...provocative statements and hidden intentions
» In light of her offensive statements... Politician: The American ambassador is trying to gauge the w
» Anbari official: The governorate’s budget only covers 20% of Ramadi’s requirements
» Iraq imports vegetables and fruits worth $50 million from Türkiye in a month
» Iraq appreciates Tunisia's decision to lift visas for Iraqis to enter its territory
» Parliamentary praise for the agriculture budget: equivalent to 3 times what was allocated in 10 year
» Iran: $10 billion worth of our annual exports to Iraq
» A new clarification from Parliament Finance regarding the job staffing law.. When will it be voted o
» Iraq is preparing to establish a project that will change the oil map.. Will it affect energy produc
» For the second year in a row... oil refining capacity has increased in America
» The Service Council sets an interview date for applicants for appointment who hold a master’s degree
» Al-Sudani directs a package of measures to provide job opportunities for graduates in Dhi Qar
» Hussein arrives in Switzerland to participate in the "Peace in Ukraine" summit
» Meat and Eid are at loggerheads in Iraq this year... Eid Al-Adha came with a “mid-month drought”
» A "livestock crisis" in Iraq is accompanied by a search for a "protein" alternative and fear of dead
» Warnings in Anbar about the repercussions of the US ambassador’s interference in the country’s affai
» The Foreign Minister invites the High Representative of the European Union to visit Iraq
» Iraq.. The curse of corruption is strangling the electricity arteries
» Al-Hayani: The region refuses the entry of Iraqi forces to protect it from Turkish bombing
» Abdel Joudah: America sees Iraq as part of its international orbit
» “Finance”: The staffing law will determine the job grades needed by ministries and departments
» A digital center calls for adopting visits to Iraqi prison inmates via the Internet
» Al-Sudani directs the Ministry of Finance to finance projects in Dhi Qar with an amount of 50 billio
» Iran identifies three main components of its policy towards Iraq
» Al-Sudani directs to provide job opportunities for graduates in Dhi Qar
» Al-Araji to the American Ambassador: The paths of the Sudanese government enjoy support from various
» Al-Sudani congratulates Eid Al-Adha: We affirm the progress of combating social ills and corruption
» A significant increase in Iraq's oil exports to America
» After the stock market stopped, the dollar exchange rates stabilized in Baghdad
» utube 6/11/24 MM&C Iraq Dinar-IQD Update-2024 Budget Dispurse-Legally Resolved-CBI- EU-IMF Support
» Changing the oil map: An Iraqi project affecting energy producers
» Sales of the Central Bank of Iraq exceed one billion dollars within a week
» Electronic payment in Iraq: huge profits for companies at the expense of citizens
» The President of the Republic: The necessity of providing support and legislation guaranteeing freed
» Transparency: Imports from Sulaymaniyah and Halabja during the past week amounted to about 8 billion
» Mayor of Baghdad: Our water purification projects conform to international health specifications
» The “new” American ambassador to Iraq attacks the factions: I will fight their influence in Iraq
» Iran blows the whistle on increasing daily oil production from a field shared with Iraq
» The fate of democracy in Kurdistan: between postponement, manipulation, and sharing the “cake”
» Creating a unit to extract oil from plastic waste with the help of water
» Movement to establish a petrochemical city in Diyala
» Parliamentary Integrity: Extending the Basra Pipeline - an obstacle to wasting Iraqi money
» The Security Committee shows the results of combating electronic blackmail
» Parliament moves against companies that support the Zionist entity
» A representative calls for doubling the service effort and increasing allocations to Nineveh
» Exploiting the Halfaya field gas increases electricity production in Iraq
» Baghdad sends 20 billion dinars to the Kurdistan Region in farmers’ dues
» Al-Sudani: The government is following a new approach aimed at activating the private sector
» Iraq announces the results of the experimental census
» Parliamentary Energy regarding the dismissal of officials in the Ministry of Electricity: They were
» Iraq sets a date for closing the Sulaymaniyah camps.. How many displaced people remain?
» To ensure energy supply...a government confirmation of the supply of electricity with fuel
» Kurdistan and Iran discuss economic and trade fields
» Deploying ATM machines in Rafidain Bank branches
» “There is no control over it.” Parliamentary Finance opens the file of providing travelers with doll
» “Public threats to obstruct it.” The Sudanese government faces a challenge to complete the project t
» The new candidate for the US Embassy reviews her list of priorities in Iraq
» Between the past and the present...the history of car numbers in Iraq and their connection to politi
» The Defense Parliament demands the opening of a full investigation into the livelihoods of defense p