by Oui
Wed Sep 6th, 2023 at 09:28:32 AM EST
Fighting has intensified between the YPG terror group and local Arab tribes in Syria's Deir Ezzor province. According to local reports, the tribes have captured several checkpoints belonging to the terror group. Dozens of people are reported to have been killed, including civilians. The fallout between the factions escalated after the YPG arrested an Arab commander who heads the so-called Deir Ezzor military council.
Syrian tribes' resistance to US-backed terrorists draws Turkish praise | Daily Sabah - Sept. 5, 2023 |
Sporadic clashes linger in Syria's north as a group of local Arab tribes fights the oppression of the PKK terrorist group's Syrian wing, the YPG, which seized territory with the support of the United States in the war-torn country.
The unprecedented act, which is actually a culmination of grievances of the tribes against the hegemony of the terrorist group, is lauded by Türkiye. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told reporters that what was happening in Syria was a "reclamation of territory" by Arab tribes acting in unity. "They are the true owners of those lands," Erdoğan said in an interview while returning from a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Mr. Putin agrees that it is an important struggle," the president said.
Erdoğan said that the U.S. support for the terrorist group in the form of weapons and munitions did not serve the peace in the region. "Every piece of weapon given to the terrorist group fuels bloodshed in the region and disrupts the territorial integrity of Syria and Iraq," he said.
Clashes continued on Monday between Arab tribes and the terrorist group in the eastern Syria province of Deir ez-Zor. Operations launched by Arab tribes against the PKK/YPG that started last week expanded with the participation of other Arab tribes.
Erdoğan reiterated that the PKK and YPG are terrorist organizations. "The attitude of the tribes against the PKK and YPG by coming together is a struggle of honor," he added, stressing the terrorist group is dangerous for the people of the region.
The overnight raids against arms depots and military positions killed at least 14 Syrian regime forces, 16 Iraqi militia fighters and 11 Afghan members of the pro-Iran Fatimid Brigade, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The nationality of the remaining 16 people who lost their lives in the 18 strikes was not immediately clear.
"This is the largest death toll from Israeli raids in Syria," said the Syrian Observatory's head, Rami Abdul Rahman.
The official Syrian news agency Sana said "the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial assault on the town of Deir Ezzor and the Albu Kamal region", adding that "the results of the aggression are currently being verified".
An Israeli army spokesperson declined to comment.
Türkiye urges solution on Syria conflict based on territorial integrity | TRT World - 12 hrs ago |
The healthiest and most sustainable solution is establishment of an "administrative structure that takes into account the demographic realities of the region," says Turkish President Erdogan.
Türkiye is striving for a solution based on the demographic realities of Syria's territorial integrity, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said in the wake of recent regional strife, urging influential regional actors to do the same.
"We take an approach that embraces all ethnic and sectarian differences and all sectors of all countries in the region and stands by their side in difficult times," Erdogan said on Tuesday after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara.
"We believe that the most proper, healthy, and sustainable solution is the establishment of an administrative structure that takes into account the demographic realities of the region, especially the (Iraqi) city of Kirkuk," he said, referring to a city with a large Turkmen population that has recently seen protests and unrest.
"Türkiye is determined to continue working for a permanent solution based on Syria's territorial integrity and demographic realities, including ethnic and sectarian makeup," he added.
While ensuring the security of Türkiye's borders, Erdogan said Ankara is also protecting balances in the region.
The Arabization of the Kurdistan region in Iraq | Washington Kurdish Institute |
Since the establishment of the Iraqi state, the ruling Arab regimes forcibly displaced native Kurds and repopulated the area with Arab tribes. The change of demography,known as "Arabization," existed in both Kurdish majority agriculture and urban lands. These policies were part of a larger Iraqi campaign to erase the Kurdish identity, occupy Kurdistan, and control its wealth.
The Iraqi government's campaign against the Kurds amounted to genocide and eventually destroyed Kurdish communities and the social fabric of Kurdistan. The areas affected by the Arabization stretch from eastern to northwestern Iraq , incorporating major cities,towns, and hundreds of villages.
After the fall of Saddam Hussien's dictatorship, these areas became referred to as "Disputed Territories'' in Iraq's newly adopted constitution of 2005. Article 140 of Iraq's constitution called for the normalization of the "Disputed Territories," which was never implemented by the federal government of Iraq.
Kirkuk province, Khanagin city of Diyala province, Tuz Khurmatu District of Saladin Province, and Shingal (Sinjar) in Nineveh province are the main areas that continue to suffer from Arabization policies implemented in 1975.
A recent 2022 report titled "Crimes Against Kurds: The New Ethnic Cleansing of the Disputed Territories," highlights a number of disturbing crimes committed against the Kurds in the disputed territories of Kirkuk. The report focuses on a five year period since the 2017 Kurdish referendum for Independence and its after effects for the Kurds in the Kirkuk and surrounding regions. The findings indicate ongoing ethnic cleansing policies, violence, terror and gender based abuses which amount to genocide.
Kirkuk Pipeline North Iraq delivery to Türkiye halted resulting in an economic crisis
Kurdish-Iraqi oil production at risk after Turkish gas substructures shut down | Atalayar News - April 2023 |
After a disruption in exports from the north forced companies operating there to halt production or divert crude to storage, where capacity is low, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq's (KRI) oil production is in jeopardy. A cut in an export pipeline from northern Iraq's oil fields forced the country to stop exporting approximately 450,000 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd), or 1.7% of the world's daily production, to the KRI from the Iraqi city of Kirkuk to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. The pipeline disruption will continue until Ankara, Baghdad and the KRI reach an agreement to resume exports, leaving the region's oil companies in a precarious situation.
Iran's bombing of Erbil
The Persian authorities rejected these accusations, pointing out that the bombing was not aimed at US diplomatic facilities - which were not yet staffed - but at a strategic centre of the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad. It was a response to attacks carried out by Tel Aviv on Syrian territory, where four people were killed, including two members of the Revolutionary Guards.
To better understand the conflict between neighbouring countries and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, 74% of Iraq's reserves are on Kurdish soil, 20% of Iran's and all of Syria's and Ottoman oil.
Decision by the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris. Iraq won an arbitration case alleging that Turkey had violated a joint agreement by allowing the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to export oil to Ceyhan without Baghdad's approval, Turkey stopped extracting Iraqi crude from the pipeline.
Iran Guards Attack Kurdish Groups In Iraq For 'Backing Protests' | Iran Int'l - Pahlavi opposition |
Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRG) says it has started a fresh round of attacks against Kurdish groups in Iraqi Kurdistan amid nationwide protests that originated from Kurdish regions.
The IRGC said in a statement that it has launched drone attacks against the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan and Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan.
The shelling of Kurdish groups' positions is the second time the IRGC has attacked the Iraqi Kurdistan in less than a week, allegedly as retaliation for sending forces and arms for "riots" in Iran.
On Saturday, the IRGC attacked offices of Kurdish opposition groups in Erbil's Sidakan district, accusing the Kurdish parties of inciting "chaos" in Iran amid demonstrations condemning the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, who died in custody of Iran's hijab police.
New strains emerge in Iran opposition in exile | April 19, 2023 |
Reza Pahlavi's visit to Israel comes amid tensions in Iran opposition movement over how much autonomy Iran's ethnic minorities should have in a future democratic Iran, and Saudi Iran reconciliation.
Iran's bombardment of Kurdish opposition is its biggest operation in Iraq in the last 10 years | Le Monde - Sept. 29, 2022 |
Headscarf unrest in Iran instigated by opposition forces inside Kurdistan and by interference from diaspora and foreign states.
Blaming Kurds for unrest, Iran threatens Iraq with offensive | AP News - Nov. 18, 2022 |
From the diaries ...
Crowd at campaign stop Erdogan in Istanbul ... how proud Trump would be ... no photoshopping indeed. 😄
