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Syria forced to deny Bashar al-Assad sick after stroke rumours#SyriaWar'The presidency denies all these reports. Assad is in excellent health': Syrian government responds to claims of president's poor healthhttp://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-forced-deny-bashar-al-assad-sick-after-stroke-rumours-1086672400
Trustees appointed to administration of another pro-Kurdish municipalityProvincial governor Cemil Sarıoğlu has been appointed as a trustee to replace Burhan Kocaman, the mayor of Elazığ’s Karakoçan district who was elected on the ticket of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP).Turkey has stepped up political pressure on Kurdish politicians in recent months ...Continued: http://www.turkishminute.com/2017/02/01/trustees-appointed-administration-another-pro-kurdish-municipality/
Erdogan Is Wrecking TurkeyErdogan is wrecking TurkeyTrevor RayneOn 21 January 2017, 339 out of 550 MPs voted in Turkey’s National Assembly for constitutional changes that are to be put to a referendum, to be held no later than the third week of April 2017. These changes are described as transforming the 94-year-old republic from a parliamentary to a presidential system; this misrepresents what will be the establishment of autocratic one-man rule.More: http://kurdishquestion.com/article/3817-erdogan-is-wrecking-turkey
Anti-IS Syria force launches new phase in Raqa campaignAaliyah (Syria) (AFP) - US-backed Kurdish and Arab fighters announced on Saturday a new phase in their campaign for the Islamic State group's Syrian stronghold of Raqa, but said they needed more weapons to win.The Syrian Democratic Forces launched their campaign to capture the city last November and have taken some ground further up the Euphrates Valley but are still some distance away.The SDF "announce the beginning of the third phase to liberate Raqa and its surroundings, which will target the eastern part of the province," spokeswoman Jihan Sheikh Ahmed said.Speaking in the village of Aaliyah, north of the city, Ahmed said 750 more Arab fighters had joined the SDF after being trained by the US-led coalition.Continued: https://www.yahoo.com/news/anti-syria-force-launches-phase-raqa-campaign-000438498.html
Three generations of Kurds in the same prison (Turkey)Kurdish QuestionThree generations of the Sezek family are imprisoned in the same prison in Siirt, in Turkey's Kurdish region.80 year-old Haci Isa Sezek was taken into custody on 10 December, and after two months in custody was sent to Siirt E Type prison, where he has been kept since, with his son and two grandchildren.The 80 year-old suffers from many ailments, the cause for which are the tortures he was subjected to in the 1990s. Visiting the elderly man in prison, his daughter and daughter-in-law said Sezek had lost a lot of weight and looked gaunt."My father is a well-loved man. It's the same in prison. Despite all the difficulties he has a strong will. He is remaining positive. But a man of his age and with his ailments should not be in prison, this is an injustice. The Turkish Penal Code says anyone above the age of 65 should not be imprisoned. They are violating their own laws," says Ayse Sezek.http://kurdishquestion.com/article/3827-three-generations-of-kurds-in-the-same-prison
Americans have fought valiantly in support of the democratic movement in northern Syria. We should make sure their efforts weren’t in vain. The Anglo-American hero Winston Churchill once said, “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” There is no better way to describe the impact that the March 2015 victory in Kobanî had on the war against the Islamic State. ISIS’s defeat in this north Syrian city will go down in history as the moment the group began to decline. There would be death throes over the subsequent years, as ISIS scored victories in places such as Palmyra and Ramadi, but the group’s rapid growth and aura of invincibility were be shattered in Kobanî by the heroic fighters of the YPG (Kurdish People’s Protection Units) and YPJ (Women’s Protection Units).Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/444626/syria-civil-war-rojava-revolution-american-heroes-democracy-ypg
KCK leader asks US, Russia to not support Turkey's anti-Kurdish 'conspiracy' http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/120220174ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The leader of the Group of Communities in Kurdistan (KCK) has called on Russia and America to avoid giving credence to Turkish officials’ anti-Kurdish “conspiracy” messages and advocated for a Kurdish National Conference this year, according to Kurdish news outlets.
UK defense chief meets Kurdish PM and President with Mosul top of agenda http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/120220171
Jaysh al-Thuwar claims Syrian regime handed over al-Bab to Turkish forcesKurdish QuestionJaysh al-Thuwar (The Army of Revolutionaries) stated that the Syrian regime handed over al-Bab to Turkish forces, and denied the claims that it handed over some towns in north of Aleppo to the Syrian regime.Jaysh al-Thuwar issued a written statement on the recent developments in al-Bab and northern Aleppo.http://kurdishquestion.com/article/3841-jaysh-al-thuwar-claims-syrian-regime-handed-over-al-bab-to-turkish-forces
Turkish army continues to target SDF west of ManbijKurdish QuestionThe Turkish army continues to target positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) west of Manbij city in northern Syria. Turkish forces bombed the SDF-held towns of Arima and Kawkali on Friday evening.Local sources reported that the Turkish army heavily bombarded SDF positions in both towns, located about 20 kilometers west of Manbij, using heavy machine-guns and artillery fire.This is not the first time the Turkish army targets the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in western Manbij. On 17 January, Turkey’s military launched a similar attack, targeting SDF headquarters.http://kurdishquestion.com/article/3837-turkish-army-continues-to-target-sdf-west-of-manbij
Semi-Sultan Erdogan’s Payments to General Flynn; Turkish State Terrorism and the KurdsWritten on December 4, 2016By Dr. M. Kamiar:On the American Election Day of November 8, 2016, retired Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn, now President Trump’s National Security Advisor, suggested the U.S. should extradite coup suspect Mr. Gulen to Turkey. On the Election Day, General Michael Flynn (November 8, 2016) penned an article for The Hill newspaper entitled, “Our ally Turkey is in crisis and needs our support.” He argued, “Turkey is vital to U.S. interests. Turkey is really our strongest ally against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), as well as a source of stability in the region.” General Flynn is accurate in saying Turkey “is facing calamity and needs America’s help. But, the situation is a byproduct of the implication of radical Islamist policies of fascist Sultan Erdogan. The General’s recommendation came after he was paid as a lobbyist for Ankara. America should not assist Turkey’s murderer Sultan. The new honeymoon in progress between Ankara and Washington will give the Turkish tyrant an opportunity to kill more Kurds.Continued: http://kurdistantribune.com/semi-sultan-erdogans-payments-to-general-flynn-turkish-state-terrorism-and-the-kurds/
If one was pro-Kurds, I think one welcomes the news of Flynn stepping down. As I said, I'm no expert but reading the tea-leaves, it looks like he is on the wrong side here.I've posted from that "Turkish Minute" website numerous times, a website by Turks, largely in exile. They are not particular fans of Erdogan definitely.
I've posted from that "Turkish Minute" website numerous times, a website by Turks, largely in exile. They are not particular fans of Erdogan definitely.
It's fine Tom. Appreciated, in fact.You are NEVER going to find unbiased sources regarding the Kurds - so a range of sources is about as good as we can do.
Syrian Kurds Vow to Fight Turkey If They Get Close to RaqqaKurdish Officials Confident They'll Keep Getting US Aidby Jason Ditz, February 15, 2017Print This | Share ThisFresh off of discussions between US and Turkish officials about a joint operation in the ISIS capital of Raqqa, and Turkish statements that Raqqa is the next destination for their invasion force in northern Syria, Kurdish YPG officials are openly talking about fighting against Turkey if they do so.Turkey’s invasion of Syria, which began in August, came with the intention of stopping the Kurds from taking any more land away from ISIS, and the two sides have clashed intermittently since then, usually with Turkish airstrikes hitting Kurdish forces.More: http://news.antiwar.com/2017/02/15/syrian-kurds-vow-to-fight-turkey-if-they-get-close-to-raqqa/
President Masoud Barzani discuss independence 'seriously' with Vice President Pence http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/180220174MUNICH, Germany--President Masoud Barzani "seriously discussed" the issue of Kurdistan independence with the the US Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday in Munich, Barzani's senior advisor, who also attended both leaders' meeting, told Rudaw TV.“The question of Kurdistan’s independence was seriously discussed,” Hemin Hawrami said. “President Barzani discussed this issue with the US Vice President very seriously.”
Iraqi Kurdish TV reporter killed in MosulShifa Gardi, killed by a roadside bomb, is the latest among scores of journalists to fall victim to conflict in Iraq in recent decadesShifa Gardi reporting in Mosul for the Rudaw TV channel (Rudaw)A female reporter working for Iraqi Kurdish channel Rudaw was killed by the explosion of a roadside bomb Saturday during fighting between government forces and militants in Mosul, her channel said."Prominent Rudaw war reporter and journalist Shifa Gardi has been killed in Mosul as she covered clashes," Rudaw said on social media.See More At: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iraqi-kurdish-tv-reporter-killed-mosul-1947006660
To counter Turkey, Damascus sidles up to Kurds[AFP]Sammy KETZAFPMarch 1, 2017A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces, largely made up of US-backed Kurdish fighters, pictured near the village of Bir Fawaz, 20 km north of Raqa, Syria during their offensive on Islamic State group stronghold on February 8, 2017 (AFP Photo/Delil SOULEIMAN)Beirut (AFP) - Worried over Turkish advances in Syria's north, the Damascus regime has formed an alliance of convenience with the country's Kurds to prevent their common enemy from gaining ground.President Bashar al-Assad's government has repeatedly criticised Turkey's operation in Syria, which saw Ankara in late August send troops across the border where they are working with local rebels.Turkey's invasion has also been fiercely opposed by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which is dominated by Kurdish fighters."For the government, just as for the Syrian Kurds, the enemy is (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan. They want to counter his project of invading the border territory," said Waddah Abed Rabbo, editor-in-chief of Syria's Al-Watan daily.Continued: https://www.yahoo.com/news/counter-turkey-damascus-sidles-kurds-155453406.html
Turkey to cut U.S. access to airbase if Washington teams with KurdsMarch 1, 2017 - 17:02 AMTPanARMENIAN.Net - Ankara could forbid Washington from using its Incirlik airbase if the United States cooperates with the Kurdish forces, such as the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Popular Defense Units (YPG), Sputnik reports.The Yeni Safak newspaper reported on Wednesday, March 1, citing own sources, that Ankara could end the permission in case of cooperation between Washington and the Kurds during operations against the Islamic State terrorist group in the area of Raqqa.The newspaper added that Ankara was also considering the possibility to close the country's airspace for U.S. aircraft.The United States, along with several other countries, uses the Incirlik base for aircraft involved in the anti-IS campaign in Syria.Continued: http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/233895/
The Syrian Kurds and Allegations of War CrimesCritics respond to Roy Gutman’s special report on the Syrian Kurdish militia.By Meredith Tax and Roy GutmanFebruary 21, 2017In a two-part investigation for The Nation, published here and here, Roy Gutman has accused the Syrian Kurdish militia, the YPG, of systematically violating human rights in the area it controls. Below is a response from critics, followed by Gutman’s rejoinder.The War of DisinformationBy Meredith Tax, with Joey Lawrence and Flint Arthur Photographer Joey Lawrence, who has spent time embedded in both the Free Syrian Army and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), calls the Syrian civil war “a war of disinformation.” Roy Gutman’s two Nation articles accusing the YPG of war crimes can be seen as a salvo in that war. Gutman charges the YPG with Political expulsions that forced out “Tens, possibly hundreds, of thousands of Arabs” Creating refugees: “over 500,000 Kurds fled rather than submit to YPG rule and abuses” Collusion with ISIS; Gutman sees “a surprising pattern of seeming collaboration between the YPG, ISIS, and the Assad regime with the purpose of expelling moderate rebel forces.” He says that in case after case, ISIS gave villages and cities over to the Kurds without a fight.Continued: https://www.thenation.com/article/the-syrian-kurds-and-allegations-of-war-crimes/
U.S. Should Consider Building a Kurdish Incirlik in Iraqi KurdistanPosted on March 1, 2017 by Editorial Staff in Exclusive, PoliticsA US Air Force boeing at Incirlik, TurkeyThere is one word that explains why the US is a second-rate power in a third rate region dominated by Turkey and the fourth rate government of Iraq. Incirlik.t is time the US builds in Iraqi Kurdistan military air facilities that match or beat what’s available to them in Turkey. Turkey holds all the cards because it can grant or withhold permission to land or take off, using Turkish air space and ground facilities. This means that much of American diplomatic power throughout the Middle East fights with one hand tied behind its back. Turkey is the knot.Iran might not like the idea of Kurdistan hosting a massive US military airbase just the other side of a pomegranate grove. So what. The Iranians aren’t likely to nuke a base where thousands of their tribesmen live and work. We had that war under Saddam. If the US wanted to blow up Iranian nuclear facilities, the weapon would be fired from under a mountain in Montana.Continued: http://ekurd.net/us-building-kurdish-incirlik-2017-03-01
YPG Kurds collaborate with Syria regime over ManbijThe Syrian leftist Kurdish separatist movement, the People’s Protection Units, also known as the YPG, have ceded control of territory around the northern city of Manbij that they currently hold in order to protect themselves against advancing Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) opposition fighters.The Manbij Military Council, part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), that is primarily controlled by the YPG and other Kurdish militants, announced that it had “transferred defence of the frontline” to forces loyal to the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad.According to a statement released by the YPG-controlled group, they had already agreed this move with Russia. This could represent a further conflict between Russia and Turkey, who recently set aside many of their differences over their separate interventions in Syria and the downing of a Russian bomber by the Turkish air force.Continued: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170302-ypg-kurds-collaborate-with-syria-regime-over-manbij/
Analysis - Turkey, U.S. on collision course over Kurdish role in battle for Syria's Raqqa | ReutersReuters Mar, 02 2017 22:06:25 IST#ReutersBy Samia Nakhoul and Nick Tattersall| ANKARA/WASHINGTONANKARA/WASHINGTON Turkey is ruling out compromise with the United States over the involvement of Kurdish militia fighters in an assault in Syria, an obstacle for Washington's plan to deploy its strongest allies on the ground in a decisive showdown with Islamic State.Donald Trump has made defeating Islamic State one of the key goals of his presidency, and his new administration received a draft Pentagon plan on Monday to accelerate the campaign.Raqqa in Syria, one of Islamic State's two de facto capitals along with Mosul in Iraq, is expected to be the scene of the final battle to crush the jihadists' self-proclaimed Caliphate sometime this year, after a U.S.-backed Iraqi government assault on Mosul already under way since October.But putting together a united ground force to take Raqqa has so far proven a confounding task in Syria, where the United States, Turkey, Russia, Iran and Arab states have all backed local forces in a multi-sided civil war since 2011. All the foreign powers oppose Islamic State, but their Syrian proxies have mainly fought against one another.Turkey, with the second largest army in NATO, is adamant that Washington should switch support for the planned Raqqa offensive from the Kurdish YPG militia to Syrian rebels Turkey has trained and led against Islamic State for the past year.For the U.S. administration, nervous about whether the Turkish-backed force is large enough and sufficiently trained, the decision sets Trump's wish for quick battlefield victories against the need to maintain its strategic alliance with Turkey.Ankara views the YPG as the Syrian extension of the Kurdish PKK militant group, which has fought an insurgency in Turkey's southeast since 1984 and is considered a terrorist group by both the United States and European Union."More: http://www.firstpost.com/world/analysis-turkey-u-s-on-collision-course-over-kurdish-role-in-battle-for-syrias-raqqa-reuters-3312004.html
Civil war between Kurds is treason, HDP spokespersonOsman Baydamir, the spokesperson for the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) says a “civil war” between the Kurds is “treason”, and calls for it to stop, in reference to the clashes that erupted between the Kurdish Rojava Peshmerga forces with the Shingal Protections Units (YBS) in Shingal Region on Friday morning. “Civil war is not acceptable,” Bayadamir posted in a tweet. “Civil war is treason for the Kurds. Civil war has to stop.”Live Updates: http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/03032017
Why the battle for Manbij will make or break Trump's relations with TurkeyFriday 3 March 2017 12:28 UTCAnkara's plans for safe zone could see it fighting against US-backed allies in SyriaOn 12 February, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told journalists that the Turkish army will press on to Islamic State-held Raqqa."After Al-Bab is over, our next target will be Manbij and Raqqa," he said. Recently, Turkish armed forces and its allied Free Syrian Army have almost seized full control of the strategic town of Al-Bab in northern Syria. Quote Manbij will serve as the first real test of the alleged change in Washington’s Syrian policy under US President Donald TrumpInitially, Turkey embarked on its “Euphrates Shield” operation to realise three primary objectives: Cleanse the northern stretch of Syria from the blood-soaked cult of IS, which has carried out brutal attacks against Turkish targets not only in Syria but also in Turkey Create a buffer zone along the Turkish-Syrian border provinces Preclude the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) from establishing their autonomous canton on the threshold of TurkeyTurkey views the YPG as an outlawed, aggressive militia and a splinter of the banned PKK, that has waged an armed mutiny against Turkey for over three decades.Continued: http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/battle-manbij-will-decide-trump-s-syria-policy-and-relations-turkey-1244202159
Manbij will serve as the first real test of the alleged change in Washington’s Syrian policy under US President Donald Trump
U.S. forces look on as Turks, Kurds clash in north SyriaPosted on March 4, 2017 by Editorial Staff in 1 Top News, KurdistanUS special operations forces in Syrian KurdistanUS special operations forces in Syrian Kurdistan, May 2016. Photo: AFPMANBIJ, Syrian Kurdistan,— US soldiers aboard Humvee armoured vehicles have been watching from a distance as two of their allies, Turkish-backed forces and a Kurdish-led alliance, battle it out for control of Manbij in Syrian Kurdistan (northern Syria).An AFP correspondent on Friday saw the American soldiers on patrol north of the city of Manbij, just miles from the fierce clashes taking place further west.Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels have tried since Wednesday to capture Manbij, a former bastion of the Islamic State group, now under the control of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance.Continued: http://ekurd.net/us-forces-turks-kurds-syria-2017-03-04
