Agid Civian, the commander of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the Yezidi town of Shingal says their guerrilla forces will remain in the area as long as the Yezidi people need protection.
Civian, whose fighters arrived in Shingal after the invasion of the area by Islamic State (ISIS) militants, told Rudaw in an exclusive interview that despite the town’s liberation, there are still Yezidi areas under ISIS control which justifies PKK's military presence in the region.
Civian added that his group was ready to negotiate with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) about withdrawing from Shingal and other pending issues between the two rivaling parties.
Below is an English translation of the interview.
Rudaw: How long does the PKK intend to stay on Mount Shingal?
Agid Civian: We have been asked this question right from the first day we arrived in Shingal to protect our own people: "When will the PKK leave Shingal?" Our leadership has announced it from the start that the arrival of guerrillas is for the liberation of Shingal. We are here to support South Kurdistan [Kurdistan Region] and our own people. Two years have passed since the Shingal tragedy. We have lost 215 guerrillas and fighters here whom we honor. We also honor the Peshmarga and the Yezidis who were killed here.
To answer your question, we want to stay here until all of Shingal is liberated and rescue the Yezidis who are still in ISIS captivity. We are committed to our pledge. We have carried out half of what we had promised regarding Shingal's liberation and the surrounding areas. But there are still areas that we want to liberate. The KDP also asks us frequently when we would leave the area. Well, the answer is when the entire Shingal is liberated and the Yezidi women are freed, then we will discuss whether we should stay here or not. Our intention to come here was not political even if every party has its own political agenda. But we have not used our presence here for a political goal. We are here on a humanity basis, morality and national duty. We are still committed to what we have said in the past and hope that our people are not left in despair.
So you mean that when Shingal is liberated you will discuss whether or not you leave the area?
We say we will negotiate. The Yezidi community is not like the rest of the Kurdish society. Especially in terms of religion there are differences. So far they have been assaulted as a people 73 times, 65 of the attacks were carried out by the Ottomans. The rest of the attacks were carried out by Sunni Kurds and Arabs. The last one was the ISIS attack. Sadly the Yezidis do not have the capability to defend themselves. They have been accustomed to resort to others for protection. This region was under the Ottoman rule for a very long period. But they were attacked 65 times by them. What we call for now is that the Yezidis should protect their communities without the PKK, the KDP and the PUK.
The PKK has set up a unit called YPS (Shingal Protection Units) for the Yezidis. And the KDP has established the Peshmarga brigade in Shingal. Both parties are Yezidis. Are these two forces unable to protect the Yezidis?
Yes, they could. Let the two units unite. Most of them are Yezidis. We do not deny that we have trained the YPS and we have been fighting the same enemy together. They accept the Leader Apo's [PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan] doctrine. As long as YPS and the Shingal Peshmerga share the same struggle, it does not matter that they have different world views. They have common policies which is in the service of Yezidis. The entire Yezidi community want to protect their own identity. This is why we have spoken to both the KDP and the Kurdish presidency office in regards to our bases here. Not just Shingal, we are ready for talks about all the other issues as well. But unfortunately they have not understood the PKK message well.
What was the answer of the Kurdish presidency to the issues the PKK wants to talk about?
We have met twice at a high level so far. The intentions have been good. But the meetings did not continue, the Turkish government and foreign powers interfered. Now there are people among the Peshmerga who prefer good relations. The Peshmerga are not hostile towards us. There have been some incidents, but we have shown restraint and prevented them from escalating. We support talks and don't want problems.
Is the PKK ready to negotiate with the KDP leadership?
The PKK is ready to talk about all the issues that are relevant, Shingal, Rojava, South Kurdistan, Iranian Kurdistan and other issues. We are ready to talk to all political forces in Kurdistan and especially with the KDP. Whatever is in the best interest of the Kurdish people and whatever is asked of us we are ready to implement. For instance, Leader Apo called for a national congress for all four parts of Kurdistan and suggested Masoud Barzani to lead the congress. The PKK has not rejected that.
How do you view the future of Shingal? The people of the city do not return to their homes because of PKK and KDP. Barzani has suggested a new city be built instead of Shingal and the demolished Shingal be preserved for future generations to see?
We see Barzani's suggestion in two ways. On the one hand, many people have been killed in Shingal. The city was in ISIS control for 11 months. Dozens of Peshmerga, guerrillas and Yezidi fighters have been killed here. Peshmerga and guerrillas have fought against the same enemy on one joint front. There were no differences between the two. The spirit of Peshmerga and guerrilla in Shingal was noble and in the service of the homeland. We too share Barzani's idea that Shingal should become a symbol for Kurdish national unity despite all the differences.
On the other hand, ISIS ruined Shingal, lets keep the city as it is for future generations. We have not said only the guerrillas fought for Shingal, but unfortunately the Peshmerga say they have fought alone. I have suggested to the PKK leadership that Shingal should become a historic site like a museum. Also the Shingal citadel where the Peshmerga fought hard also should be preserved for future generations to see. I think we should preserve the old Shingal and set up a new one on the Shingal mountain which will protect the population from future attacks.
The Iraqi government says they supply the YPS with logistics, weapons and monthly wages. What is the scale of their support?
It is true that the Iraqi government sends aid but it is not for the PKK but for the YPS. Iraq has its own laws. Whoever fights for the Iraqi land will be paid. YPS receives economic aid from the Iraqi government. But the aid is paid infrequently; it's paid some months, but sometimes they don't pay for months or reduce the aid substantially. But the YPS has not received any weapons from the Iraqi government.
Shingal municipality authorities complain that the PKK does not recognize them, how come?
We have seen the head of municipality only on TV. He could come and visit us here once. He has accused us of occupying villages which we in fact liberated. He can meet with the YPS not us, because our partner here is the Peshmerga not him.
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