Syrian Kurds must not fragment after YPG lose Afrin: KRG parties

The main opposition to the Rojava administration is the Kurdistan National Council (ENKS). It is a group of Kurdish parties that are mainly present in the Kurdistan Region, do not enjoy good relations with the Democratic Union Party (PYD), and have little influence in Rojava. 

The ENKS is not part of the Rojava administration system, namely TEV-DEM, which is the ruling coalition of the Northern Syrian Federation, known as Rojava by Kurds. 

The PYD is the dominant force in Rojava. 

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) echoed the sentiment that Rojava authorities must take important political steps to promote unity.

“The PYD is strong to the extent that it does not need military reinforcement. What they have to do currently is take political steps,” PUK spokesperson Saadi Ahmed Pira told Rudaw.

Speaking of the situation in Afrin city, which came under the control of Turkish forces and their Syrian proxies on Sunday, Pira said: “I do not think either the PYD or the Kurdish self-administration rule need military reinforcement to be dispatched from here to there.”

Pira shared his shock at the scenes unfolding in Afrin.
 
“What is happening in Afrin includes the killing of women, children and invasion. They have surpassed all the limits. All the relevant parties must immediately speak up.”

“As the PUK, we are condemning these attacks by Turkey,” he said.

“Wherever Kurds get their heads up, Turkey stands against. In North Kurdistan and West Kurdistan, they did tougher than what Iraq did against the Kurdistan Region. Turkey stands against Kurds. We are condemning any racist acts.”

The Kurdistan Region cannot send armed reinforcements to Afrin to support Kurdish forces defending the canton against Turkish troops and their Syrian proxies, a prominent PUK leader said last week.

Operation Olive Branch forces entered Afrin city center on Sunday morning. The incursion into the northwest Syrian canton, involving Turkish troops and their Syrian proxies, including the Saudi-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA), began on January 20.

Ankara claims it launched the operation with the aim of creating a buffer zone along Turkey’s southern border, pushing back the People’s Protection Units (YPG), Turkey says are affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a named terrorist organization. The groups deny the link.

The YPG claimed on Sunday evening that Afrin city has not fallen to Olive Branch forces, insisting its fighters are still resisted advances in districts of the town. They have pledged to launch a guerrilla campaign to push back the “invasion” and halt what they called the “ethnic cleansing” of Afrin.

Insisting the matter is “related to the politics of the region,” Mala Bakhtiar, head of the executive body of the PUK, explained it is not possible to repeat what happened when Kurds united to defend Kobane from ISIS. 

After receiving approval from Turkey to use its land, the Kurdistan Region sent Peshmerga forces to Kobane, Rojava, in October 2014 to assist the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) battling ISIS. 

Speaking at a press conference in Sulaimani last week with Shahoz Hassan, co-chair of the ruling PYD, Bakhtiar said all three federal governments involved would reject the presence of Peshmerga forces. 

Turkey would not permit Kurdish reinforcements to pass through its territory, Bakhtiar argued, adding that Syria would also reject the move as “it is still a sovereign country,” and Baghdad would also not support it. 

The Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) issued a condemnation of the  takeover of Afrin by Turkey and its Syrian proxies, saying another  “sorrow” had been added to the history of the Kurdish nation during  the month of spring.

“We, from the KIU condemn this catastrophe that has been committed  against our nation and land,” it said.

“Unfortunately, once again and during the month of spring, our nation  in Afrin suffered another plight and, after two months of continued  resistance, the rights and will of our nation became the victim of the  interests of the powerful countries as the international community  turned its back on them,” the KIU said.

“Part of our lands were occupied by Turkish army and some of the  Syrian opposition fighters,” it added.

The largest Kurdish Islamic party in the Kurdistan Region urged the  international community to not remain silent and “reach out to our  nation and solve this issue in a political and humane way.”

Mohammed Amin Penjweni, a Kurdish political figure who’s known to enjoy close ties with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has said “it appears we have not been able to considerably assist Rojava just in order to protect our interests and ties with invading states, especially Turkey.”

Due to limited resources and an imbalance of power, the YPG were unable to protect Afrin.

The Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani governor called on Sunday for three days of mourning across the province “in solidarity with the people of Afrin,” which was seized by Turkey and its Syrian proxies on Sunday.

Haval Abubakir, the Sulaimani governor, announced on Sunday “starting from today until the evening of March 21, 2018, there is going to be a public mourning across the Sulaimani province.”

Abubakir said there would be no public parties during the Newroz festivities in Sulaimani.

“We will turn this year’s Newroz into the Newroz of Support and we will stop Newroz parties and turn it into the Newroz of mourning in solidarity with the people of Afrin,” he said.