ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Sixteen Kurdish parties met in Qamishli on Friday, calling on the international community and regional governments to put pressure on Turkey to end attacks on Kurdistan Region’s bordering areas. They also expressed their readiness to have friendly ties with Turkey.
“Turkey claims it attacks [PKK] guerillas in Bashur [Kurdistan Region] but the casualties are civilians. Villages are burned and civilians are killed. This is due to the achievement of Kurdish rights and their victories through their blood,” read a statement from Kurdish parties in Rojava, aligned with the ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD). The statement was read by Mustafa Mashayekh, leader of the Kurdish National Coalition, one of the 16 parties in Rojava.
These parties are gathered in the framework of an umbrella group, Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM), which rules the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES), also called Rojava, by Kurds.
Turkey launched Operation Claw on its borders with Kurdistan Region on May 27, attacking alleged positions of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which it considers a “terrorist organization.” PKK has mostly been on the defensive status in recent clashes.
Turkish aircraft bombardments wounded three Peshmerga fighters in Sedakan in the Kurdistan Region in Iraq on Wednesday while they were attempting to extinguish a fire caused by a previous bombardment, local sources told Rudaw.
The Kurdish parties called on the international community to “stop the attacks of the Turkish regime against Kurdish people and land,” and for the Iraqi government, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and Syrian regime “to do their duties and oppose the attacks.”
Iraq and the KRG have condemned Turkish attacks on the Kurdistan Region and the Syrian regime has condemned Turkish attacks Syrian territories, referring to Rojava-- all considering the act as a “violation” on their sovereignty.
The KRG has also blamed the PKK for cross-border attacks against neighboring Turkey.
Following deadly clashes along the border between Turkey and the Kurdistan Region in March, KRG PM Nechirvan Barzani claimed that Turkey carried out the attacks because of the PKK.
“There is a reason why this is happening. That reason must first be resolved. So long as this reason is not resolved, you cannot talk about the fallout”, Barzani said.
The recent attacks have resulted in land burning in some villages.
A social media page covering local events in Mergasor district on Friday said that “Turkish bombardment has led to the burning of a mountain in Kolaka village in the last few days. The losses increase day after day. Today, due to the bombardment, the corps of some people were burned.”
The page, Sherwani.Net, called on “responsible parties to find a solution to this issue.”
A local source also told Rudaw on Thursday evening that Turkish helicopters bombarded Siran village in Sidakan, burning the land of villagers.
Turkey has also frequently attacked the People’s Protection Units (YPG) – the armed wing of the PYD in Rojava. Turkish forces, alongside its Syrian proxies, took control of Afrin city in March 2018 after a two-month offensive against the group.
The country has also threatened to control the rest of Rojava, claiming it wants to return the land to its original people, referring to Arabs and Turkmens.
Despite their concerns on Turkish “anti-Kurd” policy, the Kurdish parties in Rojava, said that they prefer peace with Turkey.
“We want to have neighborly relations with Turkey and respect each others’ rights".
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