Footage shows fighters posing with the destroyed statue of Kawa the blacksmith – a famous Kurdish icon associated with Newroz. Video: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) of Turkey has condemned the destruction of Afrin’s Kawa statue by Turkish forces and their Syrian proxies on Sunday.
“Let those looting gangs who think that the blacksmith Kawa is nothing more than a statue know that the Nawroz fire which the blacksmith Kawa burned has been burning for hundreds of years in the Middle East. It illuminates the struggle for freedom and equality of Kurdish people,” the HDP tweeted hours after the fall of Afrin city to Turkish forces and Free Syrian Army (FSA) proxies on Sunday morning.
Operation Olive Branch forces began a heavy bombardment of the city early on Sunday morning and were in control of the center before noon.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared the “good tidings” in an event commemorating the Turkish “victory” over some European powers in World War I, known as the Battle of Canakkale, on Sunday morning.
The most striking moment of the fall of the city was the destruction of a statue depicting the mythical Kurdish figure of the blacksmith Kawa, who, as legend has it, smashed the head of Zuhak with his hammer, ending the king’s tyrannical rule.
In a press conference on Monday, Ayhan Bilgen, spokesperson for HDP, demanded to know from Turkish authorities what they hoped to achieve by destroying Kawa.
“What do you want from the blacksmith Kawa if what you are doing is not intolerance towards Kurds?” asked Bilgen, who explained that under the state of emergency he is unable to talk directly about Afrin.
“Kurds will continue preserving their cultural remains till the end.”
Many western news agencies focused on the destruction of the statue.
The resulting worldwide criticism forced the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) to publish a statement, disowning all such actions.
“From the beginning of the operation, religious and cultural structures, historical monuments and archaeological remains along with the facilities operating in the interest of the public certainly have not been among the targets of the elements of the Turkish Armed Forces,” read the statement published on Sunday afternoon.
“The lives of civilians/innocent people, environment, historical artifacts and religious/cultural structure are inviolable to the Turkish Armed Forces,” the statement added.
“Let those looting gangs who think that the blacksmith Kawa is nothing more than a statue know that the Nawroz fire which the blacksmith Kawa burned has been burning for hundreds of years in the Middle East. It illuminates the struggle for freedom and equality of Kurdish people,” the HDP tweeted hours after the fall of Afrin city to Turkish forces and Free Syrian Army (FSA) proxies on Sunday morning.
Operation Olive Branch forces began a heavy bombardment of the city early on Sunday morning and were in control of the center before noon.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared the “good tidings” in an event commemorating the Turkish “victory” over some European powers in World War I, known as the Battle of Canakkale, on Sunday morning.
The most striking moment of the fall of the city was the destruction of a statue depicting the mythical Kurdish figure of the blacksmith Kawa, who, as legend has it, smashed the head of Zuhak with his hammer, ending the king’s tyrannical rule.
In a press conference on Monday, Ayhan Bilgen, spokesperson for HDP, demanded to know from Turkish authorities what they hoped to achieve by destroying Kawa.
“What do you want from the blacksmith Kawa if what you are doing is not intolerance towards Kurds?” asked Bilgen, who explained that under the state of emergency he is unable to talk directly about Afrin.
“Kurds will continue preserving their cultural remains till the end.”
Many western news agencies focused on the destruction of the statue.
The resulting worldwide criticism forced the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) to publish a statement, disowning all such actions.
“From the beginning of the operation, religious and cultural structures, historical monuments and archaeological remains along with the facilities operating in the interest of the public certainly have not been among the targets of the elements of the Turkish Armed Forces,” read the statement published on Sunday afternoon.
“The lives of civilians/innocent people, environment, historical artifacts and religious/cultural structure are inviolable to the Turkish Armed Forces,” the statement added.
Video shows building the Kawa statue in Afrin in 2016.
Looting
According to photos published by local and international news agencies, Turkish-backed FSA militants looted the city.
The photos show FSA militants carrying foodstuffs, commandeering tractor trailers filled with motorcycles and stealing goats.
Mohammed Aloush, a senior official for Turkish backed FSA, slammed the looting and called it a “moral fall.”
“The looting and theft of private and public property in Afrin was a crime and a moral fall for those who did it. We do not accept injustice and corruption and we must strike hard at the hands of all those who participated in this corruption, which misrepresented the revolution and the Syrians, and [we must] prosecute and punish them immediately, return the rights to their owners, and apologize and compensate them for the damage,” tweeted Aloush on Monday morning.
The Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM) published a statement on Monday vowing to push back the Turkish army and its Syrian proxies.
According to the PKK-linked ANF news agency, TEV-DEM pledged not to allow Turkey to connect Azad and Jarabulus to Idlib - three regions controlled by Turkish-backed Syrian opposition.
Azaz is in northwest of Syria, but Jarabulus and Idlib are in west Syria.
According to photos published by local and international news agencies, Turkish-backed FSA militants looted the city.
The photos show FSA militants carrying foodstuffs, commandeering tractor trailers filled with motorcycles and stealing goats.
Mohammed Aloush, a senior official for Turkish backed FSA, slammed the looting and called it a “moral fall.”
“The looting and theft of private and public property in Afrin was a crime and a moral fall for those who did it. We do not accept injustice and corruption and we must strike hard at the hands of all those who participated in this corruption, which misrepresented the revolution and the Syrians, and [we must] prosecute and punish them immediately, return the rights to their owners, and apologize and compensate them for the damage,” tweeted Aloush on Monday morning.
The Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM) published a statement on Monday vowing to push back the Turkish army and its Syrian proxies.
According to the PKK-linked ANF news agency, TEV-DEM pledged not to allow Turkey to connect Azad and Jarabulus to Idlib - three regions controlled by Turkish-backed Syrian opposition.
Azaz is in northwest of Syria, but Jarabulus and Idlib are in west Syria.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment