KURDISH NEWS BRIEFING, 7 May 2021 – 2 June 2021

Rojava authorities temporarily suspend conscription in Manbij following deadly protests
Land grabbing and privatization in Kurdistan
The Turkish state is forcing the Yazidi people out of their villages in Afrin
Kurdish forces call for support against Turkish warmongering
Turkey suffers military setback amid appeal to stop the genocide of the Kurdish people
Protest calls on US to stop supporting Turkey’s massacre of Kurds
Report: 31 families flee homes in Iraq village due to Turkey operations
Turkey: Erdogan ally drafts new constitution for AK Party to consider

OPINION, COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS

Beyond Rojava: North and East Syria’s Arab Regions
Politician: Anyone who is silent about Turkey’s violations is a partner in these violations
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock – Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria
Turkey destroys church in bombing of Christian village in Iraqi Kurdistan
Abeer Hassaf: Unified Kurdish stance must be taken in face of Turkey’s policies
Kurds describe Turkey’s invasion as ‘the war you don’t see’ as they appeal for international support
Turkish water policy in Syria and Iraq
EXCLUSIVE: Turkey’s interior ministry has suspended security cooperation with US
Sleeper-Cell Report: Number of attacks increase but are less deadly, only one killing in Hol Camp

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NEWS

1. Rojava authorities temporarily suspend conscription in Manbij following deadly protests
2 June 2021|Rudaw
Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria reached a deal with local tribesmen in the city of Manbij on Wednesday to temporarily suspend forced conscription in the city, following days of deadly protests against it, the Manbij Military Council announced. Hundreds took to the streets on Monday, protesting forced conscription of young men and the dire economic condition in the city. The MMC and local tribesmen met on Wednesday to resolve the issue, reaching a deal to suspend forced conscription, release detained protestors and form a committee “to investigate the circumstances in which the shooting took place and to hold everyone involved in it accountable”.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/02062021

2. Land grabbing and privatization in Kurdistan
27 May 2021|ANF English
In search of a solution to the economic crisis in Turkey, the AKP government confiscated public land in the Kurdish provinces of Van, Şırnak and Hakkari and put it up for auction. Contrary to what the regime claims, this land is not lying fallow, but is used collectively by the rural population. The affected fields are 73 in Erçiş, four in Cizre and Şirnak and 96 in Yüksekova.
https://anfenglish.com/ecology/land-grabbing-and-privatization-in-kurdistan-52342

3. The Turkish state is forcing the Yazidi people out of their villages in Afrin
27 May 2021|ANF English
Afrin Yazidi Union co-chair Mistefa Nebo said, “The Turkish state is forcing the Yazidi people out of their villages in Afrin.” After the Turkish state launched brutal attacks on Shengal, it is now trying to complete the projects that ISIS left unfinished. In Afrin and Serekaniye, it continues to impose assimilation and displacement policies towards the Yazidi people. Evaluating the policies of the Turkish state, which is trying to change the demographic structure of the region as a whole, Mistefa Nebo, co-chair of the Afrin Yazidi Union, told ANHA that the Turkish state is trying to destroy all ideas of freedom.
https://anfenglish.com/rojava-syria/the-turkish-state-is-forcing-the-yazidi-people-out-of-their-villages-in-afrin-52341

4. Kurdish forces call for support against Turkish warmongering
23 May 2021|Morning Star
Kurdish forces called for international solidarity against Turkish warmongering activities today which they said are being carried out on behalf of imperialist powers, including Nato. Kurdistan Communities Union spokesman Mustafa Karasu appealed to all workers and those who believe in democracy to stand with the Kurdish people against Turkey’s illegal invasion and occupation of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/kurdish-forces-call-for-support-against-turkish-warmongering

5. Turkey suffers military setback amid appeal to stop the genocide of the Kurdish people
19 May 2021|Morning Star
Fighting intensified in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq today as Turkey’s genocide operation hit a setback. A military base in Diyarbakir was targeted in the early hours, but Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu was quick to respond, saying that two drones had been “neutralised” in an attack on the base in the largely Kurdish city in Turkey’s south-east.
https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/turkey-suffers-military-setback-amid-appeal-stop-genocide-kurdish-people-0

6. Protest calls on US to stop supporting Turkey’s massacre of Kurds
18 May 2021|Green Left
A protest at Sydney Town Hall on May 16 called on the US President Joe Biden to break from the reactionary policies of the previous Donald Trump administration and stop supporting Turkey’s massacre of Kurds. Gule Rose, co-chair of the Democratic Kurdish Community Centre (NSW), the protest organisers, said that after Biden’s phone call with Turkish dictator Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on April 23, the Turkish army launched an invasion into Iraqi territory with air and ground attacks on the Metine, Zap and Avashin areas in northern Iraq (Southern Kurdistan).
https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/protest-calls-us-stop-supporting-turkeys-massacre-kurds

7. Report: 31 families flee homes in Iraq village due to Turkey operations
8 May 2021|Middle East Monitor
Residents of Kista village in northern Iraqi Kurdistan’s Dohuk governorate have allegedly fled their homes due to Turkish operations in the area, a local Iraqi news website reported on Friday. The news website claimed that the residents of the village of Kista left their homes at night, fearing the increasing Turkish strikes against the village. One of the residents told the news website that 31 families have so far left their homes, noting that the families do not know where to go.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210508-report-31-families-flee-homes-in-iraq-village-due-to-turkey-operations/

8. Turkey: Erdogan ally drafts new constitution for AK Party to consider
5 May 2021|Middle East Monitor
A nationalist ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that his party has drafted a new constitution for the country that envisages an overhaul of the judiciary, Anadolu has reported. Devlet Bahceli said that the draft would soon be presented to Erdogan’s ruling AK Party for discussion.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210505-turkey-erdogan-ally-drafts-new-constitution-for-ak-party-to-consider/

OPINION, COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS

1. Beyond Rojava: North and East Syria’s Arab Regions
2 June 2021|Rojava Information Center
With the fall of ISIS’ caliphate and as it goes through a trough in Turkey’s periodic attacks, NES’ flashpoint today are the recently liberated Arab regions of Manbij, Tabqa, Raqqa & Deir ez-Zor. A political system once inseparable from the Kurdish struggle, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria now has to serve the Arabs of North East Syria, which today make up a majority of the population. A new report by the Rojava Information Center explores the integration of the Arab regions through the lens of political, economic and military structures, security, oil, justice, education, health, women’s organization and more. It finds both reasons for cautious optimism, as well as areas in grave need of reform.
https://rojavainformationcenter.com/2021/06/beyond-rojava-north-and-east-syrias-arab-regions/

2. Politician: Anyone who is silent about Turkey’s violations is a partner in these violations
27 May 2021|Hawar news Agency
The politician Muslim Abbas said that the Turkish State is launching its attacks on the lands of Southern Kurdistan, in front of the eyes of the regional government, stressing on all Kurdish forces to support their people and work for the Kurdish cause. The administrator in the Political Office of the Kurdistan Democratic Peace Party, Muslim Abbas, talked to ANHA agency about the objectives of the Turkish Occupation and its attacks on defence zones.
https://www.hawarnews.com/en/haber/politician-anyone-who-is-silent-about-turkeys-violations-is-a-partner-in-these-violations-h24868.html

3. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock – Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria
26 May 2021|UN Office for The Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs via ReliefWeb
Reduced water levels in the Euphrates since January reached a critical point this month, Mark Lowcock told the Security Council. Nearly 5.5 million people in Syria rely on the Euphrates and its subsidiaries for drinking water. There are about 200 water stations that pump, treat and deliver the water to those people which can’t function without electricity from the Tishreen and Tabqa dams. In addition to the water pumping stations, some 3 million people would lose their electricity if the dams shut down, as would hospitals and other vital infrastructure across the northeast, said Lowcock. A total shutdown of the Tishreen dam could cause internal flooding and long-term damage. Wide-ranging knock-on impacts on agricultural production and public health would also be inevitable, he warned.
https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/under-secretary-general-humanitarian-affairs-and-emergency-relief-115

4. Turkey destroys church in bombing of Christian village in Iraqi Kurdistan
26 May 2021|Morning Star
Turkish forces destroyed a church and several buildings in a bombing raid on a Christian village in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, officials confirmed today. The village of Miska in the Amedi district of Duhok province was the latest target of Turkish air strikes, which also damaged other buildings and destroyed trees. One villager said that most of the inhabitants had been forced to flee and that the “people were terrified.” At least three villages have now been abandoned due to the incessant bombing, with the last four families leaving Edine on Tuesday.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/turkey-destroys-church-bombing-christian-village-kurdistan-it-faces-fierce-resistance

5. Abeer Hassaf: Unified Kurdish stance must be taken in face of Turkey’s policies
26 May 2021|Hawar news Agency
Abeer Hassaf said that Turkey’s primary goal of continuing attacks on legitimate defense zones is the elimination of the Kurds, the end of Kurdistan and the fulfillment of the Millî Pact project, stressing the need for a unified Kurdish position by the Kurdish parties.
https://www.hawarnews.com/en/haber/abeer-hassaf-unified-kurdish-stance-must-be-taken-in-face-of-turkeys-policies-h24850.html

6. Kurds describe Turkey’s invasion as ‘the war you don’t see’ as they appeal for international support
24 May 2021|Morning Star
Kurdish villagers appealed to the world to raise their voices against Turkey’s genocidal attacks today, describing the latest invasion in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) as “the war you don’t see.” Speaking to the Morning Star from the village of Keste, the scene of heavy fighting between Turkish soldiers and guerrilla fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party, Heval Ako said that he and his family were under constant bombardment.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/kurds-describe-turkeys-invasion-war-you-dont-see-they-appeal-international-support

7. Turkish water policy in Syria and Iraq
22 May 2021|Women Defend Rojava
In light of the conditions that Syria is currently facing, water has been cut off from North-east Syria and Iraq, and a policy is being pursued to starve and dehydrate millions of innocent civilians. This is not only happening on top of the current political conflicts in the region and its associated inhospitable living conditions but amidst the corona pandemic–all of which is taking place in front of the international community. While this is happening, the international community has not lifted a finger, but rather continues to remain silent.
https://womendefendrojava.net/en/2021/05/22/turkish-water-policy-in-syria-and-iraq/

8. EXCLUSIVE: Turkey’s interior ministry has suspended security cooperation with US
21 May 2021|Middle East Eye
Suleyman Soylu, Turkey’s interior minister, has gradually ended all practical cooperation between Turkish security forces and the US government since he entered office in 2016, Middle East Eye can reveal. Soylu has suspended joint training and programmes between Turkish and American police forces, denied early US access to Turkish police intelligence on suspects, and refused to share information regarding ongoing Turkish investigations with American counterparts, a Turkish official told MEE.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-turkey-interior-ministry-suspended-security-cooperation

9. Sleeper-Cell Report: Number of attacks increase but are less deadly, only one killing in Hol Camp
10 May 2021|Rojava Information Center
The Hol Camp operation, which mobilized around 6000 Asayish and SDF members and lead to a total of 158 arrests, seems to have had a significant impact on deadly attacks inside the camp. As number of deaths had soared since the beginning of the year, the fact that only one confirmed killing happened in April can be seen as a successful result of the operation. The deadly attack killed one Iraqi woman and injured two more people. The 17 further arrests in Hol Camp carried out after the closure of the operation included an expert in IED construction who was also involved in organizing sleeper cell attacks.
https://rojavainformationcenter.com/2021/05/sleeper-cell-report-number-of-attacks-increase-but-are-less-deadly-only-one-killing-in-hol-camp/

Peace in Kurdistan

Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish Question

Email: estella@gn.apc.org

https://www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peaceinkurdistan1/

Contacts Estella Schmid: 07846 666 804 & Melanie Gingell: 07572 430903

Patrons: John Austin, Baroness Blower of Starch Green, former GS NUT, Prof Bill Bowring, Julie Christie, Noam Chomsky, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Prof Mary Davis, Lord Dholakia, Simon Dubbins, UNITE International Director, Jill Evans, former MEP, Desmond Fernandes, Lindsey German, Convenor STWC, Melanie Gingell, Christopher Gingell, Prof Dr. Michael Gunter, Secretary-General, EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC), Rahila Gupta, journalist, Nick Hildyard, policy advisor, Dafydd Iwan, Former President Plaid Cymru, James Kelman, Bruce Kent, Jean Lambert, former MEP, Dr Les Levidow, Open University, Elfyn Llwyd, John McDonnell MP; Aonghas MacNeacail, Scottish Gaelic poet, Mike Mansfield QC, David Morgan, journalist, Doug Nicholls, General Secretary, GFTU, Dr. Jessica Ayesha Northey, Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy, Dr Thomas Jeffrey Miley, Kate Osamor MP, Margaret Owen OBE, Ali Gul Ozbek, Former Councillor and Mayor of Haringey; Gareth Peirce, Dr Felix Padel, Maxine Peake, actor, Dr Thomas Phillips, Liverpool John Moores University, Trevor Rayne, writer, Joe Ryan, Tony Simpson, Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, Stephen Smellie, PIK Trade Union Liaison Officer, Jonathan Steele, journalist, Steve Sweeney, journalist, Gianni Tognoni, General Secretary Permanent People’s Tribunal, Dr Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Dr Federico Venturini, Associate Researcher, University of Udine, Italy; Dr Tom Wakeford, Dr Derek Wall, Julie Ward, former MEP, Kariane Westrheim, Chair, EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC); Hywel Williams MP.