NEWS
1. If we increase solidarity, there won’t be any tyranny left
2. YPG Afrin command: We call on all to take part in the historical resistance against attacks
3. Turkey steps up attacks on Kurdish positions in northern Syria
4. World silence about the Turkish attacks will have drastic consequences
5. Guerillas and peshmergas carry out joint operation against ISIS in Kirkuk
6. ‘Attacks of the Turkish state and affiliate gang groups repelled’
7. Syrian Democratic Forces to combat ISIS on Iraqi border: spokesman
8. Karayılan: We will have an active position in the Mosul operation
9. Guerillas and peshmergas carry out joint operation against ISIS in Kirkuk
10. Turkey bombs Syrian Kurdish militia allied to US-backed force
11. Turkish-backed rebels and Kurds battle it out in northern Aleppo as ISIS retreats
12. If It’s Liberated, Mosul Won’t Be Safe for Minorities Unless It Adopts Grassroots Democracy
13. From Mosul to Raqqa? A complex, risky battle against IS
14. Daesh Launches Offensive on Kurds in Aleppo After Alleged Coalition Airstrike
15. While media outlets focus on the Mosul Offensive, Turkey and Syria set their sights on Kurds
16. What happened in Northern Kurdistan in 9 months?

OPINION, COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS
1. TURKEY’S DEMOCRACY IS CURRENTLY LOSING ITS WAY
2. What if the PKK wins in Turkey?
3. US Allies are Funding ISIS (and Hillary Knew All Along)
4. An Urgently Necessary Briefing on Syria
5. Britain’s Seven Covert Wars: RAF Drones, Embedded SAS Forces
6. The “Salafist Principality” – ISIS Paid Off To Leave Mosul, Take
Deir Ezzor?
7. Power struggle erupts in Turkey’s security structure
8. Turkey’s Intentions in Iraq and the Battle for Mosul
9. Third World War Because of Syria – Just Talk

NEW PUBLICATION
KURDISTAN RISING?

 CONFERENCE RESOLUTION
Women in War Resolution Passed in Yerevan on September 19 2016

 ACTION
Turkey: Day of Action Today #FreeThemAll

—————————

NEWS
1. If we increase solidarity, there won’t be any tyranny left
21 October/Anf News
Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Ankara MP Sırrı Süreyya Önder held a press conference in his party’s headquarters today regarding the political genocide operations.
http://anfenglish.com/news/onder-if-we-increase-solidarity-there-won-t-be-any-tyranny-left

2. YPG Afrin command: We call on all to take part in the historical resistance against attacks
20 October/ANHA News Agency
 The YPG General Command of the Afrin canton released a statement on recent Turkish attacks on the Shahba region and Afrin on Thursday. “We call on all the people to support the YPG fighters in the defense of the region against the Daesh gangs, their supporter Turkey and all other threats during this historical resistance”, the statement said on attacks from the Turkish army, its allied groups and ISIS.
http://en.hawarnews.com/ypg-afrin-command-we-call-on-all-to-take-part-in-the-historical-resistance-against-attacks/

3. Turkey steps up attacks on Kurdish positions in northern
Syria
20 October/ARA News
The Turkish military and allied rebel factions on Thursday launched an offensive against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria’s northern Aleppo Governorate.
http://aranews.net/2016/10/turkey-steps-attacks-kurdish-positions-north-syria/

4. World silence about the Turkish attacks will have drastic consequences
20 October/ANHA News Agency
Officials in Rojava and north Syria said that Turkish attacks against Shahba areas aim to defend the presence of mercenaries, as well as a reaction to Turkey not participating in Mosul offensive, the officials said” the international silence will lead to disastrous results” officials in Rojava and north Syria wrote on twitter about Turkish attacks against Shahba area and Afrin canton.
http://en.hawarnews.com/world-silence-about-the-turkish-attacks-will-have-drastic-consequences/

5. Guerillas and peshmergas carry out joint operation against ISIS in Kirkuk
21 October/ANF News
Guerillas and peshmergas carried out a joint operation against ISIS gangs that had attacked Kirkuk this morning, and took control of Karatepe village after intense clashes. Clashes continue near the old police headquarters, hotel and mosque in Kirkuk city center, and guerillas and peshmergas continue to tighten the circle around ISIS gang groups.
http://anfenglish.com/kurdistan/guerillas-and-peshmergas-carry-out-joint-operation-against-isis-in-kirkuk

6. ‘Attacks of the Turkish state and affiliate gang groups repelled’
21 October/ANF News
Jabhat al-Akrad issued a statement on the attacks of the Turkish army and affiliate gang groups, and said “Our forces repelled the attacks of ISIS and Euphrates Shield gangs that operate under the protection of Turkish warplanes and artillery. After their defeat, the Turkish army deployed tanks to northern Aleppo to protect groups such as Feyleq al-Sham, Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat al-Shamiye.”
http://anfenglish.com/kurdistan/attacks-of-the-turkish-state-and-affiliate-gang-groups-repelled

7. Syrian Democratic Forces to combat ISIS on Iraqi border: spokesman
20 October/ARA News
The pro-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will continue their operations against Islamic State (ISIS), regardless of what transpires in the battle for Mosul. In an interview with ARA News on Wednesday, Commander Talal Silo, an official SDF spokesman, also said that the SDF intends to police the Syrian-Iraqi border in order to catch fleeing jihadists.
http://aranews.net/2016/10/syrian-democratic-forces-combat-isis-iraqi-border-official/

8. Karayılan: We will have an active position in the Mosul operation
20 October/ANF News
Karayılan said that the Kurds have a fragmented approach towards the Mosul operation, and that this was a great risk. Murat Karayılan said they were in contact with “respective forces” and that there was basis for their participation in the operation.
http://anfenglish.com/features/karayilan-we-will-have-an-active-position-in-the-mosul-operation

9. Guerillas and peshmergas carry out joint operation against ISIS in Kirkuk
21 October/ANF News
Guerillas and peshmergas carried out a joint operation against ISIS gangs that had attacked Kirkuk this morning, and took control of Karatepe village after intense clashes.
http://anfenglish.com/kurdistan/guerillas-and-peshmergas-carry-out-joint-operation-against-isis-in-kirkuk

10. Turkey bombs Syrian Kurdish militia allied to US-backed force
20 October/The Daily Star
Turkish air strikes pounded a group of Kurdish fighters allied to a U.S.-backed militia in northern Syria overnight, highlighting the conflicting agendas of NATO members Ankara and Washington in an increasingly complex battlefield.
https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Oct-20/377315-turkey-kills-160-to-200-syrian-kurdish-militants-in-airstrikes.ashx

11. Turkish-backed rebels and Kurds battle it out in northern Aleppo as ISIS retreats
19 October/Al Masdar News
Following a rebel request for Kurdish forces to conduct a complete withdrawal from Tall Rifaat yesterday, clashes have now erupted between the Kurdish YPG and Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions in the northern countryside of Aleppo. https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/turkish-backed-rebels-kurds-battle-northern-aleppo-isis-retreats/

12. If It’s Liberated, Mosul Won’t Be Safe for Minorities Unless It Adopts Grassroots Democracy
19 October/Huffington Post
Diversity is what defined the land that is now Nineveh Province and its capital city, Mosul, for thousands of years. Like other parts of the Middle East, it is historically multi-ethnic and multi-religious. While many of those who now fight hard to kick the so-called Islamic State out of Mosul pay lip service to the beauty of this cultural richness, their proposals for governance of the region after ISIS are merely scenarios for more ethnic and religious strife. A more logical solution, put into practice already in northern Syria, is hardly ever discussed.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mosul-minorities-democracy_us_58077720e4b0dd54ce367229

12. If It’s Liberated, Mosul Won’t Be Safe for Minorities Unless It Adopts Grassroots Democracy
19 October/The Washington Post
Simultaneous attacks on the Islamic State-held cities of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa, the de facto capital of the militant group’s self-proclaimed caliphate across the border in Syria, would make military sense: such assaults would make it harder for the extremists to move reinforcements and deny them a safe haven.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/from-mosul-to-raqqa-a-complex-risky-battle-against-is/2016/10/19/728a3d3e-95cd-11e6-9cae-2a3574e296a6_story.html

13. From Mosul to Raqqa? A complex, risky battle against IS
19 October/The Washington Post
Simultaneous attacks on the Islamic State-held cities of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa, the de facto capital of the militant group’s self-proclaimed caliphate across the border in Syria, would make military sense: such assaults would make it harder for the extremists to move reinforcements and deny them a safe haven.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/from-mosul-to-raqqa-a-complex-risky-battle-against-is/2016/10/19/728a3d3e-95cd-11e6-9cae-2a3574e296a6_story.html

14. Daesh Launches Offensive on Kurds in Aleppo After Alleged Coalition Airstrike
21 October/Sputnik News
Daesh terrorists have launched an offensive on Kurds’ positions to the North of Aleppo following alleged airstrikes by US-led coalition aircraft, Kurdish militia told Sputnik.
“Daesh terrorists started attacks on the positions of Kurdish fighters in Hassajek after US-led coalition airstrikes. The attacks were repelled, but fighting to the south of the village continues,” a source in the Kurdish militia said.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201610191046504149-aleppo-after-coalition-strike-daesh-offensive/

15. While media outlets focus on the Mosul Offensive, Turkey and Syria set their sights on Kurds
19 October/The Canary
International media attention is currently focused on the offensive launched against the Daesh (Isis/Isil) stronghold of Mosul in Iraq; and on the looming humanitarian disaster there. Turkey and Syria, meanwhile, appear to have their sights set on Kurdish communities, which have been some of the most effective opponents of Daesh in recent years.
http://www.thecanary.co/2016/10/19/while-media-outlets-focus-on-the-mosul-offensive-turkey-and-syria-set-their-sights-on-kurds/

16. What happened in Northern Kurdistan in 9 months?
19 October/ANF English
Human Rights Association (İnsan Hakları Derneği – İHD) Amed Branch have announced their report on the human rights violations in the first 9 months of 2016 in Northern Kurdistan in the association’s headquarters.
http://anfenglish.com/human-rights/what-happened-in-northern-kurdistan-in-9-months


OPINION, COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS
1. TURKEY’S DEMOCRACY IS CURRENTLY LOSING ITS WAY
18 October/NewsWeek
Human Rights Association (İnsan Hakları Derneği – İHD) Amed Branch have announced their report on the human rights violations in the first 9 months of 2016 in Northern Kurdistan in the association’s headquarters.
http://europe.newsweek.com/turkey-turkey-coup-erdogan-kurds-democracy-transparency-secularism-510776?rm=eu

2. What if the PKK wins in Turkey?
17 October/AEI .Org
Wars are easy to initiate, but far harder to end. The Vietnam War turned into a morass. Ahead of the Iraq War, former Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke of the “Pottery Barn rule,” that is, “you break it, you own it.” The Soviet Union never expected defeat at the hands of the Afghan mujahedeen and the Taliban are now on the offensive in Afghanistan which, at fifteen years, is now America’s longest war.
http://www.aei.org/publication/what-if-the-pkk-wins-in-turkey/

3. US Allies are Funding ISIS (and Hillary Knew All Along)
17 October/Counter Punch
It is fortunate for Saudi Arabia and Qatar that the furore over thesexual antics of Donald Trump is preventing much attention being given to the latest batch of leaked emails to and from Hillary Clinton. Most fascinating of these is what reads like a US State Department memo, dated 17 August 2014, on the appropriate US response to the rapid advance of Isis forces, which were then sweeping through northern Iraq and eastern Syria.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/10/17/us-allies-are-funding-isis-and-hillary-knew-all-along/

4. An Urgently Necessary Briefing on Syria
14 October/Counter Punch
Syria is country about the size of Washington state, with an extraordinarily long, well-documented and glorious history, and central role in the emergence of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Before the current war, it had a population of around 22 millions. It has never threatened and poses no threat to the United States.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/10/14/an-urgently-necessary-briefing-on-syria/

5. Britain’s Seven Covert Wars: RAF Drones, Embedded SAS Forces
15 October/Global Research
Britain is fighting at least seven covert wars in the Middle East and North Africa, outside of any democratic oversight or control. Whitehall has in effect gone underground, with neither parliament nor the public being allowed to debate, scrutinise or even know about these wars.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/britains-seven-covert-wars-raf-drones-embedded-sas-forces-training-of-jihadists/5551086

6. The “Salafist Principality” – ISIS Paid Off To Leave Mosul, Take Deir Ezzor?
12 October/Moon of Alabama
On September 20 I wrote about the likely reason for the willful U.S. bombing attack on a critical Syrian army position in Deir Ezzor: Two recent attacks against the Syrian Arab Army in east-Syria point to a U.S. plan to eliminate all Syrian government presence east of Palmyra. This would enable the U.S. and its allies to create a “Sunni entity” in east-Syria and west-Iraq which would be a permanent thorn in side of Syria and its allies. 
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2016/10/the-salafist-principality-isis-paid-off-to-leave-mosul-and-to-take-deir-ezzor.html

7. Power struggle erupts in Turkey’s security structure
12 October/Al Monitor
Following the July 15 coup attempt, 93,000 civil servants were suspended from their duties in many of Turkey’s public institutions; investigations are ongoing for 40,000 of them. The key question now is who will fill those vacancies, especially in the military and intelligence bureaucracies.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/10/turkey-power-struggle-between-islamists-and-secularits.html#ixzz4NjW10tjo

  1. Turkey’s Intentions in Iraq and the Battle for Mosul
    13 October/Lobe Log
    Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has warned Turkey that if it keeps its forces in Iraq, it will risk “regional war,” especially if continues to train Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) Peshmerga forces. Spokespersons for the KRG came to Ankara’s defense saying that Turkey’s troops and actions were based on prior agreements between Ankara and Erbil.
    http://lobelog.com/turkeys-intentions-in-iraq-and-the-battle-for-mosul/#print

    9. Third World War Because of Syria – Just Talk
    13 October/Sputnik
    Do you think that anti-Russian hysteria is being whipped up to get us all ready for new US involvement in Syria?
    “No I don’t think so, this is just how the press operates. Frankly, if you are implying that the US has some kind of plan I would have to disagree completely, because in the Obama administration, in regards to Syria, there is no strategy or long-term thinking whatsoever.”
    https://sputniknews.com/radio_level_talk/201610131046292567-third-world-war-because-of-syria-just-talk/

    NEW PUBLICATION
    KURDISTAN RISING?
    Although the prospect of Kurdish independence appeared remote a decade ago, events have converged to offer Kurds an unprecedented opportunity toward statehood. This project investigates the ongoing evolution of Kurdish nationalism and presents policymakers with an informed overview of the national security challenges emanating from Kurdish territory in four countries: Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. Kurdish nationalism ultimately touches on multiple dimensions of American foreign policy, presenting challenges to the stability of the Middle East and to American interests in that region.
    https://www.aei.org/spotlight/kurdistan-rising/

    CONFERENCE RESOLUTION
    Women in War Resolution Passed in Yerevan on September 19 2016
    21 October/Peace in Kurdistan
    After lengthy discussions about the grave, long-term transgenerational consequences of all acts of genocide and mass violence, we the undersigned, international scholars, academics, activists, lawyers, writers, artists, all recognized specialists in our respective fields, condemn all attempts of eradication of an entire ethnic and or religious group by another, through violence, persecution, repression and censorship.
    https://peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/2016/10/21/women-in-war-resolution-passed-in-yerevan-on-september-19-th-2016/

ACTION
Turkey: Day of Action Today #FreeThemAll
20 October/European Journalists.org
Ninety journalists are currently in jail in Turkey for doing their job. Critical voices must not be silenced!

Today, on Friday 21, world journalists will sponsor journalists in jail in Turkey in a show of solidarity. Take action!
http://europeanjournalists.org/blog/2016/10/20/turkey-day-of-action-today-freethemall/

EVENTS
Revolutions in Rojava and `beyond- Perspectives on Democratic Transformations
21 October/Peace in Kurdistan
Short films +Discussion with Janet Biehl, Ercan Ayboga and Dilar Dirik.
https://peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/rojava_revolution_a4-1.pdf

 

 

Peace in Kurdistan
Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish Question
Email: estella24@tiscali.co.uk <estella24@tiscali.co.uk>
www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.com
Contacts Estella Schmid 020 7586 5892 & Melanie Gingell – Tel: 020 7272 7890

Patrons: Lord Rea, Lord Dholakia, Baroness Sarah Ludford, Jill Evans MEP, Jean Lambert MEP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Hywel Williams MP, Kate Osamor MP, Elfyn Llwyd, Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy, John Austin, Christine Blower, NUT International Secretary,  Simon Dubbins. UNITE International Director Bruce Kent, Gareth Peirce, Julie Christie, Noam Chomsky, John Berger, Margaret Owen OBE, Prof Mary Davis, Dr Thomas Jeffrey Miley, Mark Thomas, Nick Hildyard, Stephen Smellie, Derek Wall, Melanie Gingell