Difference between revisions of "Kurdistan"

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("fewer" than 2 million in Northern Syria)
(A Turkish attack on Afrîn could spark a full-fledged war in Northern Syria)
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Some Kurdish nationalist organisations seek to create an independent nation state consisting of some or all of these areas with a Kurdish majority, while others campaign for greater autonomy within the existing national boundaries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kurdishaspect.com/doc060910SK.html |title=The Kurdish Conflict: Aspirations for Statehood within the Spirals of International Relations in the 21st Century |publisher=Kurdishaspect.com |date= |accessdate=2011-05-13}}</ref><ref>Hamit Bozarslan “The Kurdish Question: Can it be solved within Europe?”, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=AJpvnC54S8EC&pg=PA84 page 84 “The years of silence and of renewal”]'' in Olivier Roy, ed. ''Turkey Today: A European Country?''.</ref>
 
Some Kurdish nationalist organisations seek to create an independent nation state consisting of some or all of these areas with a Kurdish majority, while others campaign for greater autonomy within the existing national boundaries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kurdishaspect.com/doc060910SK.html |title=The Kurdish Conflict: Aspirations for Statehood within the Spirals of International Relations in the 21st Century |publisher=Kurdishaspect.com |date= |accessdate=2011-05-13}}</ref><ref>Hamit Bozarslan “The Kurdish Question: Can it be solved within Europe?”, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=AJpvnC54S8EC&pg=PA84 page 84 “The years of silence and of renewal”]'' in Olivier Roy, ed. ''Turkey Today: A European Country?''.</ref>
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==Invasion by Turkey==
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In January 2018, Turkish troops launched a ground invasion of Afrîn, a Kurdish enclave in Northern [[Syria]]/Rojava, to clear Turkey’s border of fighters who Ankara regards as terrorists posing a threat to its own territorial integrity.<ref>''[https://www.offiziere.ch/?p=31427 "A Turkish attack on Afrin could spark a full-fledged war in Northern Syria"]''</ref> Turkish officials said the ground invasion was being conducted in conjunction with Turkish-backed members of the [[Free Syrian Army]] (FSA) rebel group. Kurdish officials and residents in the Afrîn region reported heavy clashes on several fronts along the Turkish-Syrian border, with artillery fire and air strikes. The Turkish border towns of Reyhanli and Kilis were hit with retaliatory rocket fire, killing one person and injuring 32, according to Turkish media.<ref>''[https://www.ft.com/content/230312de-fea1-11e7-9650-9c0ad2d7c5b5 "Turkey invades Kurdish enclave in Syria"]''</ref>
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===SSK reaction===
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[[Scottish Solidarity with Kurdistan]] (SSK) was quick to react:
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:“[[Turkey]]’s invasion of Afrîn shows what a farce [[NATO]] is. The YPG-led [[Syrian Democratic Forces]] (SDF) are not just the only serious secular, democratic force in Syria, they are a key ally of the UK and the US. Washington and London were more than happy to support the SDF when they alone took the fight to [[Daesh]] and liberated hundreds of thousands of people from their control but now they stand idle whilst another NATO member begins a vicious campaign to destroy the one group with a peaceful roadmap for Syria’s future.
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:"Let’s make no mistake, this invasion is motivated by the Turkish government’s obsessive hatred of the Kurdish people and their fear of an autonomous, Kurdish-led administration on their border. The international community must stand against Turkey’s invasion of Afrîn and make clear our solidarity with the democratic, feminist revolution taking place in Northern Syria/Rojava.”<ref>''[http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2018/01/22/the-importance-of-afrin/ "The Importance of Afrîn"]''</ref>
 
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Revision as of 18:29, 22 January 2018

Concept.png Kurdistan Rdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
Kurdistan 1.jpg
The modern division of Kurdistan
Interest of• Henri Barkey
• Paul Moran

Kurdistan is an historical region of the Middle East extending to Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey.[1]

According to the CIA Factbook, Kurdistan is home today to some 28 million Kurds, of whom 14.5 million are in Southeastern Turkey ("Bakur" or "Northern Kurdistan"), 6 million in Northwestern Iran ("Rojhilat" or "Eastern Kurdistan"), about 5 to 6 million in Northern Iraq ("Başûr" or "Southern Kurdistan") and fewer than 2 million in Northern Syria ("Rojava" or "Western Kurdistan").[2][3][4]

Some Kurdish nationalist organisations seek to create an independent nation state consisting of some or all of these areas with a Kurdish majority, while others campaign for greater autonomy within the existing national boundaries.[5][6]

Invasion by Turkey

In January 2018, Turkish troops launched a ground invasion of Afrîn, a Kurdish enclave in Northern Syria/Rojava, to clear Turkey’s border of fighters who Ankara regards as terrorists posing a threat to its own territorial integrity.[7] Turkish officials said the ground invasion was being conducted in conjunction with Turkish-backed members of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel group. Kurdish officials and residents in the Afrîn region reported heavy clashes on several fronts along the Turkish-Syrian border, with artillery fire and air strikes. The Turkish border towns of Reyhanli and Kilis were hit with retaliatory rocket fire, killing one person and injuring 32, according to Turkish media.[8]

SSK reaction

Scottish Solidarity with Kurdistan (SSK) was quick to react:

“Turkey’s invasion of Afrîn shows what a farce NATO is. The YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are not just the only serious secular, democratic force in Syria, they are a key ally of the UK and the US. Washington and London were more than happy to support the SDF when they alone took the fight to Daesh and liberated hundreds of thousands of people from their control but now they stand idle whilst another NATO member begins a vicious campaign to destroy the one group with a peaceful roadmap for Syria’s future.
"Let’s make no mistake, this invasion is motivated by the Turkish government’s obsessive hatred of the Kurdish people and their fear of an autonomous, Kurdish-led administration on their border. The international community must stand against Turkey’s invasion of Afrîn and make clear our solidarity with the democratic, feminist revolution taking place in Northern Syria/Rojava.”[9]

 

Related Documents

TitleTypePublication dateAuthor(s)Description
Document:How did the US rename a terror group to work with itArticle24 January 2018Murat YetkinSo Mr Tillerson, contrary to what CENTCOM and Brett McGurk keep telling you, the Syrian Democratic Forces are not a “truly multi-ethnic” group of freedom fighters uniting against ISIL barbarism. The handful of Arab tribes in the SDF are there for cosmetic purposes only, as part an effort to cover up cooperation between US forces and a group that your administration official designates a “terrorist group.”
Document:Washington Wants Syria's OilArticle30 August 2017Anna JaungerThe future of Syria and its geopolitical strategic equation will depend on who controls the oil-rich region of Deir al-Zor.
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References

  1. ↑ "Why should Kurdistan become an independent country?"
  2. ↑ Kurdish Awakening: Nation Building in a Fragmented Homeland, (2014), by Ofra Bengio, University of Texas Press
  3. ↑ "The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2005". bartleby.com.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  4. ↑ "The modern division of Kurdistan"
  5. ↑ "The Kurdish Conflict: Aspirations for Statehood within the Spirals of International Relations in the 21st Century". Kurdishaspect.com. Retrieved 2011-05-13.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  6. ↑ Hamit Bozarslan “The Kurdish Question: Can it be solved within Europe?”, page 84 “The years of silence and of renewal” in Olivier Roy, ed. Turkey Today: A European Country?.
  7. ↑ "A Turkish attack on Afrin could spark a full-fledged war in Northern Syria"
  8. ↑ "Turkey invades Kurdish enclave in Syria"
  9. ↑ "The Importance of Afrîn"
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