Protecting the birth of a nation in a dog eat dog environment

Evin Cheikosman

By Evin Cheikosman:

Join the fight or lose the battle. This is the mindset that many Kurdish fighters in countries like Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and even Europe share. According to various news sources, hundreds upon thousands of Kurdish fighters are flocking to northern Syria in efforts to help battle jihadists besieging the Kurdish city of  Kobanê  (Ain al-Arab in Arabic). In fact, as recently as this week, reports have shown that at least 800 Kurds have crossed the Turkish-Syrian border to help their comrades in Kobanê. The situation in Kobanê is brutal, everyday there is news of IS (Islamic State) trying hard to make gains on territory claimed by the Kurds. Kurds in Syria have held claim to large parts of northeastern Syria, including Qamishli and the Rumeilan oilfield. Below you will find two maps that illustrate the areas of Syria that are in the control of what group as of mid-June; however, given the fluctuating advances on territory and instability in this conflict, bits of these territorial gains may be slightly different today.

Areas of Kurdish population

Areas of Kurdish population

Battle for control in Syria

Essentially Kurds in Syria control areas that are crucial to fulfilling IS’ goals. IS has already declared an Islamic State in Iraq, it has captured most of eastern Syria, and it has seized almost all of oil-rich Deir Ezzor province. Its goal now is to connect their Islamic State of Iraq with Syria; to do this they need most of the Kurdish areas, especially Kobanê. Kobanê where about 500.000 Kurds, mainly refugees from other parts of Syria are located, is particularly important because it is located between Raqa — the jihadists’ main bastion — and Aleppo, where IS has made recent advances. Therefore, given the significance of this region of Syria, IS has for the last year been fighting brutally and tirelessly against the Kurds to claim Kobanê along with other Kurdish areas. IS has been using tanks and artillery left behind by Iraqi soldiers when they were running away from IS a month ago. This has given IS a definite leg up in this battle against the Peoples Protection Units (YPG; the Kurdish group mainly fighting against IS), who in comparison to IS, have less advanced weaponry.

For this reason, the YPG in Northern Syria (Rojava in Kurdish) have been calling on Kurds everywhere to join their plight. Here is what one political activist in Kobanê told sources a week ago: “[i]sis have about 5,000 fighters which have been attacking us for the past 13 days using tanks and rockets and American Humvees captured in Iraq…the fighting is very heavy and we have lost three villages we are trying to regain.”

Per a recent statement from Redur Xelil, spokesperson for the YPG: “Our brothers in northern Kurdistan – Turkish Kurdistan – have started a campaign to send youths to Kobanê to defend it…there are some youths who have crossed the border from Turkey to Kobanê who are now in the frontlines alongside the People’s Protection Units…It is all to repel the Islamic State.”

These calls for mobilization start at a crucial time; the Kobanê region initially had a 200.000 population and now because of incoming refugees from other parts of Syria, it is growing by the day. Among this growing population stirs much concern for the fate of the 400 Kurdish hostages taken by IS, including 133 schoolchildren aged between 13 and 14. According to sources, negotiations between Kurds and IS to exchange IS prisoners for the Kurdish school children took place three days ago but failed because IS made an attempt to take more hostages. Many Kurds themselves fear a fate similar or worse to these unfortunate children.

All in all the fate of Kobanê has turned into a mission for Kurds, particularly in Turkey. As I had previously noted, hundreds of Kurds in Turkey are flocking to Kobanê to join arms with the YPG.  This is the result of orders given from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to Kurds in Turkey to help protect Kobanê.

The PKK’s political umbrella group, The Union of Kurdistan Communities (KCK),  issued a statement this past Saturday calling on “all Kurds to head to Kobanê to participate in the resistance and embrace it….the attack on Kobanê was in fact an attack on the whole people of Kurdistan.”

What started out as a plea to oust dictator Assad has become a territorial war between the Kurds in the North, Shias from Lebanon and Iran whom are allied with Assad, and of course the Islamic State which is made up of foreign fighters from all over the world. Groups are battling it out and borders that were set decades ago are being challenged and, as we have seen in Iraq, redrawn! This war within a war, within another war, has essentially been created so as all these different groups of people can lay claims to plots of land that their ancestors had supposedly owned before Europe decided to divide everything up. Now people are dying for control over various enclaves and bargaining with the “enemy” in hopes of ensuring the birth of their own “perfect nation.”

With that said, per statistics from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, here is a quick breakdown of the casualties, hostages, and deaths in Syria:

Overall death toll of 3-year Syria war: 170.000

Breakdown of the 170.000:

  • 56.495 civilian deaths
  • 9.092 children deaths
  • 65.803 regime troops and pro-regime militiamen deaths
  • 46.301 deaths of rebels seeking President Assad’s ouster and members of ISIS
  • 15.422 deaths of non-Syrians who travelled to Syria to join the ranks of jihadists or local Islamists opposition groups.
  • 39.036 deaths of regular troops
  • 24.655 deaths of members of pro-regime militias
  • 509 deaths of fighters from Lebanon’s Hezbollah
  • 1.603 deaths of other non-Syrians fighting on Assad’s side
  • 2.910 unidentified victims
  • 20.000 people detained by the regime were completely unaccounted for
  • 7.000 regime troops held by rebel fighters

It is unfortunate that lives are been taken away and for different causes, most not even to the benefit of the citizens of this great country, Syria. This war will just have to continue until lines drawn in sand are confirmed by “law.”

The Kurds in Northern Syria have been working rather strategically throughout this conflict to advance their hopes of independence, a goal soon to be realized in Iraq. However, Rojava’s fighters, the YPG, are finding it increasingly difficult to defeat the IS while at the same time portraying themselves as the most favorable option for the Middle East to the International community. They have remained neutral throughout; not siding with the Islamists or the “Assad fan club.” To them, it is about ensuring Kurdish culture, Kurdish lives, and a Kurdistan. It is an uphill battle, but what has made Kurds such competent and fearless fighters today are the bloody and difficult challenges they and their ancestors before them had to face. So I end with the following question, which nation of all nations will realize that the pro-democratic force that outsiders to MENA (Middle East and North Africa) have been trying to create all along are the Kurds, and for that, nations should be rushing to the Kurds aid, not hiding behind a cowardly curtain. At this point, it is all or nothing; who we sponsor and who we destroy will have substantial effects on the future and survival of this dog eats dog landscape, MENA.

Evin Cheikosman is a Kurd living in Los Angeles, CA, A recent graduate in International Politics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, she has studied abroad in Berlin, Germany and will soon be traveling to Zhuhai, China on a teaching assignment. Thereafter she will be pursuing a masters degree in foreign affairs. During her free time, Evin posts facts and opinions concerning Kurdish politics on her blog: Minority Politico

One Response to Protecting the birth of a nation in a dog eat dog environment
  1. Baqi
    July 17, 2014 | 13:59

    Latest from South:

    1) All Christians in Iraq will move to Peaceful , tolerant South forever. This would draw more support for Kurds cause across the Christian world in future.

    2) Peace deal with Israel. South will be among one of the 1st Muslim nation to have direct/open diplomatic relation with the state of Israel. Kurdish Jews have embraced the idea and can play a very important role in advocating/influencing Israeli foreign policy in favor of Kurdish nation in all 4 Parts.

    3) There will be a permanent US military base in South to protect Kurds versus any possible invasion by neighboring countries .

    4) Turkmen Front has decided to stay part of South in case Iraq is split.

    Should Barzani wait too long (More than 2 months) its possible that Kurds can waste another peerless historical opportunity. We urged the DFR to mobilize the populace and hold a nationwide demonstration in support of independence. KDP reaction has been passive as of now?

    KIM

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