Germany had previously banned carrying PYD and YPG flags, and now it has come to light that they have given 1 million Euros in total to ENKS. The German government also confirmed that the Dingo type vehicles used by KDP gangs in the Shengal attack was also given to them by Germany. Germany also warned KDP: “Those weapons should be used strictly against ISIS.”

The German Interior Ministry had demanded a ban on flags of Kurdish parties and institutions including PYD, YPG, YPJ PCDK, PJAK, YXK and NAV-DEM in a notice they sent to the states on March 2, 2017. The same day, KDP allied gangs had attacked Khanasor region in YBŞ/YJŞ controlled Shengal.

It later came to light that the weapons the gang group called the “Rojava peshmerga” used in this attack were from the military equipment given to the KDP to “fight ISIS”. The footage shared by the ANF showed two HPG guerrillas standing in front of the “Rojava Peshmergas” gang with German made Dingo type vehicles that belonged to the KDP.

On these developments, Die Linke MPs who have a group in the Federal Assembly had voiced this issue in the parliament. Die Linke had submitted a written inquiry for the government to answer regarding the weapons given to the KDP and “the support provided to the Kurdish opposition in Syria”.

“THE KURDISH ADMINISTRATION SHOULD USE THOSE WEAPONS STRICTLY AGAINST ISIS”

Die Linke MPs Ulla Jelpke, Christine Buchholz, Inge Höger, Andrej Hunko and Martina Renner submitted the inquiry and the German Foreign Affairs Ministry answered it in the name of the federal government headed by Angela Merkel.

In the answer penned on April 24, 2017, the government can be seen given short and “evasive” answers to Die Linke’s questions. The ministry has also left many questions unanswered.

When asked “Does the federal government have any initiatives to investigate the Rojava Peshmergas’ attack on Shengal?” the ministry said “We have no such information at this time.” When asked “Is the Peshmergas’ attack on Shengal legitimate with regard to international law?” the government said “International law deals with relationships between states, but this is an internal issue for Iraq.”

The German Foreign Affairs Ministry answered the question “Are there any inquiries into whether the weapons given to be used in the fight against ISIS are used for other ends?” as:

“The weapons given by the federal government are given in the context of a treaty that includes certain terms. The Regional Kurdish Administration is obliged to use these weapons strictly in the fight against ISIS. This obligation is the fundamental principle of the federal government and the Regional Kurdish Administration working together. The federal government takes the concrete information regarding these weapons being used for other ends or the treaty being violated very seriously. The relevant units will be put into action by the government to investigate this information.”

The Foreign Affairs Ministry also stated that the matter of continuing to work with the Regional Kurdish Administration will also be discussed in case of a violation to the treaty regarding the weapons given to the Peshmerga.

GERMANY: WE GAVE THEM THAT DINGO

The ministry’s answer also confirms that the Dingo type German made armored vehicle that was used in the murder of two HPG guerrillas on March 3, 2017 was one of the vehicles given to the KDP by Germany, but made this comment regarding the “Dingo 1” seen in the video ANF shared: “The video doesn’t show whether the particular vehicle was used in a military attack or not.”

The federal government was asked “What other Dingo type vehicles do the Rojava Peshmergas have?” and the ministry avoided an answer and said: “Giving details on this matter means a violation of the confidentiality principle recognized by the law.” Similarly, the ministry left the question “What efforts is the federal government engaging in to calm the crisis in Shengal?” unanswered.

The answer also included the view, “The Federal Government has no weapons aid to the Rojava Peshmerga whatsoever.”

ENKS WAS GIVEN 211 THOUSAND EUROS TO GO TO GENEVA

Die Linke also asked how much money the German government gave to Siyabend Haco, Foreign Affairs Official for the Syrian National Kurdish Council (ENKS). The German Foreign Affairs Ministry declared that the Europe Kurdish Research Center headed by Haco was given monetary aid for projects that foresaw strengthening the ENKS.

The ministry claimed that the monetary aid was given with the aim to strengthen the Syrian Kurds who are a part of the opposition fighting against the Syrian regime. The Foreign Ministry also declared that the Europe Kurdish Research Center, which has acted like a branch of the ENKS based in Berlin, received a total of 960 thousand Euros from the Federal Government since 2013.

The ministry also published a list of payments made to the ENKS by the German government along with their answer to Die Linke’s inquiry. They also stated that ENKS received 211 thousand Euros in aid for their “diplomacy and public opinion efforts” to be used in the Geneva 3 summit in 2017.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry concluded their answer by saying “Meetings with suitable actors and independent observers are being held regarding the developments in Syria” on the federal government’s meetings with the ENKS.