KCK Executive Council Co-president Cemil Bayık told religious leaders from South Kurdistan that they would continue to protect the Kurdish people as long as the ISIS threat existed, adding that parties in the south that were uncomfortable with the presence of the guerrillas should not be concerned. He said: “We do not want to take power, we want our people to govern themselves. That is what we are striving for.”

KCK Executive Council Co-president Cemil Bayık and council member Sabri Ok received religious leaders in Kandil. The religious leaders asked for the guerrillas to stay in South Kurdistan. 

The religious leaders appealed to all the Kurdish parties to come together and hold a national congress, asking the southern parliament and media not to discriminate between the guerrillas and the peshmerga. They also called on all Kurdish parties to struggle for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan.

We took a historic, national decision to send the guerrillas

Cemil Bayık said that when ISIS attacked the people they had taken a historic decision to send guerrillas, despite the fact ISIS had occupied many places. Bayık gave the example of Sinjar, saying: “Our Yazidi people were face to face with a massacre. We could not stand idly by. The guerrillas fought their way to Mount Sinjar. The guerrillas are here to defend the people. If ISIS had achieved its aim, no party in Kurdistan would have been able to claim it represented the Kurds.”

Bayık commented on negative comments in South Kurdistan regarding the presence of guerrillas, stressing that the guerrillas had prevented a massacre taking place. “Some parties say the PKK is occupying South Kürdistan, but we proposed prior to the attacks to send guerrillas to Sinjar, Kirkuk and Makhmur, saying ‘ISIS will attack,’ but unfortunately the KDP and PUK did not accept our proposal. They said there was no need for us.” Bayık added that these parties had been unable to protect the people of Sinjar.

The guerrillas did not allow Hewler to fall

Cemil Bayık added that there had been a real possibility that Hewler (Erbil) would fall, adding that the guerrillas had not permitted this, and had also gone to help in the defence of Kirkuk.

Bayık said there had been a misunderstanding over the Yazidis establishing their own assembly in Sinjar. “The KDP claimed the PKK was dividing South Kurdistan, but in fact the PKK has never thought of splitting Sinjar from South Kurdistan. This is incitement,” he added.

Our guerrillas will do whatever the people want

Bayık called on the KDP to back up their claims that the PKK was terrorist with proof. He said that they would withdraw guerrillas if the people thought they were doing any harm. However, he said that on the contrary the people wanted them to stay. “They say: ‘The guerrillas must stay, they are protecting us.’ As long as the ISIS threat exists, we will stay. This is what the people want,” he said.

Cemil Bayık concluded by saying they wanted a national congress to take place. “A national congress is essential for the freedom of Kurdistan. A national congress would benefit the Kurds. All the parties should get together and establish a joint military force. If we can achieve this we will have done a great service for our people,” he said.