Defend Kurdistan initiative calls for action against attacks in South Kurdistan

The "Defend Kurdistan" initiative warns of massive military attacks on the Kurdish liberation movement and calls for action against the war this weekend.

While the whole world is talking about Russia's attack on Ukraine, another aggressor is preparing for its next war. The international initiative Defend Kurdistan pointed to the months-long negotiations between the Turkish government and the KDP in southern Kurdistan, which is dominated by the Barzani clan.

Recently, in Antalya and before that in Munich, a new war of aggression against South Kurdistan was negotiated at the security conference. "The aim is to take the forces of the Kurdish freedom movement in the mountains in a pincer and crush them there," said Defend Kurdistan in an appeal against the war.

The appeal read: "To understand this properly, we need to look a little bit into history and then also look at what has unfolded over the last few months. The Turkish state - with the help of the entire NATO - has always tried to destroy the Kurdish freedom movement because it creates an alternative model of society, as we can see impressively in the form of self-government in northern and eastern Syria. In order to be able to implement this, the West has been training and equipping KDP Peshmerga units for decades. As Kurdish forces that are subordinate to the Iraqi state, they are specifically trying to take action against the freedom movement. This led to the so-called 'fratricidal war' in the 90s, because at that time, the KDP was fighting together with Turkey against the PKK. The end result was thousands of dead. Many people had to fight against their own family members without any development. Especially since then, the Kurdish freedom movement has been working intensively on national unity for all Kurdish parties, in which parties from all over Kurdistan and from the diaspora are taking part. The only one that stands up to it and actively prevents these processes is the KDP.”

“False flag attack” after military failures

The appeal continued: “In the spring of last year, Turkey launched a large-scale invasion attack on southern Kurdistan, which made headlines in the media mainly because the Turkish army used chemical toxins hundreds of times. After they were not able to record any successes despite this, they then tried to involve the KDP in the war. In order to legitimize this, a so-called “false flag attack” took place. A car belonging to the KDP Peshmerga was bombed, killing five people, and attempts were made to blame the PKK. The situation was immensely dangerous. The very moment the KDP's entry into the war seemed more likely, which would have had a devastating result. But the situation changed when people from all over the world went to Southern Kurdistan as part of a peace delegation. The public had suddenly become so large and so international that the KDP could no longer afford to get involved in the war. Eventually, reports emerged that the attack on the car came from an airplane, ruling out the PKK as the aggressor. The war ended soon after and the Turkish army had to withdraw from the area."

A war is to be provoked

The appeal added: "However, a few days ago the statement of an informant from the KDP, which was published on ANF, showed that this plan was not abandoned. Preparations for an invasion attack are in full swing again, with Kanî Masî and Heftanîn cited as the affected areas. They want to take advantage of the fact that the whole world is looking to Ukraine to implement the plan that was foiled last year. A war is to be provoked by forces of the KDP in PKK clothes murdering their own soldiers, by blowing up a pipeline from Southern Kurdistan to Turkey and finally by detonating a car bomb in a city in Southern Kurdistan, which is said to kill several civilians. These attacks should then be blamed on the PKK, so that the KDP is legitimate to start a new war."

Actions against the war at the weekend

The appeal said: “We as Defend Kurdistan, which we founded as an international initiative last year in the course of the war, call on you to take a stand against this war! We call for action against the Turkish invasion from 9 April. We call on all people who oppose war to take to the streets and prevent the next war! Participate in anti-war alliances, find out about Kurdish structures in your places and follow the news! Never again war!"