MESOP : PKK TRIED TO BE INVOLVED IN STRATEGIES OF U.S. IMPERIALISM / REVOLUTIONARY OPPORTUNISM

PKK Fails in Bid to Secure US Military Support

“One of the PKK wings headed by the Kurdistan Group of Communities in Kurdistan (KCK) co-chief Cemil Bayık, has ties with Syria and Iran and therefore arming them would present a threat to US allies, especially Israel,” sources stated

16.09.2014 – Shwan Barzinji – BasNews, Erbil – On Sept 11th United States President Barack Obama set out the US strategy to tackle IS militants. According to BasNews sources, he revealed that the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has shown an interest in being part of the plan; however, other sources point out that the USA has no interest in having the PKK participate in any military operations or arming them.

“America and European countries aren’t ready to help the PKK,” says the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “The United States decision is due to the PKK’s continued presence on the foreign terrorism list and its close ties with Syria and Iran.” “Turkey, which is indirectly supporting the plan, agrees with that PKK should not be armed,’ added the source.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) is attempting to mediate between Syrian Kurdistan and the PKK in tackling IS, but the US will not agree to coordinate with PKK military operations, neither in freeing Sinjar nor in arming Syrian opposition militants, such as the Al Party and the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

“One of the PKK wings headed by the Kurdistan Group of Communities in Kurdistan (KCK) co-chief Cemil Bayık, has ties with Syria and Iran and therefore arming them would present a threat to US allies, especially Israel,” sources stated.

“One of the unspoken goals of Obama’s plan is to tackle IS before removing the Assad regime,’ says the BasNews source. According to a security specialist and the KDP’s parliament member in Baghdad, Shakhawan Abdulla, the PKK’s strategy is unclear to the United States. That makes it impossible for Obama to consider arming them. “The PKK’s strategy is unclear and there are indications that the PKK is supporting Assad’s regime and is implementing his strategy in Syria. That is why the US is reluctant to give weapons to the group,” said Abdulla. So far ten countries have armed Peshmerga forces and the support is ongoing in the fight against Islamic State (IS) militants.“The US is not interested in arming unofficial groups. Considering the fact that Kurdistan is a constitutional region, the US did not support the Peshmerga militarily until IS became a serious threat on the Kurdistan borders which makes it quite impossible for Washington to arm the PKK,” Abdulla explained.

Preempting Obama’s strategic plan, the Democratic Union Party (PYD)’s military wing, the People’s Protection Unit (YPG) and the Syrian Free Forces named their mutual operations room “Euphrates Volcano”.

“This alliance is new and the US is Turkey’s ally, therefore the Americans will not arm the PKK,” stated the KDP MP. Recently Bayik, a senior official within the PKK, claimed that his group will have a big say in freeing Sinjar the surrounding areas. However, Abdullah reject’s Bayik’s claims and says only the Peshmerga and the US can take part in this operation.

“In Makhmur the PKK is fighting IS, but the Ministry of Peshmerga is yet to confirm an official role for them,” said Abdulla. “Because of the PKK’s unclear strategy, it has not been able to find a role in the fight against IS.” “The US and Peshmerga were going to attack IS in order to liberate Sinjar, however their plan was foiled by the PKK presence – the US will not acknowledge the PKK or the YPG and will not work with them,’ added the Kurdish MP Abdullah. Meanwhile, a Syrian People’s Democratic Party member claimed that America does not want the PKK to stay in Iraqi Kurdistan, ending any forlorn hope the PKK had that they would supply them with arms.