MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : PKK/KCK STATEMENT – ERDOGAN STRIKES HEAVY CONTRA PKK GUERILLA IN IRAQ
MESOP 30. April 2021 – On the evening of April 23, the Turkish army started a full-scale military operation in the South Kurdish regions Avasin, Zap and Metina. The attack came only hours after a phone call between the American President Joe Biden and his Turkish counterpart Erdogan. It is also noteworthy that the start of the Turkish operation coincides with the 106th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. During the non-stop fighting between the Turkish army and the HPG guerrilla forces since April 23 dozens of Turkish soldiers have reportedly been killed. The HPG has also reported four casualties among its own ranks.
MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : Turkish forces in fresh offensive against PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan
- April 2021 – MESOP NEWS – The latest Turkish military operation against the PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan comes at a time when Ankara finds itself increasingly under strain, both on the domestic front and in its frosty ties with Washington. –Fehim Tastekin AL MONITOR April 29, 2021
The Turkish military has launched a critically timed ground and air offensive against Kurdish militants in a mountain range in neighboring Iraqi Kurdistan, the latest in a series of cross-border campaigns since 2019 that have resulted in dozens of Turkish bases in the region.
MESOPOTAMIA NEWS SCANDAL : Turkey uses chemical weapons against PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan: KCK
Posted on April 28, 2021 Turkish army helicopter in the Kurdish region in southeast Turkey.
HEWLÊR-Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan region,— Turkey has used chemical weapons three times in Iraqi Kurdistan Region in the past three days, a senior Kurdish official told the Morning Star on Tuesday.
The spokesman of the Kurdistan Communities Union, (Koma Civaken Kurdistan – KCK), the political umbrella group that includes the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Zagros Hiwa, claimed that chemicals had been used during Turkish bombing of the Amedi district, in the mountainous region of Duhok, which borders Turkey.
“They used chemical weapons in the Mamresho hills overlooking Basyan river, and Marvanos hills overlooking the Avashin river,” he said.
“They have used the chemicals against the tunnels there,” Mr Hiwa added, referring to the underground system used by Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) guerilla fighters.
MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : PKK LEADERSHIP STATEMENT – On the Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide a New Genocidal Attack against the Kurds Unfolds
25 April 2021 – MESOP NEWS – In the evening hours of April 23, the Turkish state launched a full-scale attack on the Medya Defense Zones which are controlled by the guerrilla. After the Turkish state`s defeat in Gare on February 10, it was expected that such an attack would be launched. The 2014 `Subversion Plan` aims at finalizing the Kurdish genocide through crushing the freedom struggle of the Kurdish people. In this context the purpose of the latest full-scale attack is to finalize the Kurdish genocide. For this reason, the attacks are directed at large swathes of the Medya Defense Zones.
MESOPOTAMIA NEWS KURDISTAN SPECIAL : Turkey attacks PKK, rappels troops into Duhok: PKK media
4 hours ago RUDAW – 24 April 2021 – by Karwan Faidhi Dri
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Duhok province came under intense Turkish bombardment Friday night with Turkish troops rappelling into the area from helicopters, according to media affiliated with the group.
Using Cobra and Sikorsky helicopters, Turkish forces attacked the PKK in Avashin and Metina areas near Duhok’s border with Turkey, the PKK-affiliated Roj News reported early Saturday, adding that Turkish troops rappelled in from helicopters.
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MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : IRAQ FOR THE MULLAHS ? – IRAN’S GAME PLAN FOR IRAQ’S MILITIAS
by Hamdi Malik – Middle East Institute – April 19, 2021
Tehran still regards the full withdrawal of U.S. forces as its ultimate goal, and its Iraqi proxies are more than happy to use escalation for that purpose whenever they can.
“I sent a clear and frank message to Mr. Esmail Qaani [commander of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force]…the matter is related to us, regardless of other calculations…from now on…please no one talks to us and we won’t listen.” Qais al-Khazali, leader of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), had never talked about Qassem Soleimani, Qaani’s predecessor, in this way—not on national TV. But Soleimani is gone now and things have changed in Iraq, at least to an extent.
MESOPOTAMIA NEWS FOCUS : TEAM OF LEGAL GLADIATORS? IRAQI MILITIAS’ TORTURED RELATIONSHIP WITH LAW
by Crispin Smith, Hamdi Malik, and Michael Knights – Just Security – April 12, 2021
Iran-backed armed groups hate being exposed as criminals in the eyes of a populace that cares deeply about rule of law, so they have turned Iraq’s legal sector into a battlespace.
Iraq’s Iranian-backed militias, self-styled as al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya (“the Islamic Resistance”), are no strangers to legal violations. Muqawama affiliates frequently target and kill journalists and protesters, and militia-run “secret” prisons have become a concern for activists, human rights groups, and the United Nations. The militias have also engaged in a years-long missile and rocket campaign targeting the U.S.-led coalition forces operating in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government, killing and wounding both coalition soldiers and local civilians. More recently, Muqawama affiliates have taken to bombing civilian trucks driven by Iraqi civilians but purportedly carrying supplies and materiel to coalition bases.
MESOPOTAMIA NEWS FOCUS : Pentagon confirms – No major change in US troop presence in Iraq, after latest round of Strategic Dialogue
US Defence Department spokesperson John Kirby speaks during a media briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Feb. 8, 2021. – WASHINGTON DC (Kurdistan 24) – Addressing reporters on Friday, John Kirby, Pentagon Press Secretary, confirmed that the recent session of the US-Iraq Strategic Dialogue had resulted in no significant change to the US military presence in Iraq.
Kirby was pressed repeatedly on that question on Wednesday, following the meeting between US and Iraqi officials, which was held virtually.
MESOPOTAMIA NEWS MID-EAST-WATCH : Iraq, US to Discuss Security, Education, Economy in ‘Strategic Dialogue’: MP
BasNews 2021/04/04 – 22:29 ERBIL – An Iraqi lawmaker has revealed that Baghdad and Washington will discuss the files related to security, education, energy, economy in their planned ‘Strategic Dialogue’.
The third round of the strategic dialogue has been scheduled for April 7, as Iraq has sent a formal request to President Joe Biden’s administration for setting a date to resume the talks on the bilateral relations between Baghdad and Washington. Gatah al-Rikabi, a member of the Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee, told Shafaq News that “the talks will touch upon a spectrum of fields related to economy, education, energy, and security.”
MESOPOTAMIA NEWS PAPERS : Die Entstehung der kurdischen Grenze: Macht, Konflikt und Regierungsführung im irakisch-syrischen Grenzgebiet
HARITH HASAN, KHEDER KHADDOUR – 30. MÄRZ 2021 PAPIER
Zusammenfassung:Die irakisch-syrische Grenze ist nach wie vor geopolitisch unruhig. Kurdische Parteien haben die Schwächen der Zentralregierung ausgenutzt, um ihre Autonomie in diesen Gebieten zu erhöhen.
ZUSAMMENFASSUNG
Auch nach dem Zusammenbruch des selbsternannten Islamischen Staates ist die irakisch-syrische Grenze nach wie vor eines der geopolitisch unruhigsten Gebiete im Nahen Osten. In den letzten Jahren haben eine Vielzahl kurdischer Einheiten und Gruppen die Dynamik im nördlichen Teil dieser Grenze zunehmend geprägt. Insbesondere gibt es zwei Dynamiken, die Aufmerksamkeit verdienen. Erstens haben die Regionalregierung Kurdistans (KRG) und die kurdisch dominierte Autonome Verwaltung Nord- und Ostsyriens neue Grenzübergänge in diesem Gebiet wirksam kontrolliert, da die syrische Regierung den Zugang verloren hat und die Präsenz der irakischen Regierung umstritten ist. Dies bedeutet, dass der Personen- und Warenverkehr in diesem Bereich weitgehend von zwei Einheiten kontrolliert wird, die weder staatliche noch nichtstaatliche Akteure sind. Die Realität vor Ort spiegelt hybride Vereinbarungen wider, die sich aus den Schwächen der beiden Zentralregierungen und der zunehmenden Autonomie der kurdischen Parteien (die im Falle der KRG verfassungsrechtlich festgelegt ist) ergeben haben.
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