MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : KURDISH PARTIES & AFRIN REACTION / A MESOP SAMPLER
COMMENTARIES BY ENKS & PUK (SAADI PIRA) & A PKK GODFATHER (AMIN PENJWENI) & MOURNING SULEIMANIA
20 March 2018 – The main opposition to the Rojava administration is the Kurdistan National Council (ENKS). It is a group of Kurdish parties that are mainly present in the Kurdistan Region, do not enjoy good relations with the Democratic Union Party (PYD), and have little influence in Rojava.
The ENKS is not part of the Rojava administration system, namely TEV-DEM, which is the ruling coalition of the Northern Syrian Federation, known as Rojava by Kurds. The PYD is the dominant force in Rojava.
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) echoed the sentiment that Rojava authorities must take important political steps to promote unity. “The PYD is strong to the extent that it does not need military reinforcement. What they have to do currently is take political steps,” PUK spokesperson Saadi Ahmed Pira told Rudaw.
Speaking of the situation in Afrin city, which came under the control of Turkish forces and their Syrian proxies on Sunday, Pira said: “I do not think either the PYD or the Kurdish self-administration rule need military reinforcement to be dispatched from here to there.”
Pira shared his shock at the scenes unfolding in Afrin.
“What is happening in Afrin includes the killing of women, children and invasion. They have surpassed all the limits. All the relevant parties must immediately speak up.”
“As the PUK, we are condemning these attacks by Turkey,” he said.
“Wherever Kurds get their heads up, Turkey stands against. In North Kurdistan and West Kurdistan, they did tougher than what Iraq did against the Kurdistan Region. Turkey stands against Kurds. We are condemning any racist acts.”
The Kurdistan Region cannot send armed reinforcements to Afrin to support Kurdish forces defending the canton against Turkish troops and their Syrian proxies, a prominent PUK leader said last week. (….)Mohammed Amin Penjweni, a Kurdish political figure who’s known to enjoy close ties with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has said “it appears we have not been able to considerably assist Rojava just in order to protect our interests and ties with invading states, especially Turkey.”
Due to limited resources and an imbalance of power, the YPG were unable to protect Afrin.
The Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani governor called on Sunday for three days of mourning across the province “in solidarity with the people of Afrin,” which was seized by Turkey and its Syrian proxies on Sunday.
Haval Abubakir, the Sulaimani governor, announced on Sunday “starting from today until the evening of March 21, 2018, there is going to be a public mourning across the Sulaimani province.”
Abubakir said there would be no public parties during the Newroz festivities in Sulaimani.
“We will turn this year’s Newroz into the Newroz of Support and we will stop Newroz parties and turn it into the Newroz of mourning in solidarity with the people of Afrin,” he said.