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Iran
- After weeks of protests and strikes in the Kurdish areas of Iran over the closure of a border crossing between Iraqi Kurdistan and Iran, the Iranian regime partially reopened the crossing point. The regime will impose custom duties on goods carried across the border by Kurdish porters knowns as Kolbars. The crossing is located in Kurdistan province. This cross-border trade is critical for the local Kurdish economy in Iran. Therefore, the recent border closure has caused unemployment for tens of thousands of Kurds in the region. Meanwhile, the Iranian regime also continued its crackdown on the Kolbars. According to Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Iranian forces killed at least 4 Kolbars and wounded seven in the last two weeks.
- On Friday June 8, clashes erupted between the Iranian regime revolutionary guards (IRGC) and Peshmerga forces of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDP-I). In a statement the IRGC claimed it killed nine “terrorists” near the Iraqi Kurdistan borders. However the KDP-I also resealed a statement confirming they had clashed with the IRGC. According to the KDPI statement, “a clash erupted between the Peshmerga Forces of Kurdistan and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps in Siakew Mountain in the Shno region on June 8, 2018.” The statement went on to say that “during the ensuing clash nine IRGC members were killed and eighteen others were injured.” In March of 2016 the KDPI announced the return of its “armed struggle against the Iranian regime to obtain the Kurdish rights.”
Iraq
- A fire destroyed thousands of Iraqi election ballot boxes following the order for a manual recount by the Iraqi Parliament, however ballot boxes from the Kurdistan Region were not held in al-Rusafa where the blaze occurred, according to the head of Iraq’s
Independence High Electoral Commission. The Kurdish parties had different positions on the Iraqi Parliament’s decision. The main political parties, the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), boycotted the session of parliament that voted for the recount. Meanwhile the Change Party (Gorran), Islamic Union (Yakgirto), the Islamic Group (Komala) and the Coalition for Democracy and Justice (CDJ) are supportive of the recount and/or a repeat of the elections. - Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a Turkish military operation in Iraqi Kurdistan aimed at the Qandil Mountains where the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is based. This move comes as Turkey’s elections approach, possibly in order to bolster nationalistic support for President Erdogan and his ruling party.
- Water levels for the Little Zab river are down 70 percent. Previously, Iran had held 50 percent of the water from their newly-built dam, but the amount Iran is now keeping from Kurdistan and Iraq has increased. This has cut off the primary source of drinking water for Qaladize city and forced engineers to narrow the river. Water scarcity is a growing concern in the region.
- The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq, Nechirvan Barzani, met with the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Douglas Silliman in Erbil on Saturday to discuss the recent elections. According to a KRG statement about the meeting, “the two sides stressed that the unity among all the parties would ensure the success of the political process in Iraq.” The statement also went on to say that the two sides “hoped for the settlement of election-related issues so as not to hamper the formation of the new Iraqi government.”
- A bomb went off in Halabja on Saturday, causing damage to nearby streets and infrastructure, but killing no one. It is yet unclear who is responsible for the explosion, or what kind of device was used. The city of Halabja was one of the prime targets of Saddam Hussein’s chemical attacks during the dictator’s Anfal campaign, a brutal event that caused the people of Halabja to suffer greatly.
Syria
- The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), along with US-led coalition air and artillery support, continues their push towards the ISIS stronghold of Daishisha in the East of the Al-Hasakah Governorate, as part of the larger Operation Roundup. SDF leadership
claims to have liberated approximately 20 villages in the surrounding area. A statement by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo read: “We welcome the launch on Sunday of operations by the Syrian Democratic Forces against ISIS terrorists in Dashisha, Syria. Dashisha is a notorious ISIS stronghold in northeast Syria from which ISIS has terrorized the Syrian and Iraqi people for many years.” - The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) forces have begun to leave Manbij after an agreement was reached between the U.S. and Turkey, leaving the defense of the town in the hands of the local Manbij Military Council (MMC). Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli announced that U.S. and Turkish soldiers will jointly patrol the city to ensure stability. This claim has not been echoed, however, by Mr. Canikli’s American counterpart, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. Mattis, speaking prior to a NATO summit in Brussels, stated that the US “will not simply cast the SDF aside,” reiterating that the organization was integral to post-conflict stabilization of Eastern Syria.
- On June 6th, Turkish army forces launched a brief attack on the village of Ali Shar, outside the Kurdish town of Kobane in Northern Syria.
Turkey
- As the June 24th election approaches, Turkish President Erdogan has called for imprisoned HDP leader and presidential hopeful, Selahattin Demirtas to be tried “quickly”. Speaking to a crowd in Kocaeli province, Erdogan said he would “approve instantly” any parliamentary request for the death penalty against the HDP opposition leader, if submitted to him. In response to Erdogan’s threat, Demirtas tweeted, “I would sacrifice my life a thousand times for our people and take no step back.” Demirtas has
gained support from many Turkish citizens looking to see Erdogan challenged as
his consolidation of power increases following the alleged 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. The imprisoned political leader gave his first presidential speech in a 10 minute phone call from his prison cell decrying the AKP’s “smear campaigns in newspapers and television” and promising to repeal Erdogan’s expansion of presidential authority if elected. - HDP politicians and members have been subject to increasing police crackdowns and targeting from paramilitary and vigilante groups associated with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). In
Izmir 14 HDP youths were detained by anti-terror police for hosting an iftar dinner where allegedly anti-government chants were heard. - Attacks linked to ultranationalists, the far-right Grey Wolves paramilitary group affiliated with the MHP, and pro-Erdogan street thugs have occurred in İstanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Bolu, Bursa, and Manisa during this week alone.