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A weekly summary of events that occurred in the Kurdish regions of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
Iran
- A number of border porters known as Kolbars were killed and injured by the Iranian security forces last week. On Sunday, August 11, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) fired at a vehicle and killed 44-year-old Kurd Saed Hassanpour in the town of Oshavanieh, south of Urmia. Last week the IRGC also wounded a Kurdish Kolbar in Urmia after physical torture. In Nowdeshah, a Kurdish Kolbar was injured after he was shot at by the Iranian guards near a border crossing near Iraqi Kurdistan. On Saturday, IRGC elements attacked a group of Kolbars near Khoy border crossing. The attacks resulted in the death of one Kolbar, Riza Ibrahimi, and the injury of another. Near Sardasht city the Iranian guards wounded two Kolbars on two different attacks on Wednesday. On the same day, a Kolbar was killed by the Iranian guards near Piranshahr. According to the latest statistics by the Kurdistan Human Rights Association (KMMK), the Iranian regime has killed 49 Kolbars and injured 98 since the beginning of 2019.
- A number of Kurdish civilian activists were detained as the Iranian regime intensified the crackdown in the Kurdish region. Last Tuesday, in Kamyaran, intelligence officers (Etelaat) conducted several raids on homes and places of work of civilians activists. As a result, seven Kurdish activists were detained. On Friday, a prominent Kurdish civilian activist Sirun Abbasi was arrested in Dehgolan following a raid. Abbasi was arrested after he called upon the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to resign. In Marivan, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Court sentenced six Kurds to prison for “aiding a Kurdish opposition party.” The prison sentences ranged from three months to four years. In Rabati town near Sardasht, two Kurdish citizens were taken into custody by the Etelaat without charges being pressed.
Iraq
- The security situation south of Kirkuk Province and the other disputes territories continued to deteriorate during the past week. On Sunday, ISIS (Daesh) terrorists attacked the Iraqi federal police which resulted in the death of two police members and the injury of one. The attack took place near Ali Saary village south of Daquq, where Daesh terrorists have been active since Iraqi forces removed Peshmerga forces in October of 2017. In Jalawla (Gulala), north of Diyala province, Daesh elements attacked the Iraqi army units stationed there, wounding two soldiers. In a press conference, the Minister of Peshmerga Forces, Shrosh Ismael, said that Daesh terrorists have reorganized themselves.
- In Kirkuk, the Kurdish lawmakers decided to file an appeal against the provincial election law passed last month by the Parliament to hold elections on April 1, 2020. The Kurdish fears come after the current election law allows tens of thousands of Arabs outside of Kirkuk to vote, which Kurds consider a continuation of the demographic change. The Kurds are attempting to create a united front in the upcoming election, but so far no agreement has been reached among the parties.
Syria
- After months of talks and constant threats by Turkey to invade the Kurdish region, both the U.S. and Turkey reached a deal to create a buffer zone or “safe zone” between the Kurdish region and Turkey. The U.S. embassy of Turkey released an identical statement to their Turkish counterpart about the deal but without much of the details of the plan. On Monday a U.S. military delegation arrived to Turkey to set up the ““safe zone.” Despite reaching agreements, the Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar threatened to invade the region if the U.S. “fails to cooperate on this issue.” On the Kurdish side, the people of the region felt more relieved since the deal could stop the Turkish invasion with Jihadi groups similar to the Turkish occupation of Afrin last year. However, amid concerns of Kurdish officials about the details of the plan with Turkey, the U.S. Special Representative for Syria Engagement Jim Jeffrey also said that they won’t impose anything the North and East Syrian Administration won’t accept.” The demonstration against the Turkish invasion continued in the Kurdish region and a large protest was in Qamishli on August 7.
- The People’s Defense Units (YPG) revealed the loss of a female fighter near Shadadi in al-Hasakah province. In a statement, the YPG announced that its fighter, Vejîn Zagros, lost her life on August 5. Meanwhile, after cracking down on the Daesh sleeper cells, the YPG announced the death of three terrorists and the seizure of ammunition and weapons used to target the U.S. backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and civilians in the region in a special operation near al-Hasakah city. The most recent terror attack took place last Wednesday in al-Qahtaniyah (Tirbespiyê), when a car bomb killed five people, including three children. Last week, Daesh terrorists released a statement in which it vowed to launch more attacks against the SDF and the US coalition in Syria.
Turkey
- The Turkish government resumed visitations for the imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan. Ocalan’s lawyers visited him last week on Wednesday and released a statement, which contained the following remarks: “Our client sees the course of the conflict and the persistence of the war policy is worrying. In this context, he pointed to the humanitarian, political and economic losses that have been occurring for forty years and stated that insistence on this policy would have more serious consequences on the regional situation.” In regards to political issues, Ocalan’s lawyer quoted as saying, “I am trying to open a space for the Kurds. Let’s solve the Kurdish question. I can eliminate the matter and possibility of conflict within a week. I am ready for a solution, I trust myself. But the state, as well as the mind behind it, must do the necessary, too.” The Turkish government imposed a ban on him for eight years before allowing his lawyers to see him again for the first time last May. On Monday, the Turkish government also allowed Ocalan’s family to visit him.
- The Turkish government stripped two more Kurdish mayoral winners of March elections of their posts and granted their seats to the runner-ups, who belonged to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) headed by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Both winners of Caldiran and Tusba districts of Van Province will be replaced by AKP winners. The Turkish government had allowed the candidates to run in elections, but later banned them for being sacked in 2016 by the government during what is known as Turkey’s Purge.
- A new wave of arrest by the Turkish government targeted a number of pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) members. On Friday, the Turkish police raided the HDP office in Mus and detained co-chairs Ferhat Çakı and Muhlise Karagüzel, as well as Kudbettin Çelik of HDP in Mus. On the same day, four Kurds were detained by the police in Bitlis and Tatvan District of Bitlis. In the Bağlar district of Diyarbakir (Amed) Province, the police detained three people. During the HDP protests against the government Ilısu Dam, which will sink most of the historic town of Hasankeyf, the Turkish police arrested a number of protestors. In Gaziantep, six Kurds were detained over social media posts. Four of those were released on bail while two remained in jail. The detainees were accused of “spreading PKK propaganda.”