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Iran
- Thousands of Iranian Kurds showed solidarity with Syrian Kurds on Saturday and Sunday by protesting Turkey’s continuing invasion of northeastern Syria and the numerous massacres and acts of ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Turkish forces and their jihadist allies. Iran’s Kurdish opposition parties issued a joint statement denouncing the Turkish invasion and protests were held in Tehran and twenty major cities in Iranian Kurdistan. On Monday, Iranian intelligence officers (Ettela’at) arrested more than 20 organizers of the protests, most of whom were from Marivan city, and accused them of “disruption of public order.”
- Islamic Revolutionary Court 102 sentenced a Kurdish activist named Arman Ghafoori to six months in prison for organizing a protest against the Turkish invasion of Afrin in March of 2018. Ghafoori was previously charged with “inciting public disorder.”
- The Iranian regime killed and injured a number of Kurdish border porters (Kolbars) last week. Last Tuesday, Iranian border guards attacked a group of Kolbars near Sardasht, killing a Kolbar named Azad Nahad and injuring another. Near Piranshahr, Iranian authorities ambushed a formation of Kolbars and severely wounded one. On Sunday, Iranian security forces killed two more Kolbars, Rahman Muradi and Sadiq Muradi, in the rural areas surrounding Piranshahr. Concurrently, a mine explosion led to a Kolbar having both legs amputated in the village of Pawa (Pehav). In the Hawraman region, Iranian authorities shot a businessman for his dealings with Kolbars. Poor living conditions in Iran continue to encourage Iranian Kurds to become Kolbars. The Kurdistan Human Rights Association (KMMK) even warned of a recent trend where women are taking jobs as Kolbars. The Iranian regime has killed 55 Kolbars and wounded at least 114 since the beginning of 2019.
Iraq
- The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) voiced concerns about the Turkish invasion of Syria’s Kurdish region and released a statement criticizing the US withdrawal and recognizing a potential reemergence of the Islamic State (Da’esh). “The consequences of military escalation have implications far beyond Syria’s borders, creating the conditions for a return of ISIS and a mass displacement of people,” read the statement. Meanwhile, Iraq’s Kurdish parties condemned atrocities committed by Turkish-backed jihadist groups’ against Syrian Kurds and several Kurdish officials acknowledged Turkish ambitions in the Middle East go beyond northeastern Syria. Thousands of Kurds also took to the streets in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah to protest the Turkish invasion. On another note, prior to President Trump’s agreement with Erdogan on Syria, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov visited the Iraqi Kurdistan region and vowed to negotiate with Turkey to protect Syrian Kurds.
- A delegation from the KRG’s Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs is slated to meet with Iraq’s Ministry of Defense to discuss numerous outstanding issues, including Peshmerga salaries and joint military operations in the “Disputed Territories.” The “Disputed Territories” remain plagued by a deteriorating security situation and have seen an increasing number of Da’esh attacks over the past year.
- In Kirkuk, the provincial council remains locked in dispute with the appointed governor of Kirkuk, Rakan Saed al Jabouri, over the concealment of documents pertaining to the provincial budget. The provincial council previously rejected the Saed administration’s spending plans due to transparency issues. Concurrently, in Daquq District, local security forces assisted by the US-led coalition killed seven Da’esh operatives on Wednesday. Despite this success, however, Da’esh terrorists assassinated a local administrator (Mokhtar) in the Rashad subdistrict.
Syria
- The Turkish military and its jihadist allies continue to commit atrocities, massacres, and other human rights abuses in northeastern Syria since the Turkish invasion began on October 9. Meanwhile, Russian forces took over facilities abandoned by US forces in Manbij and began patrolling between Syrian and Turkish military forces in the area. On Monday, President Donald Trump spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and warned that the United States would impose sanctions on Turkey if he did not halt the Turkish offensive. Prior to his conversation with Erdogan, President Trump spoke to the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Mazloum Abdi and, according to Senator Lindsey Graham, told Abdi he “would do everything possible to stop the Turkish incursion.” Following these meetings and conversations, Vice President Mike Pence announced plans to travel with a delegation to Turkey to discuss the issue with Turkish officials. Vice President Pence claimed President Trump had secured a “commitment from president Erdogan to not attack the city of Kobani” which is a Kurdish town. Turkish jets and UAVs maintained an aerial presence over northeastern Syria’s Kurdish region as of Monday night. Simultaneously, in Seri Kani, an SDF counterattack succeeded in taking back some territory from Turkish-backed jihadists. The jihadists had previously taken the town and surrounding suburbs after three days of Turkish airstrikes. Thus far, the Turkish invasion has killed over 100 SDF personnel and 70 civilians while displacing over 250,000 people. Additionally, the international community has expressed outrage over Turkish-backed jihadists’ assassination of a Kurdish politician named Hervin Khalaf.
- Following President Trump’s agreement with Erdogan and the withdrawal of US troops from northeastern Syria, Russia announced it was facilitating talks between Syrian Kurds and the Assad regime. An unnamed Kurdish official revealed military agreements were reached with the Assad regime to protect Syrian borders and that additional political talks will be held later. Russian and Syrian military forces entered Manbij city on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates imposed sanctions on Syria after the Arab League held an emergency meeting and condemned the Turkish invasion. The European Union also denounced the invasion and suspended arms sales to Turkey. On Sunday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that Turkey “appears to be” committing war crimes and has repeatedly stated Turkey’s actions are “irresponsible” and detrimental to US interests.
Turkey
- Turkish authorities continued to crack down on Kurdish political activists and opponents of the Erdogan Administration last week. In Diyarbakir (Amed), Turkish police attacked Kurds and supporters of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) to prevent them from protesting the Turkish invasion. On Sunday, Turkish authorities arrested seven people, including two elderly members of local councils, in Sirnak and Silopi. In Nusaybin, authorities detained the city’s co-mayors, Semire Nergiz and Ferhat Kut. Simultaneously, in Hakkari, police arrested co-mayor Cihan Karaman. In Van’s Erciş, authorities raided the municipality building, arresting both co-mayors, Yıldız Çetin and Bayram Cicek, and several council members. Finally, on Tuesday morning, Turkish police arrested a number of HDP members in Bursa, Istanbul, and Malatya.