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A weekly brief of events that occurred in the Kurdish regions of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
Iran
- Iranian security forces killed numerous Kurds in response to mass protests which broke out across Iran two weeks ago. In Marivan, at least ten Kurds were killed and ten wounded after a sizeable number of demonstrators began protesting the regime. Last Tuesday, dozens of Marivan’s residents engineered a civil strike to protest the Iranian regime’s continuing use of deadly force against peaceful protests. In Kermanshah, Iranian authorities killed 15 Kurds and wounded several others. The Iranian government has deployed military forces into Marivan and Kermanshah along with imposing curfews and cutting internet access in both cities. Likewise, in Bokan, Iranian security forces have killed three Kurds since the onset of the recent protests. Meanwhile, the Iranian regime has detained thousands of people, including many from the Kurdish region, and continues to focus heavily on targeting demonstration organizers. Though Iranian authorities have prevented publication of official numbers regarding casualties among protesters, the Kurdistan Human Rights Association (KMMK) claimed 300 people have been killed and 3000 injured across Iran so far.
- The Iranian regime continued its crackdown on Kurdish border porters known as Kolbars. Iranian border guards killed a 23-year-old Kolbar named Kamaran Bayanic near the border crossing of Haji Omaran between Iran and Iraq. Iranian authorities also killed a 33-year-old Kolbar named Tahir Husseini near Baneh. Finally, Iranian border guards ambushed a group of Kolbars and confiscated their cargo in the Hawrman region.
Iraq
- After an exchange of visits between government officials from Baghdad and Erbil last week, the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) reached an agreement regarding the disbursement of oil revenues and the allocated federal budget for the KRG. During a press conference held on Monday, Iraqi Minister of Oil Thamir Ghadhban announced the agreement, which goes into effect on January 1, 2020, entails the KRG handing over 250,000 oil barrels to the federal government in exchange for the release of the KRG’s allocated budget and the salaries of its employees.
- US Vice President Mike Pence made an unannounced trip to Iraq and landed in Erbil after visiting US troops stationed at Ain al Assad Air Base in Anbar Province. Vice President Pence was received in Erbil International Airport by the President of the Kurdistan Region Niachervan Barzani. The US delegation later met with other KRG officials, including Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani, Deputy Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region Qubad Talabani, and the Vice President of the Kurdistan Region. Vice President Pence conveyed to President Barzani the US’s intention to continue supporting the Kurds and stated, “Our enduring commitment to support your leadership here in the Kurdish region of Iraq, and also to remain resolved with you in ensuring that ISIS, Da’esh, or any other terrorist settlements will not be able to gain a foothold in this region again and threaten your communities and ours.”
Syria
- Turkish-backed jihadists continued their encroachment into northeastern Syria with the support of Turkish airpower last week. On Sunday, the jihadists launched a large incursion into Ain Issa, which is southeast of Kobani and outside the “safe zone” agreed upon by the US, Turkey, and Russia. The incursion was supported by Turkish drones and resulted in jihadists seizing control of a portion of the M4 highway. On Monday, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced they regained control of the villages seized by Turkish-backed jihadists. The SDF then blamed Russia for allowing the attacks near Ain Issa as it was in the “sight of the unmoved Russian forces to stop this barbaric invasion, supposedly on the ground as the guarantor of the ceasefire.” The SDF statement also read, “The disregard for these attacks by the Russian forces and their failure to play their role of guarantor raises many doubts among our forces disproportionate to the role of Russia and what it aspires to play as the role of guarantor in the political solution throughout Syria.” Concurrently, in the Tal Tamer suburbs, Turkish drones struck Syrian regime forces after the Russians made the SDF withdraw from the area and allowed the Syrian regime to regain control.
- On November 21, Turkish drones attacked Kobani and caused numerous civilian casualties. SDF commander-in-chief Mazloum Abdi denounced the attacks and called upon the US and Russia to fulfill their agreements regarding the ceasefire. Abdi stated, “Turkey massacred a Kurdish family in a drone strike near Kobani while claiming seven ‘terrorists’ were killed. Ceasefire guarantors US and Russia are responsible for preventing our children from being massacred by Turkey and we call on them to investigate and hold Turkey accountable for its crimes.” Kobani has remained under the threat of Turkish invasion since Russian troops took over the recently abandoned US base in the area.
- The SDF announced the arrest of 25 ISIS members from Deir Ez Zor in coordination with the US-led coalition during an operation conducted from November 15-22. Among those arrested was the planner of a recent bombing in Hasakah who was hiding among ISIS (Da’esh) families in the al Hawl camp.
- The number of residents internally displaced by Turkey’s invasion of northeastern Syria reached 300,000 last week. The displaced are residents of several towns but mostly from Tal Abyad and Sari Kani. The internally displaced people (IDPs) are currently housed in camps located in al Hasakah Province, though many are demanding to return to their homes which are in areas currently occupied by the Turkish military and Turkish-backed jihadists.
Turkey
- The Turkish government followed up on its removal and replacement of 24 elected Kurdish mayors in Turkey’s Kurdish region by intensifying its crackdown on Kurdish activists and political figures. Turkish authorities detained 57 Kurds during a series of raids in Gaziantep. The detainees included senior members of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP). Simultaneously, in Suruc, Turkish police detained the city’s co-mayor, Hatice Çevik, after she was removed from office. Additional raids took place in Diyarbakir and Adana. Likewise, the Turkish government filed 45 summaries requesting the lifting of immunity on nine HDP lawmakers. The nine lawmakers included HDP leader Sezai Temelli. The HDP responded to the Turkish government’s continuing crackdown by calling for early elections and issued an official statement which said, “We are calling for an ‘early election’ in order to rescue people of Turkey from the tyranny of AKP-MHP. This is a call for defiance. We are challenging you! We are calling for all opposition to rally around this demand for early elections and move in unison.”