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Iran
- Due to severe weather, a group of Kurdish border porters (Kolbars) were lost during a snowstorm in the Baneh heights near the Iraqi Kurdistan border on Friday. While some of the Kolbars contacted family members for help, at least one lost his life due to hypothermia. The deceased Kolbar was 55-year old Osman Fatohi from Saqqez. On Thursday in two different shootings by the Iranian border guards, two Kolbars were injured severely near Piranshahr. Another Kolbar was also shot near Oshnavieh (Shinno). Near Qator district of Khoy, the Turkish military shot and injured two Kolabrs on Sunday. The two wounded Kolbars (Hussien Zada 29 and Ali Zada 22) were transferred to Van hospital in Turkey. With last week’s casualties, the total number of Kolbars killed in 2020 reached 3 while 20 were injured.
- After participating in anti-government protests last November, the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Bojnurd sentenced seven teachers to prison. According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Association (KMMK), the sentences varied from 3 years to 13 years against Mohammed Ramazan the head of the Professional Teachers’ Council. The teachers were charged with “treason” and “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.” In Javanrud, a Kurdish youth, Abdullah Ahmadi was charged to four years in prison for a “disruption of national security” after he participated in the recent protests against the regime. In Marivan, a Kurdish activist, Osman Delawez was detained on Saturday. In Sanandaj, the Labor Activist Ishaq Rohani was sent to prison to serve his one year sentence after he was released on bail.
Iraq
- More activities and attacks by ISIS (Dae’sh) terrorists in Kirkuk and other disputed territories. On Wednesday, Dae’sh terrorists assaulted a checkpoint of the Iraqi army near Daquq. As a result, two Iraqi soldiers were killed. On Thursday, near Qara Tapeh East of Khanaqin, Dae’sh terrorists kidnapped seven civilians, of which a majority were students. On Saturday, a fake checkpoint of Dae’sh terrorists kidnapped two Kurdish brothers of Dawda district near Tuz Khurmatu city south of Kirkuk. On Sunday, Makhmour district, north of Kirkuk Dae’sh terrorist attacked a refugee camp. During the attack, two Dae’sh members were killed by the guards of the camp. Makhmour camp has been composed of Kurds from Turkey since 1996. The Spokesperson of the Public Security (Asayesh) of the Garmian region announced the arrest of a senior Dae’sh members who are involved in planning attacks against the Peshmerga forces in the area. Since October 16, 2017, the security vacuum of the area has led to the rise of terror attacks after the Iraqi government supported by Iran removed the Kurdish forces.
- Last week the Kurdish region sought two visits by senior foreign diplomats. On Wednesday the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and President Vladimir Putin’s Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa, Mikhail Bogdanov, arrived in Erbil and held meetings with Kurdish officials including the President, Prime Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister. Bogdanov’s visit focused on energy investment in the region. On Monday, the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs and of Defence, Philippe Goffin, visited Kurdistan and held a meeting with Kurdish officials. Goffin’s visit focused on countering Dae’sh and the US-Iranian tensions in the region. Separately, the US pentagon denied reports suggesting building three military bases in Iraqi Kurdistan.
- As a precautionary step to avoid the spread of coronavirus, the Kurdistan region stopped trade and travels to China, which is estimated to be about 4 billion USD a year. The Chinese General Consulate expressed “China’s disappointment” of the decisions to the Kurdish media outlet Rudaw.
Syria
- After tensions in Idlib between Russia and Turkey, the joint military patrols on the Syrian-Turkish borders have been postponed including near Kobani. However, the attacks by the Turkish-backed Jihadists continue throughout the Kurdish region, including near Russian-Syrian posts near Tel al Tamer and Ein Essa towns. The Turkish bombardment continued amid resistance of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Near the Christian town of Tal al Tamer, the attacks included heavy artillery shelling, especially on Rehania village. The commander of the Syriac Military Council (SMC), Aday Rabo affiliated with the SDF, said that the Syrian regime and Russian forces do not respond to the attacks by the Turkish-backed Jihadists and their presence in the area is “symbolic.”
- The SDF forces in charge of guarding the Dae’sh held families of al Hawl Camp arrested 9 women while attempting to flee the camp. The women were mostly of foreign origins including central Asia and Turkey. Al Hawl camp has 71,000 people, mostly family members of the terror group. Recently, attempts to flee the camp have increased while many countries refuse to take back their citizens home for trial. After many occasions the Kurdish-led administration in Northern Syria demanded the international community to establish an international tribunal to try the remaining affiliates of the terror organization. However, last week, the head of foreign relations of northeastern Syria, Abdulkarim Omar, told Reuters that they will set up a local court.
- The Syrian Kurdish National Council (ENKS) decided to reopen its offices in the Kurdish region of Syria after four years. The ENKS decision came after an initiative by the General Commander of the SDF, Mazloum Abdi, to strengthen the Kurdish unity facing the Turkish occupation and the threats of the Syrian regime. The ENKS offices were shut down in 2016 by the local authorities in northern Syria for not having permits to operate. Some members of the ENKS group have been backed by Turkey since 2011.
- A new report by the Security Council of the United Nations suggests Dae’sh reorganizing itself and conducting most of its financial transactions via Turkey. “The United States announced a drawdown of troops and Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring. This affected the balance of forces in the north of the Syrian Arab Republic and highlighted the precariousness of the holding arrangements of local authorities and non-State armed groups for displaced persons and detainees”, read the report. Mazloum Abdi described the report as “accurate and transparent.”
Turkey
- The Turkish government dismissed a total of 32 elected Kurdish mayors in 2019. The mayors face prosecution, including up to 15 years in prison sought against the Co-mayor of Diyarbakir, (Amed) Selcuk Mizrakli, and the Co-Mayor of Sur District, Filiz Buluttekin, for accusations of membership in a terror organization. The Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) released a statement rejecting the government’s trial against Co-mayor Mizrakli and calling for observers for what they describe as “sped-up case” against the Kurdish mayor. “It is extremely unusual even for a biased Turkish court to ask for the legal opinion of the prosecution at the first hearing. Equally unusual is the “super-efficiency” of the prosecution in preparing and submitting the opinion so fast.” read the HDP statement. Meanwhile, at least six members of the HDP were detained last week in Diyarbakir, Ankara, and Urfa.