Kurdish Spring Updates!

It is about time.
The Kurds had a good set of small kingdoms before, where Muslims, Jews and Christians lived peaceful together.
I hope they can create that again.

Another element to complicate the Syrian situation. NATO intervention is close.

Read somewhere that they are the biggest ethnicity in the world without their own country, they are about 30-40 million.

Yep, Syria situation is so fragile, so many different ethnicities and religions, it doesn't look good at all unfortunately. Can't see how a NATO intervention will make things better if they just abandon the country like they did in Libya. 3-4 different states is probably the most peaceful solution now after so many deaths, exactly what TPTB doctrine is pushing for.

Turkish forces kill 13 Kurdish militants near Syria border
[link to www.dailystar.com.lb]

Turkey and Syrian Opposition React to Kurdish Autonomy: Free Syrian Army “Will Never Let it Happen”
[link to ikjnews.com]

Four Syrian Kurdish Parties Forging New Alliance
[link to www.rudaw.net]

Syrian Kurds find refuge in Iraq’s Kurdish region
[link to www.washingtontimes.com]

New Syrian rebel group named after Iraqi Kurdish leader Mustafa Barzani
[link to www.ekurd.net]

Peshmerga force supported by tanks and artillery arrives the outskirts of Kirkuk
[link to www.shafaaq.com]

Iraqi Shia Clerics Call for Calm In Baghdad-Erbil Confrontation
[link to www.al-monitor.com]

Iraq denies entry to Turkish minister
[link to www.aljazeera.com]

Iraq's Maliki offers olive branch to Turkey
[link to www.swissinfo.ch]

An international peace initiative was launched in Brussels for the resumption of dialogue on the Kurdish question in Turkey. Several international personalities including Jimmy Carter, the Dalai Lama and Garry Adams have joined the call initiated by Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace.
[link to translate.google.gr]

Syrian Kurds Keep Eye on Country's Oil
[link to www.rudaw.net]

Big Oil’s Last Frontier: Kurdistan
[link to ikjnews.com]


RussiaToday CrossTalk: Kurd State Soon?
[link to www.youtube.com]

Tensions continue among Kurds and Maliki
[link to www.mojahedin.org]

Turkish Police Clash with Kurds
[link to grtv.ca]

Kurdish mayor among dozens detained in Turkey on militant links
[link to thestar.com.my]

Investor sees Kurdish oil as Turkey’s chance since Ottomans
[link to www.hurriyetdailynews.com]

The Swedish parliament recognizes the Anfal Campaign as genocide on Kurds
[link to scientiahumana.org]

The Syrian Kurdish Issue in Turkish-Iranian-Iraqi Relations
[link to www.middle-east-online.com]

Greater Kurdistan: a New Actor on Middle East Map?
[link to www.strategic-culture.org]

I suppose they see what's coming, with the MB on their door.



Sry InsertAFN 4 the hijack but am I on to somethng;

Thread: Crimes of the Bushes

Last Edited by NSF001 on 12/14/2012 10:34 PM

Thats interesting
iraqi kurds also seem to be gearing up for war

Bomb kills Kurdish security recruits in Iraq
[link to www.aljazeera.com]

Iraq’s president says Baghdad, Kurds agree to eventually withdraw forces from disputed areas
[link to www.washingtonpost.com]

Talabani Seeks to Amend Kurdistan Region Constitution
[link to www.al-monitor.com]

Washington does not want war between Iraq and Kurdistan: Kurdish MP
[link to www.mesop.de]

New Kurdish Islamic Party Forms To Rival AKP in Southeast Turkey
[link to www.al-monitor.com]

Syria's Kurds face uncertain future if Assad falls
[link to news.apsou.gr]

A Report from Kurdish Syria
[link to www.independent.com]

No problem, thnx for the bump.





Yep. Crisis seems to be averted in Iraq for now, but it's certainly a front when ts really htf imo.

Bombers kill 12 in disputed Iraqi-Kurd areas
[link to www.swissinfo.ch]

PYD: Turkey supports armed groups against Kurds
[link to en.firatajans.com]

Iran executes three Kurds
[link to kurdishrights.org]

Ready to sacrifice my life for Kurdistan flag, President Barzani
[link to en.aswataliraq.info]

IRAQ

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani flies to Germany for treatment
[link to www.globalpost.com]

Kurdish troops fire on Iraqi army helicopter in dispute
[link to www.swissinfo.ch]

Kurdish Ministry of Peshmerga: Firing on two Iraqi planes not intentioned
[link to www.ninanews.com]

Kurdish Leaders Warn Baghdad Against Use of Surveillance Aircraft
[link to www.rudaw.net]

Talabani’s absence threatens balance in Iraq
[link to www.al-monitor.com]

Iraq, Kurds, Turks and oil: A tortuous triangle
[link to www.economist.com]

An Interview with Nechirvan Barzani: Will There Be an Independent Kurdistan?
[link to world.time.com]

SYRIA

Syria Kurds to hold referendum
[link to kurdpress.com]

The Kurds of West Kurdistan are bugged in their region, because of the closed border
[link to rojhelat.info]

Kurdish citizen journalist kidnapped and murdered in syria
[link to en.rsf.org]

Syrian Kurds Trade Armed Opposition for Autonomy
[link to www.al-monitor.com]

TURKEY

Turkish Minister Şahin slams Iran for providing support to PKK/KCK
[link to www.todayszaman.com]

Turkey to fly troops to bases after deadly road convoy attacks
[link to thestar.com.my]

Turkey seizes drugs, guns, ammo in raid on Kurdish rebels
[link to www.swissinfo.ch]

Military secrets likely given to PKK, espionage case shows
[link to www.todayszaman.com]

Describing talks with the PKK as a ‘peace process,’ PM Erdogan vows to soldier on in negotiations despite MHP opposition. The BDP takes aim at France over the murder of three Kurds in Paris as the CHP preaches calm
[link to www.hurriyetdailynews.com]

A suicide bomber killed at least 15 people and wounded more than 100 by detonating a vehicle packed with explosives outside the offices of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Kirkuk. A separate bomb exploded nearby. At least 29 people killed in Iraq the same day
[link to www.voanews.com]

Turkish jets pound over 50 Kurd rebel targets in Iraq
[link to english.alarabiya.net]

Thousands have gathered in Turkey for the funeral of three female Kurdish activists killed in Paris last week. Politicians have expressed concern the murders could derail peace talks between Kurds and the government.
[link to www.dw.de]

French police detain two Kurds over killings
[link to www.france24.com]

10 prisoners, including 9 Kurds were executed by Iranian Regime, according to statistics, in 2012 at least 575 prisoners were executed in Iran.
[link to rojhelat.info]


Interesting interview by the dude doing the Kurdish lobbying in US, Peter Galbraith: Better a Smaller Independent Kurdistan than to be Stuck in Iraq Forever
[link to www.rudaw.net]

Last Edited by insertfunnyusername on 01/20/2013 05:06 PM

Syrian Kurds attacked by rebels with tanks
[link to translate.google.gr]

Turkey's parliament has passed a law giving Kurds the right to use their own language in court, the state-run Anatolia news agency reports.
[link to www.naharnet.com]

Not Kurds, terrorists are bombed, says Turkish PM
[link to www.hurriyetdailynews.com]

Turkish Man Charged in Paris Murders of Three PKK Women Leaders
[link to www.bloomberg.com]

Double agent claim in murder of Paris Kurds
[link to www.thelocal.fr]

After Paris PKK murders, is Germany next? Erdogan seems to think so, while attacks on Kurdish associations living in Europe continue to take place
[link to translate.google.gr]

Article from former US ambassador to Turkey: Erdogan's Kurdish Issues
[link to nationalinterest.org]

In a development that could strain relations between Turkey and the central government of Iraq, Ankara has inked energy agreement with Kurdistan Regional Government, media reports have said. As per a report in AFP, Turkey and Iraqi Kurds have reportedly agreed recently to build a natural gas pipeline to transport at least 10 billion cubic metres of gas annually.
[link to www.naturalgaseurope.com]

Erdogan: Despite US opposition, oil trade with Iraq is legal, Iraqi Kurdistan presses on with oil pipeline to Turkey despite U.S. fears,
[link to www.hurriyetdailynews.com]
[link to www.tvkosmos.gr]

Iran warns Iraqi Kurdistan against thinking about independence or closer ties with Turkey, PM Al-Maliki warns of Turkish “plan” to divide Iraq
[link to www.ekurd.net]
[link to www.diclehaber.com]

US Ambassador to Turkey Ricciardone says Washington seriously warned Ankara, Baghdad and Arbil not to take steps that would disintegrate Iraq, Turkish ambassador to USA: US rhetoric at times resembles Iran's on the issue of Iraq
[link to www.hurriyetdailynews.com]
[link to www.todayszaman.com]

Iraqi Kurds’ oil trade rests on shaky legal ground
[link to www.todayszaman.com]

Kurdistan and Gazprom Neft Sign New Contracts, Barzani meets Putin in Kremlin
[link to investing.businessweek.com]
[link to kurdpress.com]

The Minister of Natural Resources in Kurdistan Regional Government, Ashti Hawrami described on Thursday, Baghdad threats to foreign companies operating in Kurdistan as useless and unconstitutional, while confirmed that it effect Iraq's reputation because it makes companies escape from them and resort to Erbil. [link to www.shafaaq.com]

Turkey Contributes To Iraqi Fragmentation
[link to www.mesop.de]

Syria Islamist-Kurd hostilities end after Kilo’s mediation
[link to www.middle-east-online.com]

Syrian Kurdish Leader Says Turkey Seeks Buffer Zone in Syria
[link to www.al-monitor.com]

The Rise of Syria's Kurds
[link to carnegieendowment.org]

Eight F-16 fighter jets struck 12 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets on Mount Qandil near the Iraqi-Iranian border, in a raid that lasted around two hours.
[link to www.morningstaronline.co.uk]

Iranian military kills three Kurdish youngster smugglers and 77 horses
[link to www.ekurd.net]

70 thousand Syrian refugees in Iraqi Kurdistan, HRW: Free speech under attack in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq TV bombed after airing criticism of Kurd leader
[link to www.ninanews.com]
[link to www.hrw.org]
[link to www.google.com]

Ocalan foreshadows release of PKK captives, expresses hope that they ‘join their families’, Turkish government eyes PKK ceasefire as the first step for peace, BDP: PKK leader gives gov’t solution blueprint
[link to www.hurriyetdailynews.com]
[link to www.hurriyetdailynews.com]
[link to www.hurriyetdailynews.com]

Turkey calls for extradition of PKK Kurds arrested in Europe, Turkey frees Kurdish ex-mayors, Ocalan warns on peace process
[link to www.globalpost.com]
[link to www.newsdaily.com]

BDP deputy Gultan Kisanak: Kurdish people in Turkey desire to live autonomously, Nationalist leader Bahceli: Kirkuk will remain ‘Turkish’ forever, CHP's Guler under fire for racism, fellow deputy resigns in protest
[link to bianet.org]
[link to www.hurriyetdailynews.com]
[link to www.todayszaman.com]

Thousands of Kurds in Turkey marked anniversary of Abdullah Ocalan's capture clash with police, Kurds demonstrate in Strasbourg for Ocalan-Paris murder victims, Violent protests staged in the Black Sea provinces of Sinop and Samsun against a delegation compromising of pro-Kurdish politicians has led to the cancelation of the remainder of the trip.
[link to en.firatnews.com]
[link to www.english.rfi.fr]
[link to www.hurriyetdailynews.com]


[link to www.youtube.com]

jews lived peacefull with others? when?

"The long-standing rivalry between the Iraqi military and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) paramilitary Peshmerga forces may be coming to a head, with the faction’s commander Mahmoud Sankawi warning that a major clash with Iraq could erupt “any minute.”

Link: [link to goingglobaleastmeetswest.blogspot.com]

Thanks for post and link.
Not very big news on the MSM but the billions played in the Kurdistan region at the moment are unbelievable, also car-bombs and urban violence are almost a daily phenomenon now in Iraq, it's gonna be a hell of a proxy soon if it continues this way, all the regional players and world's biggest oil companies want a piece of the pie.

Last Edited by insertfunnyusername on 02/24/2013 08:11 AM

The first Brigade of Kurdish women soldiers founded
[link to www.warvin.org] 2/25/2013
Firat news agency announced, in jendres area of Afrin city, The first Brigade of Kurdish women soldiers to defend the people in western Kurdistan founded, the name of the brigade is (Martyr Rukan brigade) and they officially announced it in a military parade.

In an interview, Axin Tujan, the commander of the brigade stated that we want to inform everyone that women forces have participated in the revolution, it was necessary to have a special brigade for women inside Popular Protection Units (YPG)

“(Martyr Rukan brigade) is the first brigade in western Kurdistan, but it will not be last, we will establish new women brigades in YPG areas”

At the end of the announcement ceremony, Martyr Rukan’s mother presented a speech and congratulated the whole Kurdish nation for having the first women brigade, she promised to make every effort all her life and fight for women’s freedom.

A suicide bomber killed three people and wounded 165 in northern Iraq on Monday, while four people were killed in shootings elsewhere in the country, security and medical officials said. An al-Qaeda affiliated group has claimed responsibility for carrying out an ambush that killed 48 Syrian soldiers and nine Iraq guards state employees in Iraq's Anbar province last week.
[link to www.hurriyetdailynews.com]
[link to www.aljazeera.com]

Turkey has told Iraq it will reject any extension of oil and gas pipelines from Kurdistan without the approval of the Baghdad government, Iraq's oil minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi was quoted as saying by the state media network on Monday. Iraqi Official: Iraqi-Turkish Tensions Harm Both Sides
[link to ca.news.yahoo.com]
[link to www.al-monitor.com]

Turkey is willing to exist on whole Iraqi soil: Controversial energy projects between Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) are necessary for the continued “normalization” of Iraq, according to Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz.
[link to www.hurriyetdailynews.com]

Genel Energy has said it expects to export oil by pipeline from its fields in Iraqi Kurdistan by 2014
[link to www.iraq-businessnews.com]

Iraqi Budget Deepens Oil Dispute with Kurds: The Iraqi parliament Thursday passed a budget for 2013 that allocated to Kurdistan just a fraction of the oil revenue requested by the semi-autonomous region, a move that deepens a dispute that has disrupted oil exports from the north of the country.
[link to www.rigzone.com]

Bagdad sees no problems with Russian oil companies working in Kurdistan if constitution observed
[link to rbth.ru]

Kurds Protest Iraqi Forces Sent To Disputed Region on Syrian Border
[link to www.al-monitor.com]

British Parliament Recognizes Saddam’s Kurdish Massacre as Genocide
[link to ikjnews.com]

Nearly 75 percent of the Syria-Turkey border is controlled by al-Qaeda, while the rest is controlled by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told a delegation from Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)
[link to www.hurriyetdailynews.com]

Turkey Says Won't Allow Kurdish Entity In Northern Syria: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed that Ankara will not allow a separate political entity in northern Syria amid reports that Arabs and Kurds have recently signed a deal to jointly rule territories on the Turkish border.
[link to en.haberler.com]

Syrian Kurdish groups have seized control of several key oil fields, provoking concerns among the Syrian opposition and Turkey about the coming division of Syria, Syrian Kurds carve out an enclave between the Assad regime and the rebels
[link to www.al-monitor.com]
[link to news.nationalpost.com]

Difficult to Read New Kurdish-FSA Alliance, Rival Kurdish parties Azadi and YGP clash in Syrian Kurdistan, Syrian Kurdish PYD Distances Itself From PKK, FSA
[link to www.al-monitor.com]
[link to www.al-monitor.com]
[link to www.al-monitor.com]

The jailed leader of Kurdish rebels is set to call for a long-sought ceasefire on March 21, the day of the Kurdish new year, as part of a renewed push for peace with Ankara, officials said on Wednesday. Emerging briefly from solitary confinement in his island prison near Istanbul, Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan said Turkey could become as troubled as Syria or Iraq if it does not take steps to end his group's decades-old insurgency.
[link to www.globalpost.com]
[link to news.yahoo.com]

Erdogan rules out amnesty for Kurdish rebels, warns against 'sabotage' against efforts to disarm PKK
[link to www.globalpost.com]
[link to www.aa.com.tr]

From his island prison, Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan has accused the fighters he commands of hampering his efforts to end a decades-old conflict and warned the Turkish government against any attempt to dictate terms. The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) may release Turkish state officials it is holding within 10 days as part of a renewed push for peace with Turkey, the co-chair of the pro-Kurdish party said Saturday.
[link to www.tvkosmos.gr]
[link to english.ahram.org.eg]

Ahmet Turk critizes Turkish military operations. Kurdish militants have detonated a bomb under a military vehicle in southeast Turkey, wounding four soldiers, security officials said today, in a potential challenge to a fledgling peace process between Ankara and the rebels’ jailed leader.
[link to www.mesop.de]
[link to www.themalaysianinsider.com]

Kurdish peace process divides Turks
[link to www.atimes.com]

Thank you sir for keeping us updated on Kurdish news! Really appreciate that. What you think by the way of the latest peace truce announced by Öcalan?, as a Kurd when I was reading the truce I smelled rat that smelled like Erdogan.

hahahaaaaa. don't tell me you love kurds... I have bad news for you. The peace is in progress within Turkey. And the they will maybe finally get rid of the cyprus problem, on their terms of course.

The jailed leader of Kurdish rebels fighting Turkey, Abdullah Ocalan, has called for a truce after years of war
[link to www.bbc.co.uk]


[link to www.youtube.com]

Turkey, US, EU, Barzani welcome Kurdish rebels ceasefire call, Pope Francis plans to visit Kurdistan region soon
[link to www.globalpost.com]
[link to www.globalpost.com]
[link to www.globalpost.com]
[link to www.krp.org]
[link to www.ninanews.com]

Greater rights for Kurds key to Turkish peace efforts. Towards a Turkish-Kurdish alliance? Turkey and the Kurds on the Way to a Settlement?
[link to uk.news.yahoo.com]
[link to translate.google.gr]
[link to carnegieeurope.eu]

PKK commander: PKK to withdraw fighters if Turkey shows goodwill, Turkish warplanes activity over rebel-controlled areas is a provocation. Turkish forces fired artillery shells into north Iraq, apparently in a bid to intimidate Kurdish rebels with whom Ankara is in peace talks, security sources and rebels told AFP on Thursday.
[link to english.ahram.org.eg]
[link to en.firatajans.com]
[link to www.dailystar.com.lb]

Erdogan, Barzani seek strategic partnership. Turkey is economic winner of Iraq war
[link to www.worldbulletin.net]
[link to www.washingtonpost.com]

At least 19 people were killed and more than 130 wounded after car bombings rocked four Shiite mosques in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad and another mosque in Kirkuk. Bomb kills two Iraqi-Kurdish politicians in disputed town. Iraq car bomb kills 10 near Basra as anniversary nears. At least 65 people killed in Iraq bomb attacks
[link to rt.com]
[link to english.ahram.org.eg]
[link to www.bbc.co.uk]
[link to www.rte.ie]

Thanks for posts and kind words KS.
Forgot to update the thread with the recent financial doom, but i try to do it at least once a month, this is more important than some people think because it expands in the whole ME, feel free to post any news and insight, getting any kind of info about the Kurdish situation in Iran for example is difficult and i would certainly want to know more about it.

As for the ceasefire, goes without saying that i don't trust the motives of the AKP and the Islamists, despite their zero-problems propaganda they have an expansionist and Sunni-oriented sectarian policy that i think it's dangerous for the balance of the region, but any ceasefire/peace is good news for the people on my book, especially if the demands will be met like greater rights, greater autonomy, change of constitution, reduce of the political, journalist and activist crackdown etc. Off course these news weren't very welcomed by the nationalists from the few articles i've read, but they got the Israeli apology as a distraction the same day, some Greater Turkey maps posted in major MSM, a bit of spin and propaganda and voila.

You can argue that PKK could have gone for more because no matter how the MSM tried to paint the situation out, control of SE territories was lost for about 4 months and military transportation was severely disrupted, but i think US had a great role in this because Iran's growing influence is their major regional security concern for now, i fully expect a bigger role for PAJK in the near future, seems that the Kurdish crackdown is intensifying in Iran lately from the few news i can gather, so they probably are aware of this too. More than probable Syria intervention was also a very important factor and Iraq doesn't look good either lately, whole region is just a few steps away from complete meltdown, so it was a first things first kind of approach imo.

A thing i found weird was Ocalan mentioning "fraternity and solidarity under the flag of Islam", kind of sectarian approach and not very PKK-like and it wasn't appreciated by Christian and crypto-Christian allies/supporters, mainly of Armenian and Rum origin, from Diyarbakir to the Black Sea. Kurds should be wary of not repeating the same "under the flag of Islam" past mistakes imo, it took many decades for reconciliation to take place and it would be shame to go astray, especially after the very generous rapprochement steps of the last 5 years.

I was actually going to ask if any Kurd is here to get an insight/opinion about the same thing, really interested to hear more of your views on the matter. :)

Iraqi Kurdistan sells first crude, defies Baghdad. Turkey seeks deeper energy relationship with Kurdistan and Iraq. Iraqi Government Warns Kurdistan Region Against 'Smuggling' Oil
[link to uk.finance.yahoo.com]
[link to www.ekurd.net]
[link to www.al-monitor.com]

US Secretary of State John Kerry was to tell Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani to abandon unilateral actions that do not receive the blessing of Baghdad, particularly with regard to an oil pipeline deal with Turkey.
[link to www.todayszaman.com]


Turkish President Abdullah Gul has criticized the absence of Turkish flags in Diyarbakir during Nevruz celebrations on Thursday, agreeing with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who voiced a similar complaint on Thursday and Friday.
[link to www.todayszaman.com]

Kurdish groups from Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region say they believe in the Syrian revolution, but have not encouraged supporters to join the fight to oust the Damascus regime.
[link to rudaw.net]

Last Edited by insertfunnyusername on 04/09/2013 06:43 PM

Syria’s Assad Says Turkish Premier Cannot Be Trusted in Peace Talks with Kurds. The Syrian president said that his government supports any steps to solve the Kurdish issue in Turkey. He also admitted that Syrian Kurds are not newcomers to the region. Assad admitted to past mistakes toward Syria’s Kurdish citizens, saying that the Turks and Arabs had not been inclusive. Assad said he believed that, although there are small Kurdish groups seeking separation in Syria and who favor a “greater Kurdistan” created from the Kurdish regions of Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran, most Kurds do not support this notion.
[link to rudaw.net]

U.S.-educated Kurd to lead Syrian opposition: Ghassan Hitto - the IT executive who wants to govern Syria
[link to news.blogs.cnn.com]
[link to www.independent.co.uk]

Deputy head of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, Mohammed Farouk Tayfour says that opposition groups are meeting in Istanbul today to form an interim government for Syria. Tayfour believes that the Kurds are either siding with the regime of Bashar Assad or that they are divided among themselves. He says the Muslim Brotherhood wants to solve the Kurdish question in Syria and he hopes the Kurds join the main opposition to topple the regime in Damascus.
[link to rudaw.net]

A Syrian airstrike on a Kurdish district in Aleppo has left 15 people dead, including nine children, an opposition group says. As Fighting Rages in Damascus, Kurds Flee Their Neighborhoods. Conflict Intensifies In Syria's Kurdish Area
[link to www.abc.net.au]
[link to rudaw.net]
[link to www.al-monitor.com]

Deal between Syrian rebels and Kurds marked by mistrust. Syria Kurds help Shiite, Sunni fighters negotiate
[link to www.rawstory.com]
[link to www.dailystar.com.lb]

Syrian Opposition Denies Involvement in Murder of Controversial Kurdish Cleric
[link to rudaw.net]


[link to www.youtube.com]