Tag Archives: Turkey

LET THE MAN GO -RELEASE SALEH MUSLIM NOW

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The Jerusalem Post - Israel NewsThe arrest in a Prague hotel of former Syrian Kurdish PYD (Democratic Union Party) leader Saleh Muslim Muhammad is a test case. Its outcome will establish the extent to which the central role against Islamic State played by Syrian Kurds has accrued some broader political legitimacy for their leadership and organizations.

The former PYD leader, who remains among the most prominent and influential of Syrian Kurdish leaders, is set to appear before a Czech court this week. The Turks are seeking his extradition. If extradited, he will with certainty be convicted and might face incarceration for the rest of his life. Kurdish media are calling his capture the most significant apprehension of a Kurdish leader by the Turks since that of PKK founder and leader Abdullah Ocalan in 1998.
The US built the Syrian Democratic Forces – the main instrument for the defeat of IS in its Syrian heartland – around the YPG. Recent statements by senior US officials have indicated that the US intends to remain committed to its allies in Eastern Syria, and to maintain forces in the part of Syria they control, an area covering some 27% of Syrian territory that includes its main oil and gas fields.

he Syrian Kurds declared the establishment of the “Democratic Federation of Northern Syria” over their area of control in March, 2016.

No Western country has recognized or acknowledged this declaration. The Federation, which is today the governing structure in an area where US forces are located, remains entirely isolated diplomatically, even as its armed forces call in US air strikes and work on a daily basis with American Special Forces.

The ties between the PYD and the PKK are at the root of this. The latter has for the last 34 years been engaged in an insurgency against Turkey, demanding autonomy for the country’s Kurds. It is listed as a terrorist organization by both the US and the European Union. Turkey’s warrant against Saleh Muslim, a non-citizen of Turkey, depicts him as a militant member of the PKK.

The question now is whether the involvement of the PYD with the war against IS has acquired a degree of de facto legitimacy for it in the eyes of the West, even in the absence of formal political recognition.

If so, Western pressure on the Czech Republic will lead almost certainly to Muslim’s release, indicating an embryonic, unspoken political alliance now existing between the Syrian Kurdish leadership and the West. This will produce further fury on the part of NATO-member Turkey’s Islamist and increasingly authoritarian leadership.

The United States must pressure Czech to release Saleh without turning him over to the Turkish Dog Erdogan.

TIME FOR THE UNITED STATES TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST TURKEY

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Turkish offensive in Kurdish-held Syrian enclave sets up collision course with US

Catherine Herridge

By Catherine Herridge | Fox News

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Damage to the Afrin region of Syria reportedly caused by Turkish forces.

Civilians have been killed, their neighborhoods destroyed and at least one water treatment plant heavily damaged in the Turkish military offensive against the Kurdish-held Syrian enclave of Afrin, according to video, photos and on-the-ground accounts reviewed by Fox News.

Some of the reporting, which included the apparent deaths of children, is too graphic to publish. Some of the accounts of what is happening in Afrin also cannot be independently verified.

The Turkish intervention, called “Operation Olive Branch,” began in late January and, according to national security specialists, further complicates the conflict in Northern Syria involving Kurdish forces that worked with the United States to rout the Islamic State (ISIS).

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“The Turkish attempt to drive the Kurds from Afrin places the U.S. in a very difficult position,” said Tara Maller, a former military analyst for the CIA who is now a senior policy adviser with the Counter Extremism Project. “If the U.S. is seen as abandoning the Kurds, its allies and the most effective fighting force against ISIS, it could result in the loss of credibility and an unwillingness for others to cooperate with the U.S. in the future against ISIS and other terrorist groups.”

While some 2,000 U.S. forces are in the region, Turkey has threatened to clear the Kurds from its border with Syria. The strategy could impact the town of Manbij, widely reported to be a base for U.S. troops.

Maller, who reviewed photos and video for Fox News, said that “there are U.S. troops in this area, in physical proximity to the fighting. The U.S. has said it is not moving its forces from this area and would hit back hard if attacked. At the same time, the U.S. wants to avoid alienating Turkey and pushing it further into Russia’s sphere of influence. The U.S. must work through diplomatic channels to lessen the tension in the area and prevent this confrontation from drawing in other players and becoming a separate war, which will only embolden ISIS and other radical groups.”

Afrin is home to the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, a Kurdish militia. The Turkish government maintains the YPG is a terrorist group and offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a military struggle against Turkey since the 1980s. At the same time, however, YPG is a central element of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces that now control great swaths of Syria.

Returning from overseas last week, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis gave a wide-ranging brief to reporters, one that touched on the Afrin conflict. Mattis said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had recently visited the Turkish capital,  Ankara, where he dealt with issues “causing friction” and a “loss of rapport between us and our NATO ally Turkey.”

Mattis continued. “And while we understand their (Turkey’s) legitimate security concerns, as I’ve mentioned several times, that does not align with us concurring with attacks into areas that were not sources of violence before the attack into Afrin, for example.”

Asked how “mechanisms” would work with Turkey in Afrin and Manbij, he said: “That’s exactly what we have to work out. That’s — as you said, we’re going to put them in place. So there’s a commitment now to work them out. We have to put them — we have to draw them up together, and then we have to employ them.“

The aim of the Turkish operation is to “stop attacks and border harassments, indiscriminate shelling of urban areas, harboring, equipping and training of terrorists, suicide bombers and assassins,” according to a fact sheet sent to Fox News from the Turkish Embassy in Washington. Turkey also maintains that “all precautions are taken to avoid collateral damage to the civilian population” in the operation, a claim sharply disputed by Kurdish groups.

At the Munich Security Conference this month, Turkey’s minister of foreign affairs called Operation Olive Branch a “legitimate right (for) self-defense,” adding that “supporting a terrorist organization against another terrorist organization (ISIS) is a big mistake and risking the future of the country,” a reference to the YPG.

Maller, of the Counter Extremism Project, said ISIS has been beaten back, but emphasized that the terror group would likely stage a comeback, and the U.S. will need its Kurdish allies again. “ISIS continues to have a formidable presence” along the Syria-Iraq border and “is capable of striking quickly and often. Also, ISIS continues to successfully radicalize and recruit individuals globally, while inspiring followers to carry out attacks. Over time, it is quite possible that ISIS could again gain strength, as it has done before, should the war in Syria drag on and Iraq’s government remain weak and under the sway of Iran.

“While the absolute number of ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq may have fallen, the group remains dangerous and continues to spread to Africa, Asia and other parts of the world.”

 

Catherine Herridge is an award-winning Chief Intelligence correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC) based in Washington, D.C. She covers intelligence, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security. Herridge joined FNC in 1996 as a London-based correspondent.

TURKEY’S ERDOGAN EAGER FOR A THREE COURSE MEAL OF LEAD

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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned the Syrian regime against entering Afrin province in northern Syria. Syrian State Media reported that Syrian “popular forces” would enter Afrin to support the “Steadfastness of their people in the face of aggression carried out by the forces of the Turkish regime.” The potential conflict between Turkey and Syria comes a month after Turkey launched a major offensive into northern Syria aimed at removing what it called “terrorists” of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) from its border. The US has continually urged restraint and said Ankara’s operation is a distraction from the war on Islamic State.

On the face of the new revelations this is imperceivable that a NATO member (Turkey) is warning the United States supported troops that they Turkey will use all of the means necessary to bomb, kill and remove our troops from Afrin. Afriin is located in a mountainous region of northwest Syria next to the border with Turkey. Since 2012 it has mostly been cut-off from the vicious civil war in Syria, a Kurdish canton controlled by the YPG. Since 2015 the YPG has partnered with the US-led coalition in eastern Syria, where it makes up part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF liberated Raqqa from ISIS and are key to helping stabilize eastern Syria, the US says.

In January 2018 Ankara accused the US of training a “terror army” in eastern Syria and launched its operation against Afrin using Tanks, airplanes and more than 10,000 Syrian rebel allies. The bottom line here is one that Turkey will regret; bombing our troops who are working with the YPG Kurds will result in the Mother of all confrontations. Turkey will regret the power of the United States. The Muslim Brotherhood Erdogan will soon have to make a choice, back down or eat lead. We venture the latter – a suicide wish will come true.

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said Turkey would face the “appropriate response” if it follows through on a threat to widen its assault against a Syrian Kurdish militia all the way to the border with Iraq.

Senior SDF official Redur Xelil was responding to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s threat to sweep militants from the length of Turkey’s Syrian frontier. “When he tries to widen his battle, he will be met by the appropriate response,” Xelil told Reuters in an interview in the town of Amuda in northern Syria.

 Previously we reported on the confrontation that will occur in Afrin:

The Turkish offensive in northwest Syria’s Afrin region against the Kurdish YPG militia has opened a new front in the multi-sided Syrian civil war and strained ties with NATO ally Washington.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, January 26, Turkish forces would sweep Kurdish fighters from the Syrian border and could push all the way east to the frontier with Iraq — a move which risks a possible confrontation with US forces allied to the Kurds.

 The Turkish offensive in northwest Syria’s Afrin region against the Kurdish YPG militia has opened a new front in the multi-sided Syrian civil war and strained ties with NATO ally Washington.

Since the start of the incursion, dubbed “Operation Olive Branch” by Ankara, Erdogan has said Turkish forces would push east towards the town of Manbij, potentially putting them in confrontation with US troops deployed there.

“Operation Olive Branch will continue until it reaches its goals. We will rid Manbij of terrorists, as it was promised to us, and our battles will continue until no terrorist is left until our border with Iraq,” Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara.

A senior official in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias of which the YPG is the strongest, said any wider Turkish assault would face “the appropriate response.”

The Kurdish-led autonomous administration that runs Afrin urged the Syrian government on Thursday to defend its border with Turkey despite Damascus’ stance against Kurdish autonomy.

The Syrian government has said it is ready to target Turkish warplanes in its airspace, but has not intervened so far. It suspects the Kurds of wanting independence in the long-run.

Erdogan demands we hand over Fetthulah Gulen

Previously, we reported that Turkey has closed the airspace above, and suspended all US-led air missions out of the giant Incirlik airbase (which houses some 50 US nuclear bombs), we said that there is speculation the “airbase may be held “hostage” by Ankara as a bargaining chip ahead of demands for the extradition of Erdogan’s arch enemy, Fethullah Gulen, currently a resident of the state of Pennsylvania.” A few hours later this was partially validated when during a televised speech, Turkish President Erdogan called on the United States to extradite Fethullah Gulen, a US-based Muslim cleric he accuses of being behind Turkey’s failed coup attempt. Source: ZeroHedge

POPE SELLOUT TO ERDOGAN and XI JINPING

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UPDATE: POPE SELLS OUT TO XI JINPING

The Chinese checker game claimed another victim this past week. Yes, the Pope was eaten by the Chinese Dragon. China policy is Marxist and hard line Communist. There is no room for religion in China. The Holy See has acquiesced to the demands of Xi, he acknowledged the appointment by the Chinese government to select seven Bishops. Effectively the Pope is now a pawn, no longer King Maker. China, a habitual violator of religious practices, is tightening the grip on Catholics and their freedom to worship. The Pope has sold out the 250,000,000 Chinese who pray to God for their right to practice their religion in the Communist country. 

 

We don’t have to go into the crimes committed by the government of Turkey, but we will. Turkey has killed millions of Christians over the past dozen centuries, but their most heinous crime is the murder of 1.5 million Armenians during WWI. Turkey, to this day, will not admit to their crime. Read the  Hagia Sophia story below. The savage beast now is exchanging spit with the Pope who denounces the United States stance on Jerusalem. We call on President Trump to recognize the Armenian Genocide and finally announce to the world world what these Turkish Nazis did.

Anadolu Agency, a state-run Turkish news agency, said Erdogan and Francis also expressed the need to avoid “provocative statements that link Islam with terrorism.” Can you believe this saying? Erdogan is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a recognized terrorist organization across the world.

The pope and Erdogan previously met when Francis visited Turkey in 2014. The Vatican communique issued Monday made no mention of the widespread international criticism of Turkey’s human rights’ record, including the arrests and firings of tens of thousands of Turkish citizens after a failed coup in 2016.

By Frances D’Emilio | AP February 5 at 10:06 AM
VATICAN CITY — Paying the first Vatican visit by a Turkish head of state in 59 years, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Monday with Pope Francis to discuss the status of Jerusalem, human rights and refugees while Kurdish and Italian protesters clashed with police a short distance from Vatican City.Police in riot gear blocked the protesters, estimated by officers to number about 150, near Rome’s Tiber River as they tried to get closer to the Vatican. One protester suffered a bloody gash on his head in the scuffle. Police said another was detained.“I am surprised the pope is willing to meet with a person like that, a dictator, an assassin, with blood on his hands,” Said Durson, who was among the demonstrators, said.

Turkey last month launched a military offensive in a Kurdish-held enclave in Syria. The Turkish government says the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militia there to be a terrorist organization and an extension of Kurdish insurgents fighting within Turkey.

Both the Turkish and Vatican sides described the private talks as cordial. Francis and Erdogan have made plain their concern over the Trump Administration’s decision two months ago to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

 Erdogan, in an interview with Italian daily newspaper La Stampa on Sunday, said he and the pope already had talked by telephone about the Jerusalem issue and said both of them favored working to maintain the status quo for the city considered holy by three religions

 

U.S. TO ERDOGAN “YOU WILL SOON EAT YOUR WORDS”

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The diminutive saber rattler head of Turkey talks big, but the U.S will soon make him back them up and walk big. What brings us to this conclusion? Two fold, first of all this Muslim Brotherhood anti U.S., Jew hater, Israel basher demands the United States stay out of the Syrian north (Afrin). A demand that will fall on death ears.

Imagine a neutered steer up against a bull; no contest. As we have posted in the past concerning this Napoleon wannabee, we soon will see the bull converted to a steer (a steer is a bull without the cajones) by the KURDS coalition forces. We look forward to it. Threatening the United States on more than one occasion has tested our patience. Now he threatens us large.

Syria war: Turkey denounces US ‘terror army’ plan for border

Key powers involved in Syria’s civil war have criticised US plans to help an allied Kurdish-led militia set up a 30,000-strong “border security force”.

Turkey’s president vowed to “suffocate” efforts to begin training members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and create what he called a “terror army”.

(click)Ankara considers Kurds fighting for the SDF to be part of a terrorist group.

Syria’s government decried the “blatant attack” on its sovereignty, and Russia warned it could lead to partition.

With the help of air strikes from a US-led coalition, the SDF has captured tens of thousands of square kilometres of territory from Islamic State (IS) militants.

In October, the alliance took full control of the northern city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the “caliphate” declared by the jihadist group in 2014. Since then, SDF fighters have been advancing south-eastwards along the Euphrates river valley.

The coalition said on Monday that its goal was to create a force with about 30,000 personnel “over the next several years”. About half will be Kurdish and Arab SDF fighters and the other half new recruits.

PREVIOUS POST;

TIME TO CUT BAIT – THROW TURKEY TO THE WOLVES – ERDOGAN OUT OF NATO

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We have previously addressed the suicide bomber who rules Turkey; a wild man with an iron fist rule. A trouble maker consistently fanning the flames of all those who hate Islam. A Muslim miscreant, he has now drawn the wrath of Germany and the Netherlands. How? by calling Netherlands policy of stopping Turkish rallies a Nazi tactic. Germany is aghast, Merkel was shocked that the term Nazis was used. In fact the Nazi is Erdogan, he is guilty of stifling free speech, jailed thousands, firing hundreds of thousands of judges, police, military, imams, foreigners, intellectuals, elitists and the usual suspects; he shut down the free press and demand the United States hand over Fetullah Gulen.

Turkey is now run by the same thugs that toppled Egypt’s Morsi. One thing stands out here, Turkey is a member of Nato. Obama never weighted in on the Turkish situation because, like Erdogan, Obama is a secret member of the Brotherhood.

Remember his reaction when the General al-Sisi interrupted Morsi’s reign of suppressing the freedoms of its citizens. Obama went berserk, stopped military aid, halted imports and pulled our Diplomatic core. This did not happen in Turkey and we know why. Obama is one of them.  But now Trump rules – he is not about to bow to Allah. 

NATO and the United States looks the other way when it is to their advantage, Turkey is strategically located enabling NATO and the U.S. coalition to use Turkish airspace; Turkey needs to be fore warned that their place in history will be dictated by their actions against the NATO countries and their diplomatic transgressions. For instance their sending weapons to the Palestinians aboard the MV Mavi Marmara. Israel intercepted the MV in international waters during its voyage to Gaza. Fighting erupted and 9 members on the MV were killed.

Click here for Israel and the Kurds. Could this be the reason why Erdogan hates Israel.

The Kurds and Kurdish-speaking Yezidis are once again caught in the grip of the Sunni-Shia vice · Against this background and often isolated, their special relationship with Israel stands out for the good: military advice, equipment and training are only some of the ways Israel has helped the Kurdish struggle for independence · “They only have trust in Israel,” says Brigadier General (res.) Tzuri Sagi, the man who led the Kurds to their stunning victories against Iraq in the sixties and seventies.

Erdogan has unleashed a tirade on the Kurds who make up a substantial number of citizens living in Turkey – approximately 20,000,000. Turkey is afraid of them breaking away. Kurds in Turkey and Iraq have defended themselves against outside forces, particularly the Iraqi shias and the pro-Assad forces.

In the latest act of incitement Erdogan spews vile from his rabid mouth that Israel is “playing with fire” concerning their actions on the Temple Mount.  However, Erdogan fails to mention the real crime against humanity is the actions regarding the Hagia Sophia. Once the center of Eastern Christendom, Constantinople competed with Rome.

HAGIA SOPHIA:

From the date of its construction in 537 until 1453, it served as a Greek Orthodox cathedral and seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. It was then secularized and opened as a museum on 1 February 1935.Hagia Sophia Mars 2013.jpg

In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II, who ordered this main church of Orthodox Christianity converted into a mosque. By that point, the church had fallen into a state of disrepair. Nevertheless, the Christian cathedral made a strong impression on the new Ottoman rulers and they decided to convert it into a mosque. The bells, altar, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels and other relics were removed and the mosaics depicting Jesus, his Mother Mary, Christian saints and angels were also removed or plastered over. Islamic features—such as the mihrab, minbar, and four minarets—were added. It remained a mosque until 1931, when it was closed to the public for four years. It was re-opened in 1935 as a museum by the Republic of Turkey. Hagia Sophia is currently (2014) the second-most visited museum in Turkey, attracting almost 3.3 million visitors annually.

Before the world pays attention to this Turkish imbecile they must demand that the Hagia Sophia be restored to its rightful place in history. It is noteworthy to remind those Christians that Turkey once 100% Christian is now outnumbered by Muslims, 80,000,000 to less than 200,000. this is a manifestation of the treatment Christians receive in the Muslim world.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON TURKEY AND THE KURDS

ITS TIME TO CUT THE BAIT – TURKEY IS NOT A FRIEND BUT A VICIOUS ENEMY TO AMERICA

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Jerusalem Post Breaking News
US-BACKED SDF WARNS TURKEY AGAINST WIDENING ATTACK
BY REUTERS JANUARY 26, 2018 19:51

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Breaking news
Breaking news. (photo credit: JPOST STAFF)

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said Turkey would face the “appropriate response” if it follows through on a threat to widen its assault against a Syrian Kurdish militia all the way to the border with Iraq.

Senior SDF official Redur Xelil was responding to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s threat to sweep militants from the length of Turkey’s Syrian frontier. “When he tries to widen his battle, he will be met by the appropriate response,” Xelil told Reuters in an interview in the town of Amuda in northern Syria.

The Turkish offensive in northwest Syria’s Afrin region against the Kurdish YPG militia has opened a new front in the multi-sided Syrian civil war and strained ties with NATO ally Washington.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday Turkish forces would sweep Kurdish fighters from the Syrian border and could push all the way east to the frontier with Iraq — a move which risks a possible confrontation with US forces allied to the Kurds.

The Turkish offensive in northwest Syria’s Afrin region against the Kurdish YPG militia has opened a new front in the multi-sided Syrian civil war and strained ties with NATO ally Washington.

Since the start of the incursion, dubbed “Operation Olive Branch” by Ankara, Erdogan has said Turkish forces would push east towards the town of Manbij, potentially putting them in confrontation with US troops deployed there.

“Operation Olive Branch will continue until it reaches its goals. We will rid Manbij of terrorists, as it was promised to us, and our battles will continue until no terrorist is left until our border with Iraq,” Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara.

A senior official in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias of which the YPG is the strongest, said any wider Turkish assault would face “the appropriate response.”

The Kurdish-led autonomous administration that runs Afrin urged the Syrian government on Thursday to defend its border with Turkey despite Damascus’ stance against Kurdish autonomy.

The Syrian government has said it is ready to target Turkish warplanes in its airspace, but has not intervened so far. It suspects the Kurds of wanting independence in the long-run.

PREVIOUS POST:

U.S. TO ERDOGAN “YOU WILL SOON EAT YOUR WORDS”

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The diminutive saber rattler head of Turkey talks big, but the U.S will soon make him back them up and walk big. What brings us to this conclusion? Two fold, first of all this Muslim Brotherhood anti U.S., Jew hater, Israel basher demands the United States stay out of the Syrian north (Afrin). A demand that will fall on death ears.

Imagine a neutered steer up against a bull; no contest. As we have posted in the past concerning this Napoleon wannabee, we soon will see the bull converted to a steer (a steer is a bull without the cajones) by the KURDS coalition forces. We look forward to it. Threatening the United States on more than one occasion has tested our patience. Now he threatens us large.

Syria war: Turkey denounces US ‘terror army’ plan for border

Key powers involved in Syria’s civil war have criticised US plans to help an allied Kurdish-led militia set up a 30,000-strong “border security force”.

Turkey’s president vowed to “suffocate” efforts to begin training members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and create what he called a “terror army”.

(click)Ankara considers Kurds fighting for the SDF to be part of a terrorist group.

Syria’s government decried the “blatant attack” on its sovereignty, and Russia warned it could lead to partition.

With the help of air strikes from a US-led coalition, the SDF has captured tens of thousands of square kilometres of territory from Islamic State (IS) militants.

In October, the alliance took full control of the northern city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the “caliphate” declared by the jihadist group in 2014. Since then, SDF fighters have been advancing south-eastwards along the Euphrates river valley.

The coalition said on Monday that its goal was to create a force with about 30,000 personnel “over the next several years”. About half will be Kurdish and Arab SDF fighters and the other half new recruits.

PREVIOUS POST;

TIME TO CUT BAIT – THROW TURKEY TO THE WOLVES – ERDOGAN OUT OF NATO

Posted on  by 

We have previously addressed the suicide bomber who rules Turkey; a wild man with an iron fist rule. A trouble maker consistently fanning the flames of all those who hate Islam. A Muslim miscreant, he has now drawn the wrath of Germany and the Netherlands. How? by calling Netherlands policy of stopping Turkish rallies a Nazi tactic. Germany is aghast, Merkel was shocked that the term Nazis was used. In fact the Nazi is Erdogan, he is guilty of stifling free speech, jailed thousands, firing hundreds of thousands of judges, police, military, imams, foreigners, intellectuals, elitists and the usual suspects; he shut down the free press and demand the United States hand over Fetullah Gulen.

Turkey is now run by the same thugs that toppled Egypt’s Morsi. One thing stands out here, Turkey is a member of Nato. Obama never weighted in on the Turkish situation because, like Erdogan, Obama is a secret member of the Brotherhood.

Remember his reaction when the General al-Sisi interrupted Morsi’s reign of suppressing the freedoms of its citizens. Obama went berserk, stopped military aid, halted imports and pulled our Diplomatic core. This did not happen in Turkey and we know why. Obama is one of them.  But now Trump rules – he is not about to bow to Allah. 

NATO and the United States looks the other way when it is to their advantage, Turkey is strategically located enabling NATO and the U.S. coalition to use Turkish airspace; Turkey needs to be fore warned that their place in history will be dictated by their actions against the NATO countries and their diplomatic transgressions. For instance their sending weapons to the Palestinians aboard the MV Mavi Marmara. Israel intercepted the MV in international waters during its voyage to Gaza. Fighting erupted and 9 members on the MV were killed.

Click here for Israel and the Kurds. Could this be the reason why Erdogan hates Israel.

The Kurds and Kurdish-speaking Yezidis are once again caught in the grip of the Sunni-Shia vice · Against this background and often isolated, their special relationship with Israel stands out for the good: military advice, equipment and training are only some of the ways Israel has helped the Kurdish struggle for independence · “They only have trust in Israel,” says Brigadier General (res.) Tzuri Sagi, the man who led the Kurds to their stunning victories against Iraq in the sixties and seventies.

Erdogan has unleashed a tirade on the Kurds who make up a substantial number of citizens living in Turkey – approximately 20,000,000. Turkey is afraid of them breaking away. Kurds in Turkey and Iraq have defended themselves against outside forces, particularly the Iraqi shias and the pro-Assad forces.

In the latest act of incitement Erdogan spews vile from his rabid mouth that Israel is “playing with fire” concerning their actions on the Temple Mount.  However, Erdogan fails to mention the real crime against humanity is the actions regarding the Hagia Sophia. Once the center of Eastern Christendom, Constantinople competed with Rome.

From the date of its construction in 537 until 1453, it served as a Greek Orthodox cathedral and seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. It was then secularized and opened as a museum on 1 February 1935.Hagia Sophia Mars 2013.jpg

In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II, who ordered this main church of Orthodox Christianity converted into a mosque. By that point, the church had fallen into a state of disrepair. Nevertheless, the Christian cathedral made a strong impression on the new Ottoman rulers and they decided to convert it into a mosque.[9][10] The bells, altar, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels and other relics were removed and the mosaics depicting Jesus, his Mother Mary, Christian saints and angels were also removed or plastered over. Islamic features—such as the mihrab, minbar, and four minarets—were added. It remained a mosque until 1931, when it was closed to the public for four years. It was re-opened in 1935 as a museum by the Republic of Turkey. Hagia Sophia is currently (2014) the second-most visited museum in Turkey, attracting almost 3.3 million visitors annually.

Before the world pays attention to this Turkish imbecile they must demand that the Hagia Sophia be restored to its rightful place in history. It is noteworthy to remind those Christians that Turkey once 100% Christian is now outnumbered by Muslims, 80,000,000 to less than 200,000. this is a manifestation of the treatment Christians receive in the Muslim world.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON TURKEY AND THE KURDS

U.S. TO ERDOGAN “YOU WILL SOON EAT YOUR WORDS”

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The diminutive saber rattler head of Turkey talks big, but the U.S will soon make him back them up and walk big. What brings us to this conclusion? Two fold, first of all this Muslim Brotherhood anti U.S., Jew hater, Israel basher demands the United States stay out of the Syrian north (Afrin). A demand that will fall on death ears.

Imagine a neutered steer up against a bull; no contest. As we have posted in the past concerning this Napoleon wannabee, we soon will see the bull converted to a steer (a steer is a bull without the cajones) by the KURDS coalition forces. We look forward to it. Threatening the United States on more than one occasion has tested our patience. Now he threatens us large.

Syria war: Turkey denounces US ‘terror army’ plan for border

Key powers involved in Syria’s civil war have criticised US plans to help an allied Kurdish-led militia set up a 30,000-strong “border security force”.

Turkey’s president vowed to “suffocate” efforts to begin training members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and create what he called a “terror army”.

(click)Ankara considers Kurds fighting for the SDF to be part of a terrorist group.

Syria’s government decried the “blatant attack” on its sovereignty, and Russia warned it could lead to partition.

With the help of air strikes from a US-led coalition, the SDF has captured tens of thousands of square kilometres of territory from Islamic State (IS) militants.

In October, the alliance took full control of the northern city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the “caliphate” declared by the jihadist group in 2014. Since then, SDF fighters have been advancing south-eastwards along the Euphrates river valley.

The coalition said on Monday that its goal was to create a force with about 30,000 personnel “over the next several years”. About half will be Kurdish and Arab SDF fighters and the other half new recruits.

PREVIOUS POST;

TIME TO CUT BAIT – THROW TURKEY TO THE WOLVES – ERDOGAN OUT OF NATO

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We have previously addressed the suicide bomber who rules Turkey; a wild man with an iron fist rule. A trouble maker consistently fanning the flames of all those who hate Islam. A Muslim miscreant, he has now drawn the wrath of Germany and the Netherlands. How? by calling Netherlands policy of stopping Turkish rallies a Nazi tactic. Germany is aghast, Merkel was shocked that the term Nazis was used. In fact the Nazi is Erdogan, he is guilty of stifling free speech, jailed thousands, firing hundreds of thousands of judges, police, military, imams, foreigners, intellectuals, elitists and the usual suspects; he shut down the free press and demand the United States hand over Fetullah Gulen.

Turkey is now run by the same thugs that toppled Egypt’s Morsi. One thing stands out here, Turkey is a member of Nato. Obama never weighted in on the Turkish situation because, like Erdogan, Obama is a secret member of the Brotherhood.

Remember his reaction when the General al-Sisi interrupted Morsi’s reign of suppressing the freedoms of its citizens. Obama went berserk, stopped military aid, halted imports and pulled our Diplomatic core. This did not happen in Turkey and we know why. Obama is one of them.  But now Trump rules – he is not about to bow to Allah. 

NATO and the United States looks the other way when it is to their advantage, Turkey is strategically located enabling NATO and the U.S. coalition to use Turkish airspace; Turkey needs to be fore warned that their place in history will be dictated by their actions against the NATO countries and their diplomatic transgressions. For instance their sending weapons to the Palestinians aboard the MV Mavi Marmara. Israel intercepted the MV in international waters during its voyage to Gaza. Fighting erupted and 9 members on the MV were killed.

Click here for Israel and the Kurds. Could this be the reason why Erdogan hates Israel.

The Kurds and Kurdish-speaking Yezidis are once again caught in the grip of the Sunni-Shia vice · Against this background and often isolated, their special relationship with Israel stands out for the good: military advice, equipment and training are only some of the ways Israel has helped the Kurdish struggle for independence · “They only have trust in Israel,” says Brigadier General (res.) Tzuri Sagi, the man who led the Kurds to their stunning victories against Iraq in the sixties and seventies.

Erdogan has unleashed a tirade on the Kurds who make up a substantial number of citizens living in Turkey – approximately 20,000,000. Turkey is afraid of them breaking away. Kurds in Turkey and Iraq have defended themselves against outside forces, particularly the Iraqi shias and the pro-Assad forces.

In the latest act of incitement Erdogan spews vile from his rabid mouth that Israel is “playing with fire” concerning their actions on the Temple Mount.  However, Erdogan fails to mention the real crime against humanity is the actions regarding the Hagia Sophia. Once the center of Eastern Christendom, Constantinople competed with Rome.

From the date of its construction in 537 until 1453, it served as a Greek Orthodox cathedral and seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. It was then secularized and opened as a museum on 1 February 1935.Hagia Sophia Mars 2013.jpg

In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II, who ordered this main church of Orthodox Christianity converted into a mosque. By that point, the church had fallen into a state of disrepair. Nevertheless, the Christian cathedral made a strong impression on the new Ottoman rulers and they decided to convert it into a mosque.[9][10] The bells, altar, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels and other relics were removed and the mosaics depicting Jesus, his Mother Mary, Christian saints and angels were also removed or plastered over. Islamic features—such as the mihrab, minbar, and four minarets—were added. It remained a mosque until 1931, when it was closed to the public for four years. It was re-opened in 1935 as a museum by the Republic of Turkey. Hagia Sophia is currently (2014) the second-most visited museum in Turkey, attracting almost 3.3 million visitors annually.

Before the world pays attention to this Turkish imbecile they must demand that the Hagia Sophia be restored to its rightful place in history. It is noteworthy to remind those Christians that Turkey once 100% Christian is now outnumbered by Muslims, 80,000,000 to less than 200,000. this is a manifestation of the treatment Christians receive in the Muslim world.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON TURKEY AND THE KURDS

THE BIG LIE CONTINUES

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Millions of people have fallen for the greatest lie of the twenty first century; it found its birth 50 years ago.  The lie, “there are a Palestinian people.”  History says otherwise. A country was never named Palestine.  During the past 2000 years there were never a people called Palestinians.  However, in 1967 Arabs who resided in Israel, the West Bank (Samaria and Judea) and Gaza began to call themselves Palestinians.

The name Palestine was a new name given to the country of Israel by Roman Emperor Hadrian. It was punishment for the Israeli revolt which started in 70AD and lasted until 135AD.  The name has endured for the past 2000 years.  So the question remains, where did all of those Palestinians of today come from?

To quote Mark Twain, who visited Israel in 1880? He described what he saw in three words, “Palestine is desolate.”  The Holy Land was occupied by the Ottoman Turks in the 1800’s; they settled Turks in Palestine to farm and strip the forests for Turkish export.  From 1840 to 1920 the Turks brought in 506,000 Arabs.  In 1920 The British Mandate approved by the League of Nations in 1922 opened the floodgates to more foreigners. The British allowed 36,000 Syrians to enter the land in 1934. From 1924-1947 the British secretly brought in 440,000 Arabs from Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq. During the Holocaust, the British smuggled in 200,000 more Arabs.

Of the 1,303,000 Arabs living in Palestine in 1947, 1 million were illegally brought in and the other 300,000 were born to those brought in after the Zionist movement in 1882 was born.  The lie continues to this day.  One question remains to be answered; why is the western media continuing the perpetration of this lie?

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON JAFFA – TEL AVIV

Seal of the Jewish community of Jaffa (1892), bearing the biblical phrase: “Unto the Great sea shall be your coast”

Jaffa or Yafo is the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical stories of Jonah, Solomon and Saint Peter as well as the mythological story of Andromeda and Perseus, and later with oranges.

THE TIME HAS COME TO WHACK TURKEY’S TWO BIT PUNK

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NOT GOOD: Erdogan is making OMINOUS THREATS to the US and Israel over Jerusalem

The Middle East has been blowing up since President Trump last week changed US policy to recognize Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel.

There has been much strife in Jerusalem and the West Bank with Palestinians violently protesting against the move. And, of course, Israel has had to use violence at times to keep order.

Erdogan himself has been using dangerous rhetoric to keep the situation as hot as possible, calling Israel a terrorist state that kills Palestinian children:

“Israel is a perfect invader state,” Erdoğan said. He also called Israel “a terrorist state.” “We won’t leave Jerusalem to the mercy of a child-murdering country.”

Netanyahu hit right back, saying:

“I‘m not used to receiving lectures about morality from a leader who bombs Kurdish villages in his native Turkey, who jails journalists, helps Iran go around international sanctions and who helps terrorists, including in Gaza, kill innocent people…”

As usual, Netanyahu nailed it.

This morning Erdogan was at it again, this time attacking the US and making ominous threats against the ‘owners of Jerusalem’:

DAILY SABAH – President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday that the U.S. is responsible for the bloodshed in Jerusalem after clashes erupted in the city following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize it as the capital of Israel.

“Those who turn Jerusalem into a prison for Muslims and members of other religions will never be able to clear the blood off their hands,” Erdoğan said at an event held in the capital Ankara.

Stressing that Washington is also responsible for the bloodshed in the area, the president said of Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem: “The U.S. has become a partner in bloodshed by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. We definitely do not recognize this decision, we will not recognize it. President Trump’s statement does not bind us, nor the world of Islam.”

Erdogan then said something that I would characterize as ominous:

Erdoğan underlined that the continuation of vandalism and oppression in Jerusalem is not possible. The president warned that those who deem themselves as the owners of the city will not even be able to find a tree to hide themselves behind.

Does that sound familiar? Maybe you’ll recall a similar passage from the words of Muhammed in the Hadith:

The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him…

Now it sounds like Erdogan himself is using his very own apocalyptic texts in his threats. That is not good.

Erdogan continued:

The president vowed that the struggle will not be finalized until a Palestinian state with the borders of 1967 is established. “This struggle will not end until the establishment of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state, whose capital is the city of east Jerusalem, within the borders of 1967. There is a role of the U.S. and European politics that supports Israel’s unjust occupation and settlements in what is happening today.”

So we have what I believe are three very important and ominous threats from Erdogan.

First he calls Israel and “invader state” and says he will not leave Jerusalem to the mercy of the Israelis.

Secondly, he uses apocalyptic language in telling the Israelis they will have nowhere to hide.

Lastly, he says this ‘struggle’ over Jerusalem won’t end until a Palestinian state is established with east Jerusalem as its capital.

Now you know as well as I do that there will likely never be a peaceful agreement that ends with a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital, especially after this move by Trump in standing with Israel.

But the reason this is so ominous is that we know from Ezekiel 38 that Turkey and Iran leads an invasion of Jerusalem. Jesus talks about in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 that the antichrist will invade and warn that when they see armies surrounding Jerusalem, they should run for the mountains.

In Joel 4 God judges those nations who scattered his people and divided up his land:

For see, in those days and at that time,
when I restore the fortunes
of Judah and Jerusalem,
I will gather all the nations
and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
There I will enter into judgment with them
on behalf of my people, my heritage, Israel;
Because they scattered them among the nations,
they divided up my land.

My point is that while we are not yet at the point where Turkey and Iran lead an invasion of Jerusalem, I believe we are seeing the very beginnings of these events.

Just in Istanbul over the weekend, hundreds of thousands of Muslims gathered in Yenikapi park in the name of Jerusalem being Muslim and chanted slogans like “we will liberate al-Aqsa, even if our blood flowed.” They are referring to the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.

Or as another account put it, they will sacrifice their blood for Jerusalem.

It’s clear that the ‘ground’ in Turkey and other areas of the Middle East is very fertile when it comes to anger over the so-called Israeli occupation of Jerusalem. And if there is one thing that can unify the Muslim world like no other, this is it.

I would definitely call this a sign of the times, and those ‘times’ may be on us quicker than we realize.

NATO ONE STEP CLOSER TO HEAVING TURKEY OUT

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The Muslim Brotherhood Jihadist ruling Turkey has gone to far.  NATO members are serupticiously holding talks on heaving this murder out of the organization. Blaming the United States for the attempted coup, all the while accusing us of harboring Fethullah Gulen have caused a major schism in our relationship. He is sought by the Turkish government for alleged involvement in the 2016 coup attempt.  Additionally, there is no love for Israel as this Napoleon complex diminutive can’t get over the controversial and war like provoking  Mavi Marmara incident. Realpolitik played a part in Israel’s latent response and regret of the incident. Note that Obama put the proverbial gun to Netanyahu’s head.

NATO in the past has looked the other way when it was to their advantage, Turkey is strategically located enabling NATO and the U.S. coalition to use Turkish airspace; Turkey needs to be fore warned that their place in history will be dictated by their actions against the NATO countries and their diplomatic transgressions. In the latest act of incitement Erdogan spews from his rabid mouth that Israel is “playing with fire” concerning their actions on the Temple Mount.  However, Erdogan fails to mention the real crime against humanity is the actions regarding the Hagia Sophia. Once the center of Eastern Christendom, Constantinople competed with Rome.

From the date of its construction in 537 until 1453, it served as a Greek Orthodox cathedral and seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. It was then secularized and opened as a museum on 1 February 1935.Hagia Sophia Mars 2013.jpg

In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II, who ordered this main church of Orthodox Christianity converted into a mosque. By that point, the church had fallen into a state of disrepair. Nevertheless, the Christian cathedral made a strong impression on the new Ottoman rulers and they decided to convert it into a mosque. The bells, altar, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels and other relics were removed and the mosaicsdepicting Jesus, his Mother Mary, Christian saints and angels were also removed or plastered over. Islamic features—such as the mihrab, minbar, and four minarets—were added. It remained a mosque until 1931, when it was closed to the public for four years. It was re-opened in 1935 as a museum by the Republic of Turkey. Hagia Sophia is currently (2014) the second-most visited museum in Turkey, attracting almost 3.3 million visitors annually.

Before the world pays attention to this Turkish imbecile they must demand that the Hagia Sophia be restored to its rightful place in history. It is noteworthy to remind those Christians that Turkey once 100% Christian is now outnumbered by Muslims, 80,000,000 to less than 200,000. this is a manifestation of the treatment Christians receive in the Muslim world.

Currently and subsequent to the defeat of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, Erdogan has gone on the warpath against the Kurds. Especially in Syria does he have little tolerance for a Kurdish enclave on its border. The foaming at the mouth war monger is intent on crushing any kind of Kurdish control of territory, be it in Turkey, Syria or Iraq.  U.S. backing for the Kurdish YPG fighters in Syria has infuriated Turkey, which views their growing battlefield strength as a security threat due to a decades-old insurgency by the Kurdish PKK within in its borders.

In an August 2017 interview Erdogan said, “We will not leave the separatist organization in peace in both Iraq and Syria,” Erdogan said in a speech on Saturday in the eastern town of Malatya, referring to the YPG in Syria and PKK bases in Iraq. “We know that if we do not drain the swamp, we cannot get rid of flies.”

The YPG denies Turkish allegations of links with Kurdish militants inside Turkey, saying it is only interested in self-rule in Syria and warning that any Turkish assault will draw its fighters away from the battle against Islamic State which they are waging in an alliance with local Arab forces.

Erdogan’s comments follow the appointment of three new leaders of Turkey’s army, air force and navy last week – moves which analysts and officials said were at least partly aimed at preparing for any campaign against the YPG militia.

Turkish forces swept into north Syria last year to seize territory from Islamic State, while also cutting off Kurdish-controlled northeast Syria from the Kurdish pocket of Afrin further west. They thereby prevented Kurdish control over almost the whole sweep of the border – Ankara’s worst-case scenario.

Ankara considers the YPG an extension of the PKK, which is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and European Union.

Can Kasapoglu, a defense analyst at the Istanbul-based Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM), said the YPG “remains at the epicenter of Turkey’s threat perception”.

However, the cuddling up to Iran and Russia maybe the straw that broke the camel’s back. Erdogan has gone too far. NATO is alarmed at the new Turkish posture; they are now considering booting Islamic Turkey from their association. Why defend Turkey if attacked? That is the question.

Russia, Turkey and Iran will hold summit talks on Syria next week as Ankara threatens a possible attack on U.S.-allied Kurdish forces and tensions rise between Moscow and Washington over the future of the war-torn state.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will host his Turkish and Iranian counterparts, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hassan Rouhani, on Nov. 22 in the Black Sea resort of Sochi to discuss Syria and regional developments, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news service said Thursday. The three powers are key players in Syria, where they’ve spearheaded a cease-fire initiative and are now cooperating on a political settlement.

KURDS GO TO THE POLLS TOMORROW

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A new day for the Kurdish Independent movement starts tomorrow. Voting for independence is a long time coming. The Kurds, numbering 30 million have been subjugated to the likes or dislikes of their home countries over the past centuries; Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey are now coming face to face with the grave divisional error of the Sykes-Picot agreement ending WWI.

The Kurds

An ethnographic map of Eastern Turkey after WW1

As originally cast, Sykes-Picot allocated part of Northern Kurdistan and a substantial part of the Mosul vilayet including the city of Mosul to France in area B, Russia obtained Bitlis and Van in Northern Kurdistan (the contemplated Arab State included Kurds in its Eastern limit split between A and B areas). Bowman says there were around 2.5 million Kurds in Turkey, mainly in the mountain region called Kurdistan. The Kurdish Peoples doesnt have any own State since the fall of the Zand dynasty

Partitioning of Ottoman Turkey according to the aborted Treaty of Sèvres

Sharif Pasha presented a “Memorandum on the Claims of the Kurd People” to the Paris peace Conference in 1919 and the suppressed report of the King-Crane Commission also recommended a form of autonomy in“the natural geographical area which lies between the proposed Armenia on the north and Mesopotamia on the south, with the divide between the Euphrates and the Tigris as the western boundary, and the Persian frontier as the eastern boundary.”

The subsequent Treaty of Sevres potentially provided for a Kurdish territory subject to a referendum and League of Nations sanction within a year of the treaty. However the Turkish War of Independence led to the treaty being superseded by the Treaty of Lausanne in which there was no provision for a Kurdish State.

The end result was that the Kurds were included in the territories of Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran.

KURDISH PEOPLE attend a rally to show their support for the upcoming September 25th independence referendum in Duhuk, Iraq.. (photo credit:REUTERS)

Momentum for referendum growing on eve of Kurdistan independence vote

MOMENTUM FOR REFERENDUM GROWING ON EVE OF KURDISTAN INDEPENDENCE VOTE

Momentum for referendum growing on eve of Kurdistan independence vote

KURDISH PEOPLE attend a rally to show their support for the upcoming September 25th independence referendum in Duhuk, Iraq.. (photo credit:REUTERS)

Tens of thousands packed a rally in Erbil’s stadium on Friday, waving a sea of Kurdish flags. Among them were also Israeli flags, a display of affection for the one country that has openly supported the referendum.

A Kurdish man holds an Israeli and Kurdish flag during a rally to show their support for the upcoming September 25th independence referendum in Erbil, Iraq September 16, 2017. (REUTERS/AZAD LASHKARIG)A Kurdish man holds an Israeli and Kurdish flag during a rally to show their support for the upcoming September 25th independence referendum in Erbil, Iraq September 16, 2017. (REUTERS/AZAD LASHKARIG)

Some Kurds say this moment is their 1948 – a reference to Israel’s declaration of independence. They see the challenges Israel faced in its early years as similar to the problems their region now faces.

Iran, Turkey, the Iraqi government in Baghdad, the US, UK, the UN and many other countries have pressured the Kurdish leadership to cancel or postpone the vote. Even up to the eleventh hour the pressure continues, with the UN Security Council expressing concern about the vote and US presidential envoy for the coalition to counter the Islamic State Brett McGurk encouraging Barzani to reconsider.

“There is no Iraq, it is a militia state,” says Hussein Yazdanpanah, a leader of the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), who serves a front line commander northwest of Kirkuk.

Yazdanpanah’s Peshmerga soldiers are Iranian Kurds who oppose the regime at home and have come to the Kurdish region of Iraq to fight alongside their comrades against the common threat of the Islamic State. His men have been holding a front line for three years on a line of dusty hills that overlooks Hawija, where the Iraqi army launched an offensive on September 20.

“Iran, Iraq and Turkey do propaganda against the referendum,” he says, sitting in a chair that overlooks the flat plains around Kirkuk. “Kurdistan has enemies, but also friends. The most important thing you see here is that we have all the minorities and ethnicities [and they] want a referendum. Kurds decided not to stay with this country [Iraq] which has discrimination and inequality.”

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