Syria civil war: Kurds declare federal region in north

[GennGreymane]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/0...111902534.html

The Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) has voted to create an autonomous federation in the northern part of Syria.

Officials of the PYD claimed autonomy in the Kurdish-controlled areas on Thursday after two days of meetings with delegates of different communities in the country's north.

Representatives of the Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian communities and other ethnic groups met in the town of Rmeilan in Hassakeh province to discuss combining three Kurdish-led autonomous areas into a federal system.

Both the Syrian government and one of the main opposition blocs have rejected the declaration.

The Syrian foreign ministry issued a statement "warning anyone who dares to undermine the unity of the land and the people of Syria under any title," adding "creating a union or a federal system...contradicts the Syrian constitution and all the national concepts and international resolutions".

The opposition Syrian National Coalition also said it rejects such unilateral declarations and warned of any attempt to form autonomous regions that "confiscate the will of the Syrian people."

The newly declared region, named by Kurds as Rojava, consists of three distinct enclaves, or cantons, under Kurdish control in northern Syria: Jazira, Kobani and Afrin.

Why Syria's Kurds want federalism, and who opposes it

The move is sure to anger Turkey, which fears that the growing Kurdish power in Syria is encouraging separatism among its own Kurdish minority.

Idris Nassan, a Syrian Kurdish official and former leader in the Democratic Union Party, said on Wednesday that the announcement would mean "widening the framework of self-administration" across northern Syria.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Kobane, in Syria, Nassan said preparations for federalism had been ongoing for quite some time.

"Federalism should be the future not only for northern Syria or the Kurdish regions but for Syria in general, because under federalism democracy and equality will be guaranteed," he said.

Syria's Kurds effectively control an uninterrupted 400 km of territory along the Syrian-Turkish border from the Euphrates River to the frontier with Iraq, where Iraqi Kurds have enjoyed autonomy since the early 1990s. They also hold a separate section of the northwestern border in the Afrin area

[Deleted]

Worst timing ever I'm guessing. I dont know.

[Tierbook]

Worst timing ever I'm guessing. I dont know.

How do you figure there's little Syria can do to stop them.

[Vorkreist]

*turkish bombing intesifies*

[rogueMatthias]

Finally, Turkey will have an official region they can declare war on so they can get back to killing some Kurds! They've not killed any for a few days now, they must be getting angsty.

[ParanoiD84]

Good they have tons of combat experience and there is no one that can touch them unless turkey desides to bomb the place ofc. Think they earned a spot for their good job against daesh and other terroist groups in the region. Maby they can keep terroists in check if they are allowed to stay in the future.

Lets see how this turns out.

[GennGreymane]

Finally, Turkey will have an official region they can declare war on so they can get back to killing some Kurds! They've not killed any for a few days now, they must be getting angsty.

reminds me of this meme
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CWJxc5qWUAIM4Z4.jpg

When You're Turkey and you haven't bombed the Kurds for 8 minutes.

[Theodarzna]

Good they have tons of combat experience and there is no one that can touch them unless turkey desides to bomb the place ofc. Think they earned a spot for their good job against daesh and other terroist groups in the region. Maby they can keep terroists in check if they are allowed to stay in the future.

Lets see how this turns out.

Turkey loves genocide too much.

[Kuntantee]

reminds me of this meme
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CWJxc5qWUAIM4Z4.jpg

When You're Turkey and you haven't bombed the Kurds for 8 minutes.

I actually loled. The image of Turkey is in foreing countries, with one word, pathetic. USA stated that they won't recognize the Kurdish state in North Syria. It ain't happening.

[Deleted]

How do you figure there's little Syria can do to stop them.

There is no way a kurdistan without an international agreement including their neighbors would work. It would just be another war somewhere down the line.

[Dhrizzle]

It will be interesting to see Russia's response to this, considering this claim of independence seems to be as legitimate as Crimea's.

[GennGreymane]

I do wonder how Turkey will handle it

not well I assume.

[Theodarzna]

I do wonder how Turkey will handle it

not well I assume.

They get to try to wipe out more Kurds, F' did you think they were stopping with the Armenians.

[Independent voter]

That's what it has to be, put Sunni Arabs with Sunni Arabs, Kurds with Kurds and Shiites with Shiites.

Saudi Arabia gets the Sunni Arabs in Syria and Iraq, Iran gets the Syrian and Iraqi Shiites. Everyone is happy.

The colonial powers drew the borders of Iraq and Syria to create a lot of internal conflict, thinking it would make those colonies easier to govern.

The idea to redraw the borders is gaining a lot of steam recently.

[Simulacrum]

From my ignorant perspective, the kurds look like the only ones active in the region right now who aren't either pants-on-head retarded, a terrorist organization, or a insane dictatorship fueled by horrifying violent abuse and torture... or all of the above at once.

So why is this a problem? I gather that the turks hate the kurds for some reason, but I have no clue why.

[Kuntantee]

From my ignorant perspective, the kurds look like the only ones active in the region right now who aren't either pants-on-head retarded, a terrorist organization, or a insane dictatorship fueled by horrifying violent abuse and torture... or all of the above at once.

So why is this a problem? I gather that the turks hate the kurds for some reason, but I have no clue why.

The very first mistake you make is not making the distinction with "Kurds" and "YPG" or "PKK". If PKK is Kurds to you, then I am afraid ISIS is just Arabs. If Turkey is bombing Kurds, then West is bombing Arabs. This narrative is incorrect and is desperately used to put forward a humanitarian perspective to Turkey's war on terrorism. Do not buy it. Turkey or even Turks (safe for ultra-nationalists) have no problem with the ethnicity of "Kurd". So the phrase "Turks hate Kurds" is incorrect. You may say Turks, in general, have a distaste for pro-PKK Kurds, now that's an accurate statement. The simplest proof that nether Turks nor Turkey have problem with Kurds is our relation with Peshmerge which is rather fine. Turkish Army is actively training Iraqi Kurds (Peshmerge). Shocking? Moving on, PKK apology is similar to ISIS apology. Kurds (not only YPG or PKK, e.g. Peshmerge) and Arabs there did fight ISIS, sure. Kurds should have right in new Syria, sure. But PKK (YPG) carving out pices from Syria, creating a habitat for PKK to operate in there (in addition to Iraq) is simply a threat to first Turkish people and Turkey's territorial integrity and then Turkey's best interests. YPG is the name of PKK's Syrian branch. If PKK is a terrorist organization, YPG is too. Therefore, YPG can not and should not be a legitimate entity.

For the record, YPG's ethnic cleansing is well-documented.

You are lucky not to have a cancer such as PKK. It is not only a cancer for Turks but also Kurds. It is one of the dirties terrorist organizations in the existence of humanity. The entire prostitution infrasturcture in Eastern Turkey is controlled by them. A good portion of drug trafficing in Europe and overwhelming majority in Near East is controlled by them. They net over $100 million just from drug trafficing.

[negawonka]

This is good news in my opinion. If there is one group in that region that deserves to have their own country it is the Kurds, and if there is one country that should lose territory to them it should be Syria. I spent time with the Kurds and not only are they pretty cool people to spend time with, they are as hard a people as I have ever met. Watched one get bludgeoned by his superior officer with a rock for not shaving that day. Brutal, but I am becoming increasingly convinced that jaw dropping brutality is about the only thing that is effective against enemies like ISIS.

[caervek]

So why is this a problem? I gather that the turks hate the kurds for some reason, but I have no clue why.

Turkey hate the Kurds fighting for their freedom in Turkey, so by association also hate the Kurds fighting for their freedom in Syria. They are mostly belligerent towards the Kurds in both countries who don't want to be free.

[Kuntantee]

Turkey hate the Kurds fighting for their freedom in Turkey, so by association also hate the Kurds fighting for their freedom in Syria. They are mostly belligerent towards the Kurds in both countries who don't want to be free.

I guess you are fan of IRA? Their freedom struggle was legendary?

[Dhrizzle]

The very first mistake you make is not making the distinction with "Kurds" and "YPG" or "PKK". If PKK is Kurds to you, then I am afraid ISIS is just Arabs. If Turkey is bombing Kurds, then West is bombing Arabs. This narrative is incorrect and is desperately used to put forward a humanitarian perspective to Turkey's war on terrorism. Do not buy it. Turkey or even Turks (safe for ultra-nationalists) have no problem with the ethnicity of "Kurd". So the phrase "Turks hate Kurds" is incorrect. You may say Turks, in general, have a distaste for pro-PKK Kurds, now that's an accurate statement. The simplest proof that nether Turks nor Turkey have problem with Kurds is our relation with Peshmerge which is rather fine. Turkish Army is actively training Iraqi Kurds (Peshmerge). Shocking? Moving on, PKK apology is similar to ISIS apology. Kurds (not only YPG or PKK, e.g. Peshmerge) and Arabs there did fight ISIS, sure. Kurds should have right in new Syria, sure. But PKK (YPG) carving out pices from Syria, creating a habitat for PKK to operate in there (in addition to Iraq) is simply a threat to first Turkish people and Turkey's territorial integrity and then Turkey's best interests. YPG is the name of PKK's Syrian branch. If PKK is a terrorist organization, YPG is too. Therefore, YPG can not and should not be a legitimate entity.

For the record, YPG's ethnic cleansing is well-documented.

You are lucky not to have a cancer such as PKK. It is not only a cancer for Turks but also Kurds. It is one of the dirties terrorist organizations in the existence of humanity. The entire prostitution infrasturcture in Eastern Turkey is controlled by them. A good portion of drug trafficing in Europe and overwhelming majority in Near East is controlled by them. They net over $100 million just from drug trafficing.

The question is would Turkey support (or at least recognise and not actively oppose) a Kurdish state in Northern Syria? Would they be willing to cede some of their own Kurdish-majority territory to such a state? Or would they worry about a Kurdish state strengthening the PKK and join (or initiate) actions to prevent it happening?