Turkey, ISIS, Kurds and Syria

[teqniq]

I wonder if it's the PKK or IS come back to bite them on the arse? Has anyone claimed responsibility?

 

[Dogsauce]

It probably serves IS not to claim responsibility, because that way the Kurds take the blame and it gives further justification to Turkey attacking them.

They've claimed the bomber was a YPG militia member, and made arrests.

 

[miss direct]

How convenient.

 

[frogwoman]

Daesh haven't claimed responsibility for anything they have done in Turkey IIRC.

 

[Pickman's model]

Daesh haven't claimed responsibility for anything they have done in Turkey IIRC.

they wouldn't, would they?

 

[gawkrodger]

yeh, as predictable as the sun rising in the East, Erdogan claiming it's a joint YPG/PKK operation. Everyone with a critical braincell raises their eyebrows at the announcement.

The PYD/YPG have put out a statement telling the Turkish state to fuck off, and stating the obvious that they're just trying to fabricate excuses for them to cross over the Syrian border

 

[J Ed]

Ankara blast: Turkey PM says Syria Kurds to blame - BBC News

 

[Mr.Bishie]

Erdogan really does deserve to bullet to the Shirley.

 

[coley]

Erdogan really does deserve to bullet to the Shirley.

Would he really murder his own in order to marginalise the Kurds? Aye, more and more I think he would.

 

[Mr.Bishie]

Of course he would, cos he's a cunt.

 

[yield]

How convenient.

Strange coincidence </tinfoil hat>

Can Erdogan bully Turkey's armed forces into invading Syria?
February 11, 2016

So, the question now is: What will Erdogan do to preserve his foothold in Syria after his strategic loss in Aleppo? Will he concede defeat or will he use his means of last resort — in other words, will he send Turkish troops to Syria?

Turkey ups the ante in Syria
February 16, 2016

(Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet) Davutoglu told reporters Feb. 14 that he had laid Turkey’s demands on the line during a phone conversation with US Vice President Joe Biden earlier that day. To wit, the YPG is to stay clear of the town of Azaz, a stone’s throw from Turkey, and evacuate adjoining areas. It must also abandon attempts to sever the corridor between Aleppo and Turkey, which Ankara says it needs to provide support to refugees. Ankara also insists that the YPG evacuate the Menagh air base near Azaz, recently captured with Russian support, and has threatened to make the base inoperable by shelling it if the YPG does not abandon it.

Davutoglu said he also told Biden that the YPG does not represent Syrian Kurds. “Those who define this as a Turkish-Kurdish conflict only aim to lay the groundwork for a conflict among brothers in the Middle East,” he claimed.

 

[teqniq]

Kurdish militant group TAK claims responsibility for Ankara bombing

 

[coley]

Kurdish militant group TAK claims responsibility for Ankara bombing

Aye, IIRC most kurdish groups have condemned this group? Even so, I'm not convinced Erdogan isn't in some way connected to these 'convenient attacks'

 

[gawkrodger]

Unless I'm imagining things, I'm sure the PKK themselves suggested the deaths of those PKK women in Paris in 2013 (?) were linked to the TAK

 

[butchersapron]

Unless I'm imagining things, I'm sure the PKK themselves suggested the deaths of those PKK women in Paris in 2013 (?) were linked to the TAK

I think it was elements of the turkish state that suggested this rather than the PKK.

 

[gawkrodger]

I think it was elements of the turkish state that suggested this rather than the PKK.

as usual, on closer inspection, you're quite right

 

[gawkrodger]

Further YPG/J/SDF gains

Interesting to note that there are photos on twitter doing the rounds of YPG fighters with Javelins (the anti-tank missile - they haven't gone back to the time of Saladin)

 

[teqniq]

Erdogan's Turkey has become a rogue state

 

[anthony243]

World's leader should take some real initiative to keep the people from this crisis

 

[Pickman's model]

World's leader should take some real initiative to keep the people from this crisis

and who is this anonymous leader?

 

[teqniq]

Heh yeah I was thinking of asking that and then decided that it is grammatical/punctuation error (or at least I hope so). In any event the only nations that might exert any serious pressure on Turkey are NATO members, especially the US and somehow I can't see them doing that.

 

[taffboy gwyrdd]

Afghan Interpreters Who Helped British Army For Four Years Trapped in Burned Out Calais Jungle

 

[miss direct]

This country (Turkey) is getting worse and worse. Almost every day this week, there has been some sort of horrible incident. Attacks on police, massive protests and gassing on our campus, newspaper taken over by the government, Russian war ships making their way through the Bosphorus, constant power cuts, AND I got groped on the metro. There, I've let it all out now.

 

[phildwyer]

This country (Turkey) is getting worse and worse. Almost every day this week, there has been some sort of horrible incident. Attacks on police, massive protests and gassing on our campus, newspaper taken over by the government, Russian war ships making their way through the Bosphorus, constant power cuts, AND I got groped on the metro. There, I've let it all out now.

They shut down the Zaman papers yesterday I believe. No great loss obviously, but it's the principle of the thing.

 

[LDC]

Good turnout on the Kurdish solidarity demo in London today.Stop war on Kurds

Nice to see a sizeable Anti-Fascist Network contingent too. With smoke bombs.

 

[LDC]

Little write up of the demo from a Plan C person... Kurdish demonstration brings thousands to the streets

 

[chilango]

Slightly surprised that both Plan C and the AFN are so formally supporting the "Kurdish Struggle" as it seems a little out of the AFN's remit (though can see why they'd stretch to it) and I'd have thought PlanC would be more cautious re. nailing their colours to a "National Liberation" cause.

Not that I'm against either of them doingit, just a little surprised.

 

[butchersapron]

Slightly surprised that both Plan C and the AFN are so formally supporting the "Kurdish Struggle" as it seems a little out of the AFN's remit (though can see why they'd stretch to it) and I'd have thought PlanC would be more cautious re. nailing their colours to a "National Liberation" cause.

Not that I'm against either of them doingit, just a little surprised.

Given that the PYD are rapidly retrenching into an objectively pro-regime/anti-isis force with barely disguised military collaboration with the russian and regime forces, enabling the guernica of alleppo and trapping/starving revolutionary fighters - when other options that would have helped the revolution and damage the regime were on offer - i would have to be asking serious questions about what supporting the kurdish struggle means and what the historic and contemporary PKK/PYD support of and work for the regime means.

And given that rojava is currently effectively a PKK/PYD military fiefdom with tightly circumscribed democratic procedures - one that almost writes in PYD/PKK dominance and sidelines any organised democratic competitors, and that this state of affairs is policed by PYD led/provided forces, i would also be asking questions about 'the rojava revolution' - esp at a time when the actions of its leading recognised armed bodies are undermining the very possibility of it's autonomous future by handing it over a a hostage to both the regimes victory and ethnonationalist sectarianism. Again.

And i'd be asking why the wider revolution disappears in all this.

Well, i would be if i was Plan C. I wouldn't if i was part of the anti-fascists, i'd be just shouting Anti-fascism! Anti-fascism! We like anti-fascism!

 

[chilango]

butchersapron I'm glad I'm not the only one who (at least) raised an eyebrow at this.

I'm feeling charitable so I wonder if it's comparable to the rush to support the EZLN* back in my day. A rush I enthusiastically joined tbh, and one I still would.

*I'm not comparing the PYD with the EZLN btw but rather the support being given by the types of people giving it?

 

[butchersapron]

butchersapron I'm glad I'm not the only one who (at least) raised an eyebrow at this.

I'm feeling charitable so I wonder if it's comparable to the rush to support the EZLN* back in my day. A rush I enthusiastically joined tbh, and one I still would.

*I'm not comparing the PYD with the EZLN btw but rather the support being given by the types of people giving it?

That's quite weird - over the weekend i dug out a number of things:

Aufheben's A commune in Chiapas
Beyond the Balaclavas of South East Mexico
Wildcat's Unmasking the Zapatistas
TPTG's Mexico is not only Chiapas nor is the rebellion in Chiapas merely a Mexican affair

to give to a comrade to make precisely this point.