Some 3,000 civilians have fled the town of Sinjar, and its surrounding area, as the arrival of the Iraqi Army has led to violent clashes with local Yazidi militias, who the military intends to clear from the area.
A religious minority ethnically related to the Kurds, the Yazidis were heavily targeted by ISIS in past years, and that ended with them allied to the PKK movement, and forming their own militias.
Arming the Yazidis was far from a panacea for them, however, as now the Turkish government is launching attacks on the PKK in and around Iraq, while Iraq’s government itself is trying to pacify the Yazidi militias.
Early fighting has killed one soldier and at least 12 Yazidi fighters. The military says the offensive will continue until all Yazidi checkpoints are dismantled.
This is a direct result of American ethnic reengineering upon US second entry into Iraq to fight ISIS.
The reason for getting back into Iraq was to “save Yazidjs” whose town. Sinjar was overrun by ISIS. ISIS was incredibly strategic, taking towships that were important crossroads. Mosul, Kirkuk. Sinjar in Iraq, Raqqa, Al-Bab, etc in Syria.
In battle for Sinjar, both Iraqi PKK (Turkey) Kurdish branch and Iraqi Peshmerga Kurds participated under US command. But when Sinjar was liberated, US allowed ONLY PKK to enter — not Peshmerga,
Thiis caused major rift — Turkish Kurds promoted themselves among yound Iraqi Kurds as “more agressive and for independence”. This is where Turkey and Peshmerga found common cause.
But US then helped PKK take Kirkuk from ISIS. This was a problem for Iraq as Kirkuk is not a majority Kurdish town and is important energy hub.
To skip over details, Peshmerga struck. Declared referendum in independence. PKK, under US unfluence, did not support it. The outcome was predictable. Iraqi military defeated PKK in Sinjar and Kirkuk. Peshmerga did not move a finger to help. More over, Peshmerga turned over airlports and border crossing to the Government.
But PKK is getting Yaziidis to join their ranks, provide training and arms.
Iiraqi military clearly has to intervene to check spillover effect from Turkish PKK, as in Syria was YPG, US used to support any secession minded Kurdish movement. Clearly PKK is a favorite with branches in Iraq and Syria.
If Iraq does not take action, Turkey will. Just as Turkey took care of YPG in Afrin and Kobane regions in Syria,
We are wasting time and a lots of money to destabilize countries, especially those struggling to regain normality, There are better ways to develop trade and enjoy peace dividend. But no — those profiting from wars will not like that. We in the other hand do not enjoy Inflation and its ugly sister — Recession.
Those folks make money by constsnt wars. And now they have secured a long and healthy profit streams by finding a new big enemy, As
Thank you for this very clear explanation, and conclusion about how those who push for arms buildup, instead of mutually beneficial economic deals, foment these conflicts and the suffering
Gee, I wonder where they get their weapons and money.
I remember when the Kurds came to occupy the Yazidis and disarmed them. Then when ISIS approached, the Kurds left in the middle of the night, without telling the Yazidis that ISIS was coming. They arrived a few hours later to massacre the Yazidis and raping the young women, selling them as slaves. Then the Kurds could move back and take the territory for themselves.
Kurds have also ethnically cleansed Arab villages. In other places, they have moved power lines around Arab villages to their own territory. They have forced occupied Arab school children to repeat lies about how Syrian history is actually Kurdish, that Sargon of Assad was a Kurd, etc. They have burned Syrian wheat fields and take the northern water supply for themselves.
And allies against ISIS? The Kurds let ISIS escape from northern Iraq into Syria through their territory. They have allowed ISIS to move through their areas to attack the Syrians. You can see pictures of them smoking with ISIS soldiers on their mutual borders. ISIS could take the oil fields in eastern Syria thanks to US bombing, oddly prepared to move in right after a large bomb raid as if they knew it was coming. Then when the Syrian army approached, they handed over the oil fields to the Kurds. Kurds have also allowed many ISIS fighters to join their ranks.
In Turkey the Kurds smuggle drugs to Europe. They kidnap Turkish businessmen and force the families to pay ransom. They extort business owners, and those who don’t pay are attacked with car bombs and grenades through windows. They force Kurd children to become child soldiers. They kill Turkish forest workers with tripwire mines. No wonder Turkey strikes against them. I know a leftist couple from Turkey who hate Erdogan, who cost the wife in the couple her job, but they also know everything the Turks have been doing, and despise them also. Everyone in Turkey, and Syria, can see what they have done. The YPG leaders in Syria are criminals who came over from Turkey to rule the local Kurds.
Yes when isis rolled in u ran like the cowards u r and now u r targeting the people who faced down genocide trying to make sure it doesn’t happen again.