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Liberated Kurdish cities in Syrian
Kurdistan move into next phase
25.7.2012 |
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The national flag of Kurdistan and the flag of the
PKK – which the PYD is affiliated with -- are now
being raised over the majority of government and
public buildings in Syrian Kurdistan.
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Head of Democratic Union Party [PYD] Salih Muslim.
Photo: Rudaw
The Syrian Kurdish National Council, an umbrella
group of around a dozen parties, and the Western
Kurdistan People's Council together announced the
formation of the Supreme Kurdish Council, after a
meeting that also included Iraq's Kurdistan
president Massoud Barzani (Center front). Photo: KRG.
We
are constantly in touch with Kurdistan president
Massoud Barzani regarding the situation in Syria and
keep each other updated says Abdulbasit Sayda, the
leader of the country’s largest opposition group,
the Syrian National Council (SNC).
July
25, 2012
QAMISHLI, Syrian Kurdistan,— Syrian
governmental forces have retreated from the Kurdish
regions of Syria without a fight; the liberated
cities are now being ruled evenly by the People's
Council of Syrian Kurdistan (PYD) and the Kurdish
National Council (KNC).
According to the information obtained by Rudaw, the
Kurdish cities of Kobane, Derek, Amoude, Efrin and
Sari Kani have fallen under the control of Syrian
Kurdish forces.
The city of Kobane was the first Kurdish city to be
liberated last Thursday, 17 months after the
revolution against the regime of Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad began.
The KNC and PYD agreed to jointly control the
liberated Kurdish cities in a
deal made in Erbil on July 11, under
the supervision of Kurdistan Region President
Massoud Barzani.
"According to the treaty of Erbil which was signed
by the KNC and PYD, any administrative vacuum in the
Kurdish cities of Syria will be occupied evenly --
50/50 -- by these two signatories. These two groups
will continue ruling the Kurdish regions until an
election is carried out," said Nuri Brimo, a
spokesperson of the Democratic Kurdish Party of
Syria.
The national flag of Kurdistan and the flag of the
PKK – which the PYD is affiliated with -- are now
being raised over the majority of government and
public buildings.
However Abdulbaqi Yusuf, a spokesperson of Kurdish
Union Party (KUP), said, "The buildings under the
control of PYD are using their own flags, but we as
the KNC are using the national flag of Kurdistan.
This is a problem because we only
recognize one flag and that is the
national Kurdish flag, but the PYD does not
recognize that flag."
He added, "For example, in the city of Kobane, we
controlled some buildings and raised the Kurdish
national flag over those buildings, but the PYD came
and forced us out with their guns and removed the
national flag of Kurdistan and replaced it with
their own flag. We could not do anything because
they were armed and we were not."
Yusuf also had concerns about the quality of life
for Syrian Kurds. "People are living in bad
conditions and have not received any help," he said,www.ekurd.net
criticizing the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)
for not coming to their aid.
"We have requested help from the KRG several times
but they have not helped. Nobody listens to us,"
Yusuf said.
Brimo admits that "Barzani asked the KNC and PYD to
rule the Syrian Kurdish cities evenly between them
and in return promised financial and moral support.”
Abdulbasit Sayda, the leader of the country’s
largest opposition group, the Syrian National
Council (SNC), said they were looking for help for
people in the region. “As the SNC, we are holding
meetings with international actors in order to
receive financial and humanitarian aid and save
ourselves from the clutches of the Syrian regime. We
need this aid because the economic situation of the
Syrian people and the Kurds is very bad and they
need help," he said.
Sayda added, "We are constantly in touch with
Barzani regarding the situation in Syria and keep
each other updated."
Brimo explained the withdrawal of regime forces from
the Kurdish cities. "The Syrian regime is gathering
its forces in Damascus,” he said. “Therefore, they
are retreating from other regions."
He also revealed that the Syrian regime informed the
PYD about their withdrawal in advance, so that the
group knew beforehand which cities the forces would
be leaving.
The Free Syrian Army (FSA) is present in many parts
of Syria, but not in the Kurdish regions. "There is
a sort of agreement between KNC and SNC. The FSA
will not come to the Kurdish regions and the Kurds
will not go the Arabic regions," said Brimo.
Sayda admitted fearing a surprise attack by the
Syrian government on these Kurdish regions.
"The Kurds of Syria need to brace themselves for a
sudden return of Syrian government forces. It is
probable that the regime might return to attack this
region again," he said.
By Hevidar Ahmed - Rudaw
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