Complexity of Web of Conflict of Interests Embedded in Turmoil Related to Syria
August 28, 2016
Let us briefly look at developments that unfolded the end of this past week through this weekend, to provide an illustration of seemingly conflicts of interest that constantly exist having to do with turmoil and displays of force in and related to Syria.
When the blasts in Istanbul Airport occurred within recent months, it was made clearly voiced that Turkey is one of the strongest allies of the U.S.; Turkey is reported to have this past weekend launched projectiles at the YPG which Turkey claims is a terrorist group (source http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-08/27/c_135638534.htm). The United States and Russia recently, compared to the Cold War days, have been making strides toward an increasingly peaceful atmosphere of relations. Within the past few days, perhaps last Friday or thereabout, in a phone conversation between the leader of Turkey, Erdogan, and the leader of Russia, Putin, there was announced the importance for cooperation in their joint effort to fight against all terrorist organizations (source http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-08/26/c_135636977.htm).
The YPG has reportedly been fighting ISIS. Whereas, ISIS/ISIL... has protuberantly been marked as a terrorist group by the U.S.
So while the U.S. works to suppress ISIS/ISIL, Turkey, fights YPG, while YPG fights ISIS/ISIL.
This is all what it appears. Unfortunately, it seems that the around-and-around/ round-and-round weapons pointing scenario, is not doing much more to bring about peace in the region than go around and around, meanwhile, the weak and less strong, i.e., children and elderly women, continue to be in the toll in the aftermath of violence.
Summarily, there are a number of players involved in the fighting in and around Syria, that is rarely heard about in U.S. popular press and media. Usually we hear and see these as the entities forming the dynamics of the strife in and around Syria on the list:
Some information provided from more detailed reports show:
"The Yazidi religion is often misunderstood, as it does not fit neatly into Iraq's sectarian mosaic. Most Yazidis are Kurdish speakers, and while the majority consider themselves ethnically Kurdish, Yazidis are religiously distinct from Iraq's predominantly Sunni Kurdish population."
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140809-iraq-yazidis-minority-isil-religion-history/
Yezidis or da Ezidiler ( Arapça : يَزِيدِيَّةٌ , Farsça : یَزِیدِیَانْ , Kürtçe : یَزِیدِیَانْ or Êzidîtî), mostly Kurdish is the name given to the ethnic-religious communities speaking.
(Translation from Turkish to English using Google, original page https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yezîdîler)
Wikipedia says:
"The People's Protection Units (Kurdish: Yekîneyên Parastina Gel,...pronounced [jɑkinæjen pɑrɑstinɑ gæl]; YPG), also known as the People's Defense Units, is the main armed service of the Federation of Northern Syria – Rojava. The YPG is primarily ethnic Kurdish, but it also recruits Arabs, Turks, and Westerners. The Syriac Military Council are Assyrian/Syriac Christian units integrated into its command structure."
"The inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War led to open war between the Free Syrian Army and ISIL in January 2014. The YPG collaborated with the FSA to fight ISIL in Ar-Raqqah province;[26] the group also formed an operations room with multiple FSA factions, called Euphrates Volcano."
"The Syrian Democratic Forces was established in Hasakah on 11 October 2015. It has its origins in the YPG-FSA collaboration against ISIL, that led to the establishment of the Euphrates Volcano joint operations room in 2014."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Protection_Units
"Euphrates Volcano (Arabic: بركان الفرات, translit. Burkān al-Furāt) is a joint operations room/coaltion established during the Syrian Civil War. It mainly consists of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and certain factions of the Free Syrian Army (FSA). The group seeks to expel the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant from Aleppo and Ar-Raqqah provinces."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphrates_Volcano
"Rojava (IPA: [roʒɑːˈvɑ], "the West"), also known as Western Kurdistan (Kurdish: Rojavayê Kurdistanê)[14][15] or Syrian Kurdistan,[16][17] is a de facto autonomous region originating in and consisting of three self-governing cantons in northern Syria: Afrin Canton, Jazira Canton and Kobanî Canton, and the unofficial Shahba region.[18] In terms of governates of Syria, Rojava is formed of most of al-Hasakah Governorate, northern parts of Al-Raqqah Governorate and northern parts of Aleppo Governorate.
The region gained its autonomy in November 2013, as part of the ongoing Rojava conflict, establishing a society based on principles of direct democracy, gender equality, and sustainability.[19] Rojava is unrecognized as autonomous by the government of Syria[20] and is a participant in the Syrian Civil War.[21] On 16 March 2016, the de facto administration of Rojava declared the establishment of a federal system of government as the Federation of Northern Syria – Rojava (Kurdish: Federasyona Bakurê Sûriyê – Rojava, Arabic: منطقة الإدارة الكردية في شمال سوريا)."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rojava
The map at the webpage illustrates about the top northern eighth to a quarter of the the region known to be Syria as Rojava.
People's Protection Units (YPG)
YPG, a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance
"The YPG, a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, has been a partner in the U.S.-led campaign against the IS in Syria."
"The Turkish government claims the PYD enjoys close connections with the PKK, including military and ammunition support through underground tunnels."
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-08/27/c_135638534.htm
"Turkey and some members of the FSA accuse the PYD and YPG of being a front for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). While in the past the YPG had close ties to the Democratic Union Party (PYD), by 2014 the YPG’s leadership was trying to position itself as a pan-ethnic organization that was the defender of all of the region’s communities—both from the al-Assad government and the Salafi-jihadi organizations that are trying to impose an Islamic state on Syria."
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/ypg.htm
"Organized anti-Yazidi violence dates back to the Ottoman Empire. In the second half of the 19th century, Yazidis were targeted by both Ottoman and local Kurdish leaders, and subjected to brutal campaigns of religious violence."
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140809-iraq-yazidis-minority-isil-religion-history/
"One of the main organizations in the counteroffensive against the Islamic State is the Turkish-based Kurdistan Workers' Party, known by its acronym, PKK. Because of its history of militancy and violence in Turkey, it is still recognized by the U.S. State Department as a terrorist organization."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/08/11/a-u-s-designated-terrorist-group-is-saving-yazidis-and-battling-the-islamic-state/
"One of the main outfits safeguarding Yazidi escape routes into Syria and retrieving the refugees at the border is the YPG, the armed wing of the Syrian Kurdish PYD party, which is itself an offshoot of the PKK."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/08/11/a-u-s-designated-terrorist-group-is-saving-yazidis-and-battling-the-islamic-state/
There might be a number of options and solutions to better the situation there, meaning a more peaceful region; two of them readily present themselves, one is to figure out how to snap the jinx, at the same time, we the U.S., has to maintain being mindful of being tricked and drawn into situations that endanger our soldiers; the second solution is to make a real good assessment of who is who and what is what, in terms of who is sincerely about peace, who is about terrorism, who the fraudsters in the region are, in short getting to the bottom of where everyone involved in the turmoil really wants to go.
And to add to the math, "Meanwhile, it's already apparent the United States is arming two other Iraqi Kurdish factions, the PUK and KDP, which are nevertheless categorized as "Tier III" terror organizations by the State Department."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/08/11/a-u-s-designated-terrorist-group-is-saving-yazidis-and-battling-the-islamic-state/
When the blasts in Istanbul Airport occurred within recent months, it was made clearly voiced that Turkey is one of the strongest allies of the U.S.; Turkey is reported to have this past weekend launched projectiles at the YPG which Turkey claims is a terrorist group (source http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-08/27/c_135638534.htm). The United States and Russia recently, compared to the Cold War days, have been making strides toward an increasingly peaceful atmosphere of relations. Within the past few days, perhaps last Friday or thereabout, in a phone conversation between the leader of Turkey, Erdogan, and the leader of Russia, Putin, there was announced the importance for cooperation in their joint effort to fight against all terrorist organizations (source http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-08/26/c_135636977.htm).
The YPG has reportedly been fighting ISIS. Whereas, ISIS/ISIL... has protuberantly been marked as a terrorist group by the U.S.
So while the U.S. works to suppress ISIS/ISIL, Turkey, fights YPG, while YPG fights ISIS/ISIL.
This is all what it appears. Unfortunately, it seems that the around-and-around/ round-and-round weapons pointing scenario, is not doing much more to bring about peace in the region than go around and around, meanwhile, the weak and less strong, i.e., children and elderly women, continue to be in the toll in the aftermath of violence.
Summarily, there are a number of players involved in the fighting in and around Syria, that is rarely heard about in U.S. popular press and media. Usually we hear and see these as the entities forming the dynamics of the strife in and around Syria on the list:
- 'Islamists'
- terrorists
- ISIL/ISIS and other acronyms to the referent group
- pro-Assad forces
- anti-Assad forces
- sometimes Turkey and other neighboring countries
- sometimes Yazidis, usually portrayed as the victims and sufferers of the situation
- rarely Kurds
Some information provided from more detailed reports show:
"The Yazidi religion is often misunderstood, as it does not fit neatly into Iraq's sectarian mosaic. Most Yazidis are Kurdish speakers, and while the majority consider themselves ethnically Kurdish, Yazidis are religiously distinct from Iraq's predominantly Sunni Kurdish population."
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140809-iraq-yazidis-minority-isil-religion-history/
Yezidis or da Ezidiler ( Arapça : يَزِيدِيَّةٌ , Farsça : یَزِیدِیَانْ , Kürtçe : یَزِیدِیَانْ or Êzidîtî), mostly Kurdish is the name given to the ethnic-religious communities speaking.
(Translation from Turkish to English using Google, original page https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yezîdîler)
Wikipedia says:
"The People's Protection Units (Kurdish: Yekîneyên Parastina Gel,...pronounced [jɑkinæjen pɑrɑstinɑ gæl]; YPG), also known as the People's Defense Units, is the main armed service of the Federation of Northern Syria – Rojava. The YPG is primarily ethnic Kurdish, but it also recruits Arabs, Turks, and Westerners. The Syriac Military Council are Assyrian/Syriac Christian units integrated into its command structure."
"The inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War led to open war between the Free Syrian Army and ISIL in January 2014. The YPG collaborated with the FSA to fight ISIL in Ar-Raqqah province;[26] the group also formed an operations room with multiple FSA factions, called Euphrates Volcano."
"The Syrian Democratic Forces was established in Hasakah on 11 October 2015. It has its origins in the YPG-FSA collaboration against ISIL, that led to the establishment of the Euphrates Volcano joint operations room in 2014."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Protection_Units
"Euphrates Volcano (Arabic: بركان الفرات, translit. Burkān al-Furāt) is a joint operations room/coaltion established during the Syrian Civil War. It mainly consists of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and certain factions of the Free Syrian Army (FSA). The group seeks to expel the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant from Aleppo and Ar-Raqqah provinces."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphrates_Volcano
"Rojava (IPA: [roʒɑːˈvɑ], "the West"), also known as Western Kurdistan (Kurdish: Rojavayê Kurdistanê)[14][15] or Syrian Kurdistan,[16][17] is a de facto autonomous region originating in and consisting of three self-governing cantons in northern Syria: Afrin Canton, Jazira Canton and Kobanî Canton, and the unofficial Shahba region.[18] In terms of governates of Syria, Rojava is formed of most of al-Hasakah Governorate, northern parts of Al-Raqqah Governorate and northern parts of Aleppo Governorate.
The region gained its autonomy in November 2013, as part of the ongoing Rojava conflict, establishing a society based on principles of direct democracy, gender equality, and sustainability.[19] Rojava is unrecognized as autonomous by the government of Syria[20] and is a participant in the Syrian Civil War.[21] On 16 March 2016, the de facto administration of Rojava declared the establishment of a federal system of government as the Federation of Northern Syria – Rojava (Kurdish: Federasyona Bakurê Sûriyê – Rojava, Arabic: منطقة الإدارة الكردية في شمال سوريا)."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rojava
The map at the webpage illustrates about the top northern eighth to a quarter of the the region known to be Syria as Rojava.
People's Protection Units (YPG)
YPG, a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance
"The YPG, a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, has been a partner in the U.S.-led campaign against the IS in Syria."
"The Turkish government claims the PYD enjoys close connections with the PKK, including military and ammunition support through underground tunnels."
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-08/27/c_135638534.htm
"Turkey and some members of the FSA accuse the PYD and YPG of being a front for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). While in the past the YPG had close ties to the Democratic Union Party (PYD), by 2014 the YPG’s leadership was trying to position itself as a pan-ethnic organization that was the defender of all of the region’s communities—both from the al-Assad government and the Salafi-jihadi organizations that are trying to impose an Islamic state on Syria."
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/ypg.htm
"Organized anti-Yazidi violence dates back to the Ottoman Empire. In the second half of the 19th century, Yazidis were targeted by both Ottoman and local Kurdish leaders, and subjected to brutal campaigns of religious violence."
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140809-iraq-yazidis-minority-isil-religion-history/
"One of the main organizations in the counteroffensive against the Islamic State is the Turkish-based Kurdistan Workers' Party, known by its acronym, PKK. Because of its history of militancy and violence in Turkey, it is still recognized by the U.S. State Department as a terrorist organization."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/08/11/a-u-s-designated-terrorist-group-is-saving-yazidis-and-battling-the-islamic-state/
"One of the main outfits safeguarding Yazidi escape routes into Syria and retrieving the refugees at the border is the YPG, the armed wing of the Syrian Kurdish PYD party, which is itself an offshoot of the PKK."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/08/11/a-u-s-designated-terrorist-group-is-saving-yazidis-and-battling-the-islamic-state/
There might be a number of options and solutions to better the situation there, meaning a more peaceful region; two of them readily present themselves, one is to figure out how to snap the jinx, at the same time, we the U.S., has to maintain being mindful of being tricked and drawn into situations that endanger our soldiers; the second solution is to make a real good assessment of who is who and what is what, in terms of who is sincerely about peace, who is about terrorism, who the fraudsters in the region are, in short getting to the bottom of where everyone involved in the turmoil really wants to go.
And to add to the math, "Meanwhile, it's already apparent the United States is arming two other Iraqi Kurdish factions, the PUK and KDP, which are nevertheless categorized as "Tier III" terror organizations by the State Department."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/08/11/a-u-s-designated-terrorist-group-is-saving-yazidis-and-battling-the-islamic-state/
Posted by HCN.
