Solidarity with Kurdistan Against Turkey's Invasion Threats

 

This article originally appeared in Turkish at ETHA News Agency on November 7, 2021

Turkey’s government has declared its intention to open yet another front in its genocidal war on Kurdistan, this time allegedly fixing its sights on the northern Syrian city of Kobane in an attempt to link the occupied territories it holds as a result of its 2018 invasion of Afrin and 2019 occupation of Serekaniye and Gire Spi.

Unable to progress in its war of annihilation against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in South Kurdistan (northern Iraq), even with the apparent use of banned chemical weapons, the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once more turned its attention to Rojava.

At this historic moment, it is imperative for all communist, socialist, democratic, and anti-fascist movements to mobilise in defence of Kurdistan. The People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), as well as their allied communist detachments from the International Freedom Battalion (IFB), are undoubtedly prepared to mount a heroic defence.

The fact that Kobane – the heartland of Kurds in northern Syria – has perhaps been chosen as a target underscores that Erdogan is intent on attempting to finish what the Islamic State (Daesh) started seven years ago. Kobane became a rallying point for global solidarity with the valiant fighters of the YPG and YPJ, who defended the city in an astonishing display of warfare that reminded the world of the Battle of Stalingrad. Indeed, if Stalingrad marked the beginning of the end for the Nazi invaders, it was Kobane that marked the beginning of the demise of Daesh.

However, Erdogan and the Turkish government who were the primary backers of Daesh, have been smooth in their repackaging of these Islamist reactionaries under different banners and flags. Thus, the creation of forces such as the Syrian National Army (SNA) that have engaged in ethnic cleansing using the flags of the Syrian opposition and Turkey. Their rationale is the supposed elimination of “PKK terrorism.” The reality is that they occupy Syrian Kurdish lands, plunder resources, forcefully displace the indigenous inhabitants, and bring to reality Erdogan’s neo-Ottoman dreams.

Defence of Kurdistan is vital for all leftist and anti-imperialist movements to engage in, as it means defending an oppressed nation against attempts to subjugate it. Unfortunately, we have not witnessed to date the same level of solidarity with the Kurdish liberation movement as is seen with the Palestinian movement. Palestine is a cause that is indeed worthy of our full solidarity, but its freedom is ultimately unattainable without the freedom of the Kurdish nation, and vice versa. Kurdistan and Palestine constitute the two open wounds of the post-Ottoman imperialist carve up of the Middle East. It is therefore unfortunate when some leftist forces choose to prioritise one struggle over the other, or even throw one of them under the bus completely in an act of political cowardice and opportunism.

Defending Kurdistan means defending the anti-chauvinist movement of the Middle East. It is partly a movement for national liberation, as well as a movement that orients itself in the direction of socialism. It is a movement not only for Kurds, but also for the region’s minority groups and nations such as Assyrians, Turkmen, Laz, Armenians, and countless others who contribute to the rich cultural fabric of Mesopotamia and West Asia.

Some anti-imperialist forces in the west are afraid of voicing their solidarity with Kurdistan, in particular Rojava, because of the tactical military cooperation that has existed between the YPG and YPJ and the United States. However, as is obvious from the invasions of Afrin, Serekaniye, and Gire Spi, that the U.S. has absolutely no desire to come to the actual defence of its supposed Kurdish “partners”. Washington has already made clear that its mission in Syria is narrow (that is, focused on the Islamic State), and although it may voice its displeasure with Turkey facilitating a new invasion, it will not prevent them from doing so. Furthermore, the U.S. has not only given a green light to Turkey to fight the PKK in South Kurdistan, it actively supports that mission through intelligence and logistical means, and maintaining bounties on the heads of PKK leaders it considers “terrorists”.

Let us remember that any Turkish invasion of Kobane, or any other part of Rojava, would be a NATO invasion. It also appears that it would be facilitated with the backing of Russia, which hopes to achieve concessions in Idlib as a tradeoff. This shows us that all foreign powers in Syria are attempting to gain the upper hand at the expense of the Syrian people, who continue to suffer as a result of imperialist meddling.  

The recent comments made by the PKK’s second-in-command Cemil Bayik about the need to achieve reconciliation and negotiation between Rojava’s administration and the government in Damascus appear to be sensible in this regard. Although it remains unclear about how willing Bashar al-Assad’s government is to forego the chauvinist nature of the Syrian state, it appears to be the best prospect in the diplomatic arena at countering Turkey’s invasion threats.

For those in the west, we should be vigilant about Turkey’s racist and genocidal ambitions, and be ready to join solidarity actions with our comrades who are on the frontlines willing to shed their blood for national liberation, socialism and freedom.