Gagrule.net

Gagrule.net News, Views, Interviews worldwide

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • GagruleLive
  • Armenia profile

Yerevan: The boys prevented a great geopolitical disaster, the mother of a fallen soldier in April war says

November 5, 2016 By administrator

the-mother-of-fallen“The life and death of our sons weren’t a ordinary case and should be written in golden letters in Armenian history books,” Gayane Sahakyan, the mother of Adam Sahakyan, who fell during the April war in Karabakh, stated on Saturday at the forum of RPA Women’s Council held in Yerevan.

In her words, today more than ever everyone recognizes that the boys have prevented a major geopolitical disaster, disrupting the enemy’s plans.

“I feel heavy grief for the parents of all other soldiers, who fell for the motherland, yet an infinite pride rests upon me that my son, sergeant Adam Sahakyan was the one who on the night of April 1-2, 2016 being in the the 112 combat position in Jabrayil, leaded the battle by his unit and maintained the position for 4-5 hours, thwarting the enemy and inflicting major losses, struggled to the very last drop of blood and fell in heroic death. Let me once again give honor and glory to all them, who fell while defending the Armenian land,” Gayane Sahakyan stated in an emotional speech.

To note, the event was attended by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.

 

Source Panorama.am

Filed Under: News Tagged With: disaster, geopolitical, mother, Yerevan

Dr. Yektan Türkyılmaz Disaster knocking at our door again? 1914 Genocide

June 27, 2016 By administrator

Orphans storyDr. Yektan Türkyılmaz Since 1914 genocide and wrote threats to today.   

1913 The last days of September of the same. The office of the newly appointed Patriarch Zaven, has history dating back to his hometown Siirt Mus trip to Istanbul. Patriarch complete state officials with unquestionable influence in the region as well as in the Rupa Taşnaktsuty chief Pasha (Der Minassian) met with by a resplendent ceremony. The second day is met with the elders of the state and the Armenian community in the town. The stop on the third day of Surp Garabed Monastery of the holy places of all regions of the province. patriarch awaits a complicated tension in the fledgling here. Moscow Russian Armenian monastery a woman has donated heavily loaded miktardapar to build a school. However, a kind of money can not be brought to school; because the priest Vartan Vartabed will be built in place of the building there is a great rivalry between the Bishops Kharakhany. The Vartan Vartabed school insisted on the construction of the monastery garden, Rupen Pasha’s close to the party with the suggestion Bishop Kharakhany the school’s data Parakhner, that argues that the monastery’s walls çitlerindenolduk think should be set up away in a valley. The grounds of Taşnaktsuty the chief, but no matter away from the convent school students away from religious influence, you can get a modern education. In contrast Vartan Vartabed patriarch tells the following concerns:

‘God forbid, if one day confused the country again, and if our people and monasteries to an attack if you do enough solid school building will be a place of refuge both our community, as well as other locations within savunulabilir.ancak valley with high overlooks the monastery will be open to all sides attacked.’

Patriarch Zaven explanation and whether this would convince the school to be built in the monastery limits. However, Taşnaktsuty the environment is disturbed by the patriarch of this decision and Van deputy Arshak Vramyan wants explanation from him. Patriarch Zaven, when Vartan Vartabed repeat the above reasons the face of astonishment looks Vramyan patriarchs and ‘Do you think you would still flows in our blood?’ der!

such as whether the said school be built, the monastery itself in less than two years will be a time and then leveled yeksan. is a bitter irony of history, Van deputy Arshak Vramyan genocide 3 as the first high-profile victim (16) will be murdered in April 1915, Bitlis.

Land we live is undergoing at least the last 140 years has been routinized liberalization of the sine curve around between optimism and pessimism from a time when disaster hit rock bottom again. So much so that many thinkers, writers, politicians, eerie ‘Is it 1915 again?’ Openly or by implication the question began to be voiced.

1915 example of us, especially genocide, including telling a very important point about the social disaster: Such profound demographic, it is unpredictable tragedies that lead to social and cultural breaks! 1915 Genocide, he was horrified that so sudden and so the 1914 can imagine the most horrible scenario in which even the most pessimistic in July of Ottoman Armenians left in the shade. He wiped off the map in a land where people were born, lived social networks crashed and cultural death. Again in July 1914 as our opportunity to research the Ottoman territory, though, and in which the congregation in 1915, the question may be exposed to such a tragedy, a group of randomly selected yöneltebils we, my personal estimation, a very large weight ‘Greek’ is that will be the answer. Moreover, the Armenians and the Kurds, but probably would come to mind after the Assyrians.

Unpredictability, not a phenomenon common to a single Armenian Genocide. Both political analysts and academics, not in Rwanda in the early 1990s, neighboring Burundi, the more likely they anticipate as a disaster scene. Similarly, it was hoped a break in Yugoslavia during the 1980s, but it was almost certain that he will be taking place in Kosovo. Kosovo was the final area of bloody slaughter occurring manic and also a wave of violence was much lower scale compared to Bosnia this. These examples can be replicated from Cambodia to Indonesia. One of the reasons is the incredibility of both the unpredictability both of disasters such as pushing the limits of her mind and genocide in a parallel but are not limited imagination. Lehi officer Jan Karski portrays this extraordinary story in the best way. At the end of 1942 Karski as microfilm documents belonging to the success of the massacre miss England. Meet with Jewish community’s foremost in London. Ignacy Schwatzbart them a telegram sent to the World Jewish Congress in New York and ‘incredible to believe’ the call is made. However, the claim that the document presented by Karski, a leading Jewish figures, especially, will be far from seriousness by many people. Ironically, the fact that he understood the situation in Eastern European Jewry for Karski’s situation is much worse.

Returning to Write the main topic in 2016 a new 1914 m? In other words, a 1915 possible? If possible victims of a bloody disaster if it would be who?

Let me start with the second question. Yes repetition of such a disaster in 1915, potentially anyway always possible. However, such a tragedy, the recent power structure in the country and also as stage reached in the Syrian crisis today, it is likely that as the last 60 years. 1915 was a founder of genocide; the new state was built on the tomb of Armenianness. the nation-so. So much so that 1915 never ‘date of a shame,’ ‘our history a black hole’ is not seen / not accepted, contrary to the state’s administrative mind genuine or default problems, threats and crises final edge of interventions bags, legitimate, work experience that not fixed He stopped the stuff. More recently, the mün’azil prime minister, a legal political party’s Moscow visit içintüy are horrifying manner “Armenian gangs as they do with Russia cooperation from, or starting from the top level of the state level often is pronounced ‘one-one’, ‘all’, ‘ until the end of ‘conjectural expressions are red flags as the ear can not be back where we were. Yet it is the same conjuncture makes this question is actually quite meaningless: Sengal EZiD dictionary definition already suffered a genocide before our eyes; Seyfo (1914-15), Simmel massacre (1933), Al-Anfal (1986-89), Assyrians living in the disaster, they were in the last two years and this time the target of Isidor Syria massacre and exile in Iraq; Armenians and other Christians from attacks and heterodox groups were affected quite grave. Thousands of years of uninterrupted presence in Mosul and Nineveh Christian found almost ended. As a symbolic event, Der Zor 100th anniversary of the genocide memorial-church was razed to the ground on the eve of the commemoration. It should be noted that the disaster is contagious and overflow beyond the limits of the emergence of regional crisis has been the trigger; The Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, Cambodia and Rwanda, it can replicate samples.

ORDER IS IN KURDISH?

Kurds are the last group of the most dramatic transformations in the Middle East in the last fifty years, I guess I will not be an exaggeration. So, if one day 100 years ago the Kurds against fanaticism ‘in the Islamic world if there were pluralism and the prophecy will be the pursuit of freedom fighters, but probably would joke material. The onset of laughter would be the Kurds as Kurdish unity. To my mind right away in the 1880s Raffia’s (Hagop Melik Hagopyan) unity of the Kurds’ sarcastic writings comes to my mind on. According to him, this unity could only be available in the playful British diplomats and Abdulhamid manipulative imagination. This fiction was not actually altogether misplaced, reflecting the common allergy among Kurdish Armenian entelijiansiya the period. Because the Kurds, but was a person that others see the Kurds; In their own language in some regions, except for almost every group itself Kurmanji (Zaza-speaking Dersimis Kırmanc he pronounced it with) he saw, but the language is what it means to Kurmanji, religion, tribal affiliation, class position / production through activities came to a completely different meaning. Thus the Kurds to outsiders acephalic (leadership from / devoid of institutionalism) and an atomized society. Ta 17th century up to the lay Ehmedê Xanî’y we leave aside the 140 years bileso the Kurdish nationalist elites have always complain unto this fragmentation and anarchy. not considered unfair in their own point of the last half-century Ottoman world wars and the suppression of almost all of the competitors from emerging Kurmanji Kurmanji uprising and resistance groups have played a critical role. Moreover, a common political project, the politics of language and identity as the biggest obstacle to our fiction has always been seen as olmuşluk the ATO.

This alone should be noted that there are often a result of the complaints were always missing the identity-complex multiplicity of belonging. He did not come into the hands of the Kurds is that the potential annihilation. In other words, they could not categorically defined as the enemy. Everyone always a good, been a bad Kurds; This was the case for Abdulhamid II Czar of Russia. for Nikolas. Therefore, for the people they Kurmanji of internal fragmentation inevitably, beliefs cemetery has turned into a tool be able to remain in the soil. This fragmentation for Turkey but after 1960 began to change with the growing movement. after 1970 the Kurmanji of grievances beliefs, regions, languages and tribes beyond mobilized by rhizomatic (very deep-rooted and away from relatively hierarchy) one of the Kurdish building was heavily long way towards establishing a common envisioned network policy following the move. However, in 1984 and 2014 it did not change this state of fragmented basis. If it increased to approximately 20 thousand Kurdish mountains whereas more than 120 thousand Kurdish guards have been accepted in a way to keep up arms against them. State party, whatever name politicization of the Kurdish sprouted in the heart of the Kurdish movement in any event since the 1970s was able to get 35-40% of the vote in Diyarbakir. Here are the basics of this recently started to shake. The famous ‘process’ to finally come to the verge of two developments in the period when it became the clearest statements: actions of solidarity with the resistance of Kobani and 7 June elections. Even without action within Turkey Kobani’nin support participation from all sectors and regions in Turkey ‘unity of the Kurds’ project he declared how matured. 7 votes to take over 70% hdp’n in many of the Kurdish region in June elections revealed that the money in the political mobilization of the troops. As a result, how fragile and delicate that this unity will never be absent mükemmelleşip completed, even if the jokes may be a time of ‘unity of the Kurds’ was established at the end.

how these developments in view of the apparent power in front of the Kurds and the Kurdish problem caused a deep fracture. Without getting too detailed discussion necessary to describe the response to this change, angry and self-deceived assumes that the state front, Kurdish has become a new resort project of the colonial regime in the region. As in colonial ventures of all types and sizes self-receiving unlimited right of disposition over the venue of the first applications of this project ‘unity of the Kurds’ became places where the most consolidated. in short, state power in the existing order ‘events’ rather than react, to establish a new order, “the root of the problem’ seems to have chosen the path solving. The most frightening part of the subject of terms have been read, and the earlier ‘roots scraping’ the difference ‘is that it remains the best Kurds now obsolete in the game. We are faced with the guards and the armed Kurdish state in favor of the participation of a systematic demolition and reconstruction plan that ignored. In this context, there has been a turning point in Cizre. The history of the Republic that the most serious post Dersim massacre in the city, an urban carnage (in Urbicia) have been subjected. The testimony about the massacre indicate that passed far beyond the killing ordinary: not allowing the wounded are transported to hospital, even civilians ‘pick on’ reluctance demonstrated and burned with ultimately weapons of mass destruction those who take refuge in the basement killing, intimidating signs about possible there where the voltage potential. In a lot of dead bodies uğratıldığı need to add the transactions discussed. On the one hand the war in Syria partiality / exhibits representation, while the victims of human-humanizing, with graffiti, clips with, we’re watching a power pornography ironically celebrating mass deaths. Maybe this is not entirely new, but new and quite alarming that the popularity of this form of advocacy in the public domain outside of the eye and eye coloring önündelig exceptions. Great slaughter and the kind of disaster seen in ultra-violence (törenselleş that go beyond the mere purpose to kill, ayinleş violence) and we are witnessing the demonized the victims. That much, the most indisputable rights of a human being that now belong to the body, so no right to be buried in the body can be considered integrity.

If we look at the other side of the coin, I think ‘unity of the Kurds’ long and painful process also performs quite well, now they see that this state of affairs is very facilitation. At this point the responsibility on the Kurdish movement of not only Kurds, it is about the future of the entire region. Historical analogies are always problematic; especially if the analogy laboratory findings made event, if made absolute and immutable treatment possibilities, this leads to stability, but the idea of us. On the other hand the next table autumn of 1914, so eerie similarity to Dejavu deserves. a ruling clique radicalized and destabilized the country, every day more surprising way an ideological extremism even walking. Regional, international diplomatic crisis countries showing signs of an overflow even though the same matrix as stops: On the one hand Russia the main enemy, while the regime arms, appearing in Germany. And another striking similarity, as the Taşnaktsutyun the time, other actors in the Kurdish group that represents today the declaration of movement marginalized meat absolute dominant position. Requested rights and even changed their conceptualisation, strengthening of local governance (decentralization), inknavaruty the (self-government), equal citizenship law veinknabaşdbanuty the (self-defense). And the similarities do not end here; mentioned political actors, like the Taşnaktsuty, radicalized, unstable, ideologically bargain frustrated by a ruling power that has been exaggerated and even enter into a constructive influence share. The similarities are striking and frightening.

Here ‘process’ about the need to open a parenthesis. Peace, especially in the last 30 years have experienced compares to trauma, the pain suffered, the Kurdish people have suffered losses to air, water as a vital demand. However, is that as of this point is very clear, process, cause the emergence, motives and is heralded as way of carrying out the ‘solution’ was to bring prospective boom reversed that on the one hand because, postponed magnifies the violence. The first signs showed his face bloody protests of October 6-7. The part after the June 7 already known. Of course, here it is a great influence beyond the regional development actors should also not fall. In any case, ‘process’ around depth and could be a critical intellectual discussion. Environment, self-appointed moral securities / normc the sounds of the largely dominate and even terrorized. cut-and-paste in comments pumps naive optimism of Ireland, South Africa, the Basque country have been buzzing for example, the Palestinian functioning of such processes, even in places like Algeria and could not even asked why frustration with disastrous results. Even leaving this example is relatively remote aside, I wonder if you go to the back, since 1876 raises the equal citizenship demands no ethnic / in religious groups of the system to be successful release through negotiation, Not even that remain sustainable of not even being to protect the integrity we say, in the first place terrible example of the Armenian Genocide and on the road dating her ‘process’ to be?

Inference here is not the same would inevitably result; rather, I want to underline that, while this state, more nuanced about such initiatives, and is very likely to think prudently and burning need to submit proposals accordingly. even if we leave aside the structural-historical challenges, the process known from the start by defining elements of strategic / programmatic process was not seen and institutional / organizational interests were conducted on a daily basis; breathing power to flank, instant rivals to rule, on the other hand, it was considered the Kurdish opposition as an opportunity to restructure the state can not be a deterrent than a threat. for the other side to make it easier to maneuver in the Kurds living space, it was also encouraging to increase its influence in the Kurdish favorable circumstances created by this process, of course, need it to add the need to attack so the priority ranking in Syria. Personal opinion is similar to actors, procedures and other processes will be carried out with the motive, unless there is a radical change in environmental conditions, slightly postponing de result of the crisis, particularly in terms of Turkey’s Kurds can lead to much more destructive explosion.

Thus, the Kurdish movement of conjuncture where we are at as a great responsibility. The movement’s political rhetoric, at least prominently in the genocide portrayed holding statement in several ways since 1999, the recent burning of the leading names in the description and felt indicate that becomes a real concern. Already, spokesman for the Kurdish movement happened many and ever-worsening situation in the state tekleş block the radicalization of a repetition of 1990 due to regional conditions and that are expressed in a much more serious point. In this context, on behalf of the subaltern carry out politics, especially where the largest share in the creation of ‘unity’ to spare the disaster, it is clear that action must be very cautious. Determinant definition dragged after the naive optimism of collective actors uncertain peace or Jacobin ‘war until liberation’ dilemma roads outside, styles, policies and success in producing Kurds is of critical importance for Turkey and the salvation of the region. This last part is likely to mistake a historical note in terms of Kurdish politics come to a catastrophic result, people in the region of ‘liberation’ for its protection is put in front to stay there or advocacy. Century one of the most painful lessons of previous experience this must be …

OR OTHERS?

At first, you need to state the following: public violence, ethnic studies slaughter, genocide has only rarely target a single group. The Holocaust is not only the Holocaust is not only the beginning of the 1915 genocide of Armenians, Assyrians, at least, has been among the victims they were also pressured groups. Therefore, the discussions, ‘Is he, or is it others?’ try to answer the question. I enter no mention of the issue of the extension; I think of all the victims of the recent policy followed by a little ‘Flame’ will not be surprised that there will be categorized as a group. most fervent representatives of one of the turning of Sunni axis in the regional crisis of power, also Onikic in Iraq and Syria, Nusayri, Kızılbaş group of jihadists who continue to eliminate politics from closer ties with organizations of similar groups in Turkey, right, and led to observable anxiety. Already II. Mahmoud cycle starts with the republic while the ruling almost continuously mentioned as a political group of the People-Sünnetlik and / or orthodox Islam still continues in an attempt to melt. After 1960’s ‘Alevis’ growing interest in the radical politics of the criminalization of these communities has become a new tool. And since the 1970s it is almost routine ‘Flame’ massacres, a nation where we witnessed the pogroms. This case has already given itself a new deep crisis ‘Flame’ communities points to be at risk. It is important to underline that, ‘Alevi’ is not categorical threat it faces is positional. Antioch Nusayriyah, Adıyaman, Maras, Malatya, Sivas Kızılbaş villages, ghettoized poor in metropolitan cities ‘Flame’ premises are mainly threatened group. We also need to note an important recent developments; Pazardzhik-Marash and Zara-Divrigi as Kızılbaş-Kurdish diluted to areas where the population Syrian refugee camp establishment attempt. Such camps how to be a political official under the influence of the residents, and who are they deem enemies should not be a big mystery. Many genocide, including Rwanda and particularly the Armenian Genocide them, like addicts, were activated by the aggressive elements of the victims, unfortunately, refugee groups.

I want to go to the anecdotes I started writing, and I remind you once again that genocide-like disasters are unpredictable and highly complex process. However, the fall out from the sky. historical background to the emergence of structural ideological, political, economic and cultural conditions are indispensable role. Our experience radicalized us know these conditions, the emergence of the political elite cadre turning to radical solutions and war, such as the overlap with an environment that makes it possible to show that aggravate regional crisis situations. But so what I say here is only likely to make such disasters, not absolutize them, not inevitable. here it is where we are and we sınırlarınd yet predictability. So far, a ‘problem’ can be explained. If there are more than enough reasons to be worried it also should be noted that a change in environmental conditions, power development can relieve all the tension in the block at a time.

Genocide and other disasters are two factors that push beyond the positivist arithmetic triggering factors and decision-making, that is the human element; a ‘problem’ from a ‘disaster’ leap memories. In particular, the human element is an almost impossible conundrum to be solved. The future perpetrators and a man carrying a single rationality in their own ‘conscience’ system they created. The perpetrators of identity and belonging, and explain why they are the chosen target, but this rationality and ‘conscience’ is reserved. We know there are a few more points on genocide type of disaster. One group of victims are targeted because they are beyond everything can be sacrificed. It targeted the group of potential victims to enable them to resist the main reason for a social, political and institutional resistance network can be dismantled. In the Dersim Armenian Genocide victims in the disaster they rebelled, not for weapons, they were deprived of such initiatives, it was only because they lacked. I’m finishing writing the Dashnak newspaper Tbilisi-based Horizon Research-Khan pseudonym sent by the Istanbul correspondent with a quotation from an article published in the October 18, 1914, but the end of the story once more whether this:

“The Turks against Armenians ‘human and intellectual’ offense can be committed before the eyes of a German officer – an unprecedented frightening and unprecedented crime. Massacres, massacres … we hear this terrible word that at any moment the situation of the soul and body whisper in our ear. …

Source: http://www.evrensel.net/haber/283735/felaket-kapimizi-bir-daha-mi-caliyor

Filed Under: Articles, Genocide Tagged With: 1914, disaster, Genocide, knocking, our door, ’ again

Iraq faces humanitarian disaster after Fallujah breakthrough

June 20, 2016 By administrator

DISPLACED. Iraqis from the city of Fallujah rest at a safe zone on June 17, 2016 in Amiriyiah al-Fallujah, after they were evacuated by Iraqi government forces. File photo by Moadh al-Dulaimi/AFP

DISPLACED. Iraqis from the city of Fallujah rest at a safe zone on June 17, 2016 in Amiriyiah al-Fallujah, after they were evacuated by Iraqi government forces. File photo by Moadh al-Dulaimi/AFP

FALLUJAH, Iraq (UPDATED) – Aid workers scrambled Sunday, June 19, to cope with a massive influx of Iraqi civilians who fled Fallujah after government forces retook much of the city from the Islamic State group.

Tens of thousands of civilians escaped the city, just 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Baghdad, on the back of a major advance that saw Iraqi forces thrust into central Fallujah in recent days.

The humanitarian community has been struggling to cope, with thousands of people already suffering from hunger and trauma now stranded in the scorching summer heat with no shelter.

“The estimated total number of displaced from Fallujah in just the last 3 days is now at a staggering 30,000 people,” the Norwegian Refugee Council said.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said up to 84,000 people had been forced to flee their homes since the start of the government offensive against the ISIS bastion nearly a month ago.

“Agencies are scrambling to respond to the rapidly evolving situation – and we are bracing ourselves for another large exodus in the next few days as we estimate that thousands more people remain trapped in Fallujah,” the UNHCR said.

“We implore the Iraqi government to take charge of this humanitarian disaster unfolding on our watch,” NRC’s Iraq director Nasr Muflahi said.

NRC said it could no longer provide the required assistance, with water rations drying up fast.

It cited the case of a newly opened camp in Amriyat al-Fallujah, south of Fallujah, that houses 1,800 people but has only one latrine for women.

“We need the Iraqi government to take a leading role in providing for the needs of the most vulnerable civilians who have endured months of trauma and terror,” Muflahi said.

An Iraqi aid worker employed by the government at a camp in Amriyat al-Fallujah said the resources were inadequate to deal with the scope of the crisis.

“Four hundred families have reached my camp in the last 4 days, they don’t have anything,” said the camp manager, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“We were shocked by the number of displaced people and we weren’t prepared to receive them,” he said.

“We secured tents for some of them but the rest, including women and children, are sleeping on the ground under the sun,” he said. “Their situation is a tragedy.”

Sniper fire

The temperature in Baghdad has been hovering above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and it often gets hotter in Anbar province, where inhabited areas along the Euphrates River are flanked by desert.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has promised to support the displaced.

On Friday evening, after Iraqi forces raised the national flag above the main government compound, he declared that Fallujah had been “brought back to the fold.”

Yet Iraqi forces have some work left to do, with hundreds of ISIS fighters still holed up in the city’s northern neighborhoods.

Abadi announced the liberation of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar, in December but the area was not brought under control until February.

Sporadic ISIS attacks there have continued, the latest of which was a thwarted ambush on the top military commander for Anbar on Sunday in an area called Zankura.

Despite facing less resistance than expected from ISIS in Fallujah, an emblematic jihadist stronghold, sniper fire, car bombs, and booby traps remained a risk for Iraq’s forces.

“Our forces are cleansing central Fallujah of pockets of Daesh (ISIS),” federal police chief Raed Shaker Jawdat told AFP, using an Arabic acronym for the jihadist group.

In the Officers neighborhood of Fallujah, ISIS snipers shot at an Iraqi flag pole until it broke, an AFP photographer reported.

The loss of Fallujah would continue a losing streak for ISIS that already leaves the “caliphate” it proclaimed two years ago looking moribund.

To keep the pressure on the jihadist organization, Iraqi forces also rekindled offensives east and south of Qayyarah in the north of the country.

With its strategic location west of the Tigris and its air field, Iraqi forces hope to make it a key launchpad in a major push to retake Mosul.

Abadi vowed on Friday that Mosul, the country’s second city and ISIS’s last remaining major urban hub in Iraq, would be liberated “very soon.” –

Source: Rappler.com

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: disaster, faces, humanitarian, Iraq

Syrian Kurdish leader says collapse of Assad regime ‘disaster for everyone’

September 28, 2015 By administrator

Salih Muslim, co-president of the Democratic Union Party PYD. Photo: AFP

Salih Muslim, co-president of the Democratic Union Party PYD. Photo: AFP

Patrick Cockburn | The Independent

QAMISHLO, Syrian Kurdistan,— The overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad by Isis and rebel groups that are affiliated to al-Qaeda would be a calamity for the world, says the Syrian Kurdish leader Saleh Muslim.

In an interview with The Independent he warned that “if the regime collapses because of the salafis [fundamentalist Islamic militants] it would be a disaster for everyone.”

Mr Muslim said he was fully in favour of Mr Assad and his government being replaced by a more acceptable alternative. But he is concerned that Isis and other extreme Islamist groups are now close to Damascus on several sides, saying that “this is dangerous”. During a recent Isis offensive in the north eastern city of Hasaka, the Kurdish YPG (People’s Protection Units) militia and the Syrian Army both came under attack from Isis, but Mr Muslim denied that there was any collaboration between the two.

The Syrian Kurds, previously marginalised and discriminated against by the Damascus government, have become crucial players in the country’s civil war over the last year. In January, they defeated Isis at Kobani with the aid of US airstrikes after a four-and-a-half month siege and their forces are still advancing. While Mr Muslim said that he wants an end to rule by Mr Assad, he makes clear that he considers Isis to be the main enemy.

“Our main goal is the defeat of Daesh [Isis],” he said. “We would not feel safe in our home so long as there is one Daesh [Isis] left alive.” The threat did not come from them alone, he said, but also from al-Qaeda clones such as Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham. “They all have the same mentality.”

Mr Muslim is the president of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) that rules Rojava, as Kurds call the three Kurdish enclaves just south of the Turkish border. A stocky and affable man, aged 64, he apologised before the interview in the city of Ramalan for his broken English – though it turned out to be fluent, something explained by a year spent in Britain learning English and 12 years as an oil industry engineer in Saudi Arabia, where the working language was also English.

He says he is still surprised by the speed with which the Syrian Kurds have emerged from obscurity, since the withdrawal of the Syrian army from Kurdish enclaves in 2012, to become a major force in Syria. The highly-disciplined and committed YPG fighters have won victories over Isis this year at Kobani, Tal Abyad and Hasaka, at the same time that Isis was inflicting defeats on both the Iraqi and Syrian armies.

Mr Muslim and other PYD leaders now face an important decision about the future advance of YPG forces. Having retaken Kobani and 380 villages nearby, they are currently dug in on the east bank of the Euphrates River, close to Isis’s last remaining border crossing to Turkey at Jarabulus and to a larger, strategically important, area north of Aleppo. Turkey is wary of the YPG and is eager to create a so-called “safe zone” which would be held by Syrian opposition groups under its influence – ostensibly to keep Isis from its borders but thus also preventing Kurdish forces from advancing westwards.

Mr Muslim says the present situation cannot continue in this area because Kurdish civilians there are being attacked by Isis. Only the previous day, he said, 300 Kurds had been forced out of their homes in the Isis-held town of Manbij, where Kurds make up 30 per cent of the population, and seven people had been killed. Another 150 Kurdish villages are under threat.

Mr Muslim stressed the YPG was acting to defend not only Kurds, but all Syrians under attack by Isis. He said that if people living in the zone west of the Euphrates and north of Aleppo were “to ask the YPG for help” they would most likely get it. In addition, the Kurds want to open a road to a third Kurdish enclave at Afrin, which is isolated and under threat.

Noting the US wants an Isis-free zone in this area, Mr Muslim said “the perfect way to do this is ground troops and air support”. It is not entirely clear that the US will go along with this and give the YPG the air cover it may need, because it does not want to offend Turkey. However, the Syrian armed opposition is almost wholly dominated by Isis and its al-Qaeda equivalents, so the US does not want to damage the successful collaboration between YPG ground troops and US air power.

How would Turkey respond to a further Kurdish advance? It is already alarmed by the rise of a Kurdish state-let in the form of Rojava on its southern frontier with Syria. It knows that the PYD is essentially the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) against whom it has been fighting a guerrilla war since 1984. Mr Muslim said: “I do not think it is possible that Turkey will invade, but if it does it will be a big problem for Turkey.”

Though the YPG is America’s most effective military ally against Isis in both Iraq and Syria, Washington remains ambivalent about the extent of its co-operation with the Syrian Kurds. Mr Muslim says that “the Americans have not delivered any weapons or ammunition to the YPG”.

They have reassured him their support for the Syrian Kurds will not be weakened by their agreement with Turkey, signed in July, for the US to use Incirlik airbase and for Turkey to join attacks against Isis.

In the event, Turkey launched few air raids against Isis and many hundreds against the PKK in south-east Turkey and northern Iraq. Mr Muslim says that since detachments of the PKK in northern Iraq are fighting Isis, the Turkish actions can only benefit the Islamic militants. He is only partially comforted by American reassurances, saying what worries him is “what has not been revealed” about the US-Turkish deal.

In the course of the interview, Mr Muslim would periodically say that the situation was confusing, but he is adept at seeking to conciliate rival powers. He had just returned from a meeting with President Masoud Barzani, who heads the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq and is himself wary of the sudden appearance of a rival Kurdish quasi-state in northern Syria. The KRG has been enforcing an intermittent embargo against Rojava, with some trucks waiting a couple of months on the frontier. Mr Muslim said the border was opening and closing “according to the mood” of KRG authorities.

He is dubious about reports of Russian troops joining the war in Syria. He had been in Moscow last month and had been assured that the Russians “would not do that. [Russian special envoy for Syria Mikhail] Bogdanov said to me that they would not be involved in the fighting.”

Though he is determined to fight Isis until it is defeated, Mr Muslim believes that the Syrian civil war must end in a compromise.

“In the end there should be political solution,” he says. “No side can finish off the other.”

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: assad, collapes, disaster, Kurdish, leader

London IBT: Kim Kardashian and Pope Francis left Turkey in PR disaster over Armenian genocide

April 14, 2015 By administrator

Pope-KardashiansSome countries are so upset by Holocaust deniers that they make it a crime. There have been calls to do the same in Britain but we have, luckily, avoided such a heavy-handed and grandstanding approach to the freedom of speech of idiots, Simon Heffer wrote in his article, published in the International Business Times.

We prefer to see people who deny the Nazi genocide as idiots – or something stronger – and in a very British way content ourselves that the obloquy, contempt and derision such people heap upon themselves by expressing their offensive views is punishment enough, and comes free of charge, the author says.

It is disputed to this day by Turkey that its Ottoman forebears conducted a genocide against the Armenians in 1915.

Armenians see this as their Holocaust and when an entire nation denies it happened, it is denial on a truly grand and awesome scale. Imagine how the Jews would feel if the present German republic itself – not just handfuls of mentally disturbed anti-Semites – said there had been no German-led genocide against the Jews, and you will understand how the Armenians and those who sympathise with them feel about Turkey, a state about to celebrate 100 years of denial, the author notes.

The historical consensus is that 1.5 million Armenians were murdered. Many countries recognise this as an act of genocide. So too did Pope John Paul II, who issued a declaration in 2001 saying as much. Francis chose to quote his predecessor-but-one’s words: but it still upset the Turks, who immediately recalled their ambassador to the Vatican and demanded the Vatican’s man in Ankara come and explain himself, the article notes.

The Vatican, which is also keen to see a diminution of the conflict in that region, wants good relations with the Turks too, but not, to judge from Francis’s remarks, at the expense of pretending not to notice Turkey’s responsibility for an outrage that happened just outside living memory, the author says.

Armenia itself is building up to a formal commemoration of the genocide on 24 April. Last week, Kim Kardashian and her sister Khloe were in Yerevan to lay flowers at a memorial to the victims: the whole performance was captured on the sisters’ reality TV show, so anyone out there who is not aware of this atrocity may soon be alerted to it.

The author highlights that the combination of the Kardashians and the Pope adds up to a PR disaster for Turkey, at a time when in every other respect it is trying to show itself to be a responsible and progressive member of the family of civilised nations.

Source: Panorama.am

Filed Under: Genocide, News Tagged With: armenian genocide, disaster, Kim Kardashian, over, Pope Francis, PR, Turkey

MH17 disaster: few hard facts so far

July 25, 2014 By administrator

As mourning continues for the 298 people killed in the Malaysia Airlines crash in Ukraine, few hard facts about the disaster’s causes are available. DW reviews the past week’s mix of sketchy details and speculation.
MH17-disasterThe July 17 incident saw Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash in eastern Ukraine, the area controlled by pro-Russian separatist forces. The plane had been en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, cruising at an altitude of about 10,000 meters (33,000 feet). All 298 people on board – including 193 Dutch citizens and 28 Australian nationals – were killed.

Very soon after the news spread, Ukraine accused pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine of having shot down the plane, while the rebels blamed Ukrainian forces. Russia refuted claims by Ukraine and Western governments that the rebels in eastern Ukraine possessed a Russian-made anti-aircraft missile.

Suspicion also arose that the aircraft may have been shot down by accident. Igor Strelkov, a pro-Russian rebel leader, had apparently earlier boasted of having brought down a Ukrainian cargo plane in the same area.

West points finger at Russia

On Tuesday (22.07.20143), senior US intelligence officials said that Russia was responsible for “creating the conditions” that led to the crash, but offered no evidence of direct Russian government involvement. The officials said the plane was likely shot down by an SA-11 surface-to-air missile fired by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. They cited intercepts, satellite photos and social media postings by separatists, some of which have been authenticated by US experts.

Russia on Thursday rejected the accusations. Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said in a statement that if US officials had proof that the plane was shot down by a missile launched from the rebel-held territory, “how come it has not been made public?”
ew/sad (AP, AFP)

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: disaster, MH17

Support Gagrule.net

Subscribe Free News & Update

Search

GagruleLive with Harut Sassounian

Can activist run a Government?

Wally Sarkeesian Interview Onnik Dinkjian and son

https://youtu.be/BiI8_TJzHEM

Khachic Moradian

https://youtu.be/-NkIYpCAIII
https://youtu.be/9_Xi7FA3tGQ
https://youtu.be/Arg8gAhcIb0
https://youtu.be/zzh-WpjGltY





gagrulenet Twitter-Timeline

Tweets by @gagrulenet

Archives

Books

Recent Posts

  • Armenia: Letter from the leader of the Sacred Struggle, political prisoner Bagrat Archbishop Galstanyan
  • U.S. Judge Dismisses $500 Million Lawsuit By Azeri Lawyer Against ANCA & 29 Others
  • These Are the Social Security Offices Expected to Close This Year, Musk call SS Ponzi Scheme
  • Breaking News, Pashinyan regime has filed charges against public figure Edgar Ghazaryan,
  • ANCA’s Controversial Endorsement: Implications for Armenian Voters

Recent Comments

  • administrator on Turkish Agent Pashinyan will not attend the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State
  • David on Turkish Agent Pashinyan will not attend the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State
  • Ara Arakelian on A democratic nation has been allowed to die – the UN has failed once more “Nagorno-Karabakh”
  • DV on A democratic nation has been allowed to die – the UN has failed once more “Nagorno-Karabakh”
  • Tavo on I’d call on the people of Syunik to arm themselves, and defend your country – Vazgen Manukyan

Copyright © 2025 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in