Turkey 29 Kurdish demonstrator killed in ISIL-related protests

October 9, 2014 By administrator

Kurdish protesters set fire to a barricade set up to block the street as they clash with riot police in Diyarbakir on October 7, 2014.

At least 29 people have been killed in Turkey in protests over the Turkish government’s policies with regard to the ISIL Takfiri group.

Latest reports said on Thursday that the protests resumed for the fourth consecutive day in different cities across Turkey.

The latest fatalities came on Thursday evening in the province of Gaziantep, where at least four people died in clashes between pro-Kurdish protesters and the ISIL Takfiri supporters.

One individual was also killed in clashes with police in the province of Mardin.

Elsewhere, in the city of Bingol, unknown gunmen injured the city’s police chief and killed his deputy as well as two police officers.

Amnesty International reacted to the recent wave of protests and the use of violence in the country, calling on the Turkish officials to curb the tensions among Turkish riot police, protesters, and the ISIL Takfiri supporters.

“It is essential that the Turkish authorities act now to calm tensions with firm but rights-respecting policing and a commitment to investigate promptly the up to 19 deaths and scores of injuries of protesters,” said Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International’s researcher on Turkey, in a statement published on Wednesday.

“Any use of force by the security forces must be strictly in line with international human rights standards, in particular the principles of necessity and proportionality.”

The pro-Kurdish demonstrators are protesting the government’s inaction with regard to the crimes the ISIL militants are committing in the Syrian border town of Kobane.

“Simmering tensions in Turkey have been brought to boiling point by the conflict in Syria. The government’s actions now will have far-reaching consequences. Calming the situation and investigating the deaths during yesterday’s bloody clashes will help bring some stability to a troubled region,” Gardner added.

On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced the protests as a “sabotage” aimed at undermining a peace process between Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

“It’s very obvious that this game is aimed at sabotaging the peaceful environment in the east and southeast as well as the peace process and our brotherhood,” Erdogan stated.

The ISIL terror group launched its assault on Kobane three weeks ago, forcing 200,000 mainly Kurdish refugees to flee into neighboring Turkey.

Iran warns Turkey over military presence in Syria

October 9, 2014 By administrator

Iran has warned the government of Turkey against possible military intervention in Syria as ISIL Takfiri terrorists close in on the Syrian town of Kobani near the Arab country’s border with Turkey.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Thursday that Tehran and Turkey are in consultation over the situation in the Kurdish city, noting that the Islamic Republic has warned Turkey against ground operations in Syria.

He added that negotiations over the situation in Syria are going on with Tehran and Ankara trying to find a solution to the crisis in Kobani.

“During our preliminary consultations with Turkey, we have found out that this country does not seek escalation of crisis in the region and we hope it would play a positive role in this regard,” the Iranian deputy foreign minister added.

The Iranian diplomat stated that Iran and Turkey are in dialogue over Syria and Iran believes that Turkey can play an effective role in facilitating the return of displaced Syrians to their homeland.

Explaining about Iran’s solution for the ongoing crisis in Kobani, Amir-Abdollahian said, “Regional talks are underway over this issue and we hope a serious measure is taken in this regard.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will take any necessary action to help the Kurds in Kobani in line with its support for the Syrian government in its fight against terrorism,” added Amir-Abdollahian.

Kobani and its surroundings have been under attack since mid-September, with ISIL militants capturing dozens of nearby Kurdish villages. The weeks-long intense battle for the strategic town has forced nearly 200,000 people to take refuge in Turkey.

On October 2, Turkish lawmakers passed a controversial motion authorizing the government to carry out military operations against ISIL Takfiri terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

The parliament’s decision came days after the Turkish government stationed some 15 tanks that took position in the border town of Mursitpinar situated northwest of the Syrian border town of Ain al-Arab, known as Kobani to Kurds.

In a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, on October 2, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif referred to the Turkish parliament’s decision to authorize military operations in Iraq and Syria, expressing concern about any measure that could further complicate the situation in the region.

ANCA Urges Obama to Challenge Turkey’s Support For ISIS

October 9, 2014 By administrator

Hachikian: “Mr. President, we need not lie for Turkey; nor are we obliged to passively accept its transparently false denials.”

WASHINGTON—The Armenian National Committee of Americajoined growing calls for U.S. leadership in challenging Turkey’s manipulation of the Syria crisis, through direct and indirect support for ISIS, as part of its century-long genocidal drive to weaken or destroy Kurds, Armenians, Arabs, Assyrians, Alawites, and other ethnic minorities within or near its borders.

In a letter sent to the White House Wednesday, ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian urged President Obama to continue fighting ISIS militants, but noted that the international community cannot stop there, saying that the U.S. must, “in equal measure, forcefully confront Turkey, a treaty ally, that is using these terrorists as surrogate soldiers in a neo-Ottoman drive to destroy minorities, grow its regional influence and expand its borders – all at the expense of U.S. interests and counter to the core values of the American people.”

Expressing regret over Vice-President Biden’s recent “forced” apology to Turkey for speaking truthfully about the Erdogan regime’s destabilization of the region, Hachikian stated, “Mr. President, we need not lie for Turkey; nor are we obliged to passively accept its transparently false denials. Rather than turning a blind eye to Ankara’s ongoing aggression – in Kobane, Der Zor, Aleppo, Kessab and across northern Syria – we should press for a halt to Turkish support for ISIS, an end to its interference in Syria, and the unconditional opening of its border.”

The ANCA has launched a nationwide action alert urging advocates to write to the White House and call for an end U.S. silence in the face of Turkey’s destructive interference in Syria. Take action NOW. http://www.anca.org/savekobane

Over the past two days, ANCA representatives have joined with Kurdish Americans at White House protests calling for U.S. leadership in ending ISIS aggression.

The text of ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian’s letter to President Obama is available in full below.

Dear Mr. President:

In the wake of the devastating ISIS assault on Kobani, I am writing to urge you to challenge Turkey’s aggressive exploitation of the Syria crisis, through its active support of extremist fighters, in order to complete its century-long genocidal drive to weaken or destroy Kurds, Armenians, Arabs, Assyrians, Alawites, and other ethnic minorities within or near its borders.

Sadly, Ankara’s success in bullying successive U.S. Administrations into silence on the Armenian Genocide and inaction in the face of Turkish brutal repression of Kurds has spoiled Turkey’s leaders into believing, with considerable justification, that they can openly strong-arm the United States on other key regional issues. The most recent example of this troubling trend is, of course, the sad spectacle of Turkish President Erdogan forcing Vice President Biden into a public apology for telling an obvious truth about Ankara’s well-documented support for ISIS.

Mr. President, we need not lie for Turkey; nor are we obliged to passively accept its transparently false denials. Rather than turning a blind eye to Ankara’s ongoing aggression – in Kobani, Der Zor, Aleppo, Kessab and across northern Syria – we should press for a halt to Turkish support for ISIS, an end to its interference in Syria, and the unconditional opening of its border. Parallel to this, our government must issue strong warnings to ISIS to cease its attacks on civilian areas in Kobani, Aleppo and elsewhere, and to allow humanitarian corridors, including from Aleppo to Latakia.

We must roll back ISIS, an avowedly anti-American military force committing horrific atrocities, and, in equal measure, forcefully confront Turkey, a treaty ally, that is using these terrorists as surrogate soldiers in a neo-Ottoman drive to destroy minorities, grow its regional influence and expand its borders – all at the expense of U.S. interests and counter to the core values of the American people.

We thank you for your consideration of our concerns, and ask, once again, for a meeting with you to discuss the crisis in the Middle East, your unmet pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide, the security of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, and our community’s other policy priorities.

Sincerely,

Kenneth V. Hachikian
Chairman
Armenian National Committee of America

Curfew imposed in Turkey

October 8, 2014 By administrator

Following the mass protests by Kurds, the Turkish authorities have declared curfew, Lenta.ru reported.

According to the source, fourteen people were killed and dozens were injured during the mass demonstrations.

The curfew was imposed in several provinces.

The Kurdish protests in Turkey are due to the fact that the Islamists have virtually captured Kobani, which is a Syrian city on the Turkish border and which is the capital of the Kurdish autonomy.

Turkish Inaction on ISIS Advance Dismays the U.S. Report NYT

October 8, 2014 By administrator

By MARK LANDLER, ANNE BARNARD and ERIC SCHMITTOCT. 7, 2014

NYT

WASHINGTON — As fighters with the Islamic State bore down Tuesday on the Syrian town of Kobani on the Turkish border, President Obama’s plan to fight the militant group without being drawn deeper into the Syrian civil war was coming under acute strain.

While Turkish troops watched the fighting in Kobani through a chicken-wire fence, Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that the town was about to fall and Kurdish fighters warned of an impending blood bath if they were not reinforced — fears the United States shares.

But Mr. Erdogan said Tuesday that Turkey would not get more deeply involved in the conflict with the Islamic State unless the United States agreed to give greater support to rebels trying to unseat the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad. That has deepened tensions with President Obama, who would like Turkey to take stronger action against the Islamic State and to leave the fight against Mr. Assad out of it.

Even as it stepped up airstrikes against the militants Tuesday, the Obama administration was frustrated by what it regards as Turkey’s excuses for not doing more militarily. Officials note, for example, that the American-led coalition, with its heavy rotation of flights and airstrikes, has effectively imposed a no-fly zone over northern Syria already, so Mr. Erdogan’s demand for such a zone rings hollow.

“There’s growing angst about Turkey dragging its feet to act to prevent a massacre less than a mile from its border,” a senior administration official said. “After all the fulminating about Syria’s humanitarian catastrophe, they’re inventing reasons not to act to avoid another catastrophe.

“This isn’t how a NATO ally acts while hell is unfolding a stone’s throw from their border,” said the official, who spoke anonymously to avoid publicly criticizing an ally.

Secretary of State John Kerry has had multiple phone calls in the last 72 hours with Turkey’s prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, and foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, to try to resolve the border crisis, American officials said.

For Mr. Obama, a split with Turkey would jeopardize his efforts to hold together a coalition of Sunni Muslim countries to fight the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. While Turkey is not the only country that might put the ouster of Mr. Assad ahead of defeating the radical Sunnis of the Islamic State, the White House has strongly argued that the immediate threat is from the militants.

But if Turkey remains a holdout, it could cause other fissures in the coalition. It is not only a NATO ally but the main transit route for foreigners seeking to enlist in the ranks of the Islamic State.

Ultimately, American officials said, the Islamic State cannot be pushed back without ground troops that are drawn from the ranks of the Syrian opposition. But until those troops are trained, equipped and put in the field, something that will take some time, officials said, Turkey can play a vital role.

ANCA launches campaign on Turkey return of churches

October 7, 2014 By administrator

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has launched a campaign urging U.S. House vote on the Turkey Christian Churches Accountability Act.

Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) and Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY) led the effort which received broad bipartisan support despite a last minute campaign led by pro-Turkey lobbyists to gut the measure. An amended version of H.R. 4347 was adopted by voice vote by the House Foreign Affairs Committee in June.

Introduced in March H.R. 4347 requires that the U.S. Department of State formally report to Congress on an annual basis about the status of Turkey’s return of stolen Christian churches and properties in Turkey and occupied Cyprus. H.R. 4347 builds on a measure (H.Res.306), spearheaded by Chairman Royce and then House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Democrat Howard Berman (D-CA), which was overwhelmingly adopted by the House of Representatives on Dec 13, 2011. That resolution set the groundwork for H.R.4347 by calling upon the government of Turkey to honor its international obligations to return confiscated Christian church properties and to fully respect the rights of Christians to practice their faiths.

The Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia also said he will petition to Turkey’s constitutional court to demand the return of Sis Catholicosate to the Armenian Church.

As Aram I stressed at the 5th Armenia-Diaspora conference in Yerevan, he’ll apply to the European Court for Human Rights, should Turkey’s court turn down the petition. As the Catholicos stressed, Turkey must always be reminded that Armenia will never stop fighting for its rights in the face of all odds.

The Catholicos further called to struggle for retribution of misappropriated Armenian property and restoration of rights in following the suit of the Armenian youth who raised their voices in 1965 demanding return of their lands.

“In 2015, on the centenary of Genocide, their children and Diaspora youth must join their voices to urge for justice,” he said.

Kurds clash with Turkish security forces on Syria border

October 5, 2014 By administrator

Turkish Kurds and refugees from fighting in Syria have clashed with Turkish security forces on the border between the two countries.

Troops used tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters angry at the situation in Syria, where IS militants are closing in on the town of Kobane.

Meanwhile unconfirmed reports say at least 35 militants were killed in US-led air strikes over northern Syria.

They come amid a Turkish-US row over alleged support for Syrian militants.

On Friday US Vice-President Joe Biden criticised Turkey and US allies in the Arab world for supporting Sunni militant groups such as Islamic State, prompting a sharp response from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“If Mr Biden used such language, that would make him a man of the past for me,” he told a news conference in Istanbul.

“No-one can accuse Turkey of having supported any terrorist organisation in Syria, including IS.”

Turkish security forces used tear gas and water cannon to break up the protests

Turkish university announced anti-Armenian contest

October 5, 2014 By administrator

A Turkish university has announced a contest for the best poster depicting cruelty of Armenians.

The results of contest will be declared on January 19 — the death anniversary of Hrant Dink, Agos newspaper reported.

The contest is organized by the department of fine art at Gazi University with the support of Azerbaijani embassy in Ankara. The statement issued by organizers said the links between two nations were allegedly cut because of betrayal of the Armenians.

The aim of this exhibition is to sober international community that ignored “massacres of Turks” by Armenians during the First World War, professor Alev Cakmakoglu said.

Syria warns Turkey against anti-ISIS incursions

October 3, 2014 By administrator

AFP/Reuters Friday, 3 October 2014

Syria warned Turkey on Friday against any military intervention on its territories, saying it would consider it an act of “aggression,” a day after the Turkish military was given authorization to conduct cross-border incursions against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) operating in the Arab country.

The “declared policy of the Turkish government represents a real aggression against a member state of the United Nations,” the Syrian Foreign Ministry said.

The warning came after Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowed late Thursday that Ankara would do whatever it could to prevent the predominantly Kurdish town of Kobani, near its border with Syria, falling to ISIS militants.

Just hours before Davutoglu’s comment, Turkey’s parliament gave the government powers to order cross-border military incursions against ISIS, and to allow foreign coalition forces to launch similar operations from Turkish territory.

“We wouldn’t want Kobani to fall. We’ll do whatever we can to prevent this from happening,” Davutoglu said in a discussion with journalists broadcast on the A Haber television station.”

“No other country has the capacity to affect the developments in Syria and Iraq. No other country will be affected like us either,” he said.

Fighting erupts

Heavy clashes erupted on Friday between Kurdish militiamen and ISIS militants who have besieged a key Syrian town near the Turkish border, an Agence France Presse correspondent reported.

ISIS militants in Syria have advanced to within just a few kilometers of the eastern and southeastern edges of Kobani, known as Ain al-Arab in Arabic, despite U.S. air strikes in support of Kurdish fighters.

Heavy mortar fire around the town was heard across the border and plumes of white smoke were rising up, the correspondent reported from the Turkish side of the border.

“We are desperately watching what the murderer IS is doing,” said 48-year-old Turkish Kurd Cafer Seven, who came to Mursitpinar border crossing 10 days ago from the Turkish city of Van.

“We are in deep sorrow. Our brethren are under difficult conditions. This is brutality!” he said, as he gazed at the heavy smoke rising over Kobani.

Kurds have expressed anger and disappointment over Ankara’s policy against ISIS, accusing the government of turning a blind eye to the group and refusing to allow Turkish Kurds to cross the border and fight in Syria.

“There is a massacre being committed before the eyes of the world. The world remains silent when Kurds are being massacred,” said Burhan Atmaca, 54, who also came to Mursitpinar to show solidarity with Kurdish fighters in Kobane.

Turkey’s parliament on Thursday endorsed a measure authorizing military action against the militant group, which has captured large areas in Syria and Iraq, declaring an Islamic “caliphate” and carrying out a wave of atrocities including beheadings.

ISIS fighters launched a major offensive against Kobani on Sept. 16, sparking an exodus of more than 160,000 mainly Kurdish refugees into Turkey.

Some 90 percent of residents of Kobani and nearby villages have fled for fear of an imminent assault by ISIS, Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday.

Turkey seeks to annex part of Syria: Analyst Saab Shaath (Video)

October 3, 2014 By administrator

Turkey pursues a policy aimed at bringing a part of Syrian territory under its control, says a Middle East expert, Press TV reports.

“Turkey wants to carve up areas [in Syria] and wants to annex it for itself. Turkey is more active than the Americans in this war in support of ISIL, not in fighting them,” said Saab Shaath, an author and Middle East expert from Belfast, told Press TV in an interview on Wednesday.

“Turkey has been involved in [supporting] ISIL from the very beginning; they supplied, trained, opened their borders for ISIL, organized resources for them, and [Turkey] even sells their oil to them. Turkey is the godfather of ISIL,” Shaath said.

The US and its allies, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan, have been conducting airstrikes against the ISIL inside Syria since September 22, without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate.

The airstrikes are an extension of the US-led aerial campaign against ISIL positions in Iraq.

The ISIL terrorists currently control large swathes of territory across Syria and Iraq. They have carried out heinous atrocities in both countries, including mass executions and beheadings of people.