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Information and Liaison Bulletin INSTITUT KURD E DE PARIS Information and liaison bulletin N° 380 NOVEMBER 2016 The publication of this Bulletin enjoys a subsidy from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Ministry of Culture This bulletin is issued in French and English Price per issue : France: 6 € — Abroad : 7,5 € Annual subscribtion (12 issues) France : 60 € — Elsewhere : 75 € Monthly review Directeur de la publication : Mohamad HASSAN Misen en page et maquette : Ṣerefettin ISBN 0761 1285 INSTITUT KURDE, 106, rue La Fayette - 75010 PARIS Tel. : 01-48 24 64 64 - Fax : 01-48 24 64 66 www.fikp.org E-mail: bulletin@fikp.org Information and liaison bulletin Kurdish Institute of Paris Bulletin N° 380 November 2016 • ROJAVA: THE SYRIAN DEMOCRATIC FORCES LAUNCH THE ATTACK ON RAQQA — TURKEY IS KEPT OUT OF IT • IRAQ: THE VICE IS TIGHTENING ROUND ISIS IN MOSUL • TURKEY: FURTHER CRACKING DOWN ON THE MEDIA WHILE WAR IS BEING WAGED AGAINST THE KURDS • TURKEY: IMPLACABLE REPRESSION OF THE HDP AND ARREST OF ITS TWO CO-PRESIDENTS • DIYARBAKIR PAYS TRIBUTE TO TAHIR ELÇI, LATE PRESIDENT OF ITS BAR AND DEFENDER OF PEACE, ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF HIS ASSASSI - NATION • PARIS: A SYMPOSIUM AT THE SENATE ON STA - TUS OF CHRISTIANS AND YEZIDIS AFTER THE BATTLE FOR MOSUL ROJAVA: THE SYRIAN DEMOCRATIC FORCES LAUNCH THE ATTACK ON RAQQA — TURKEY IS KEPT OUT OF IT n 3 rd November, Talal Turkey were to take part [in the Wrath ”. The operation, that Silo, spokesman of the advance on Raqqa] it would be to would involve 30,000 fighters, Syrian Democratic help ISIS not to fight it”. Muslim would be waged in co-ordina - O Forces (SDF), a multi- further added that the Kurdish tion with the US-led anti-ISIS ethnic and multi- fighters of the YPG (the military Coalition and include alongside denominational military alliance wing of the PYD) would the SDF fighters some French mainly led by the Kurdish PYD advance on Raqqa as part of the and American troops. It would (Democratic Union Party) SDF and would return to their not, however, by agreement with declared to Reuters that the SDF own territories as soon as the the US, as Talal Silo confirmed to would launch the operation to town was taken. It would then AFP , involve either Turkey or liberate Raqqa on their own. He be up to the local administration any of the Syrian islamist fac - added that they had informed that would emerge after the tions it supports. Indeed, since the US-led anti-ISIS Coalition expulsion of the jihadists to the beginning of the month the that they rejected any Turkish decide whether or not to join the latter have been clashing with participation to it. For his part, Federal Region of Northern the SDF North of Aleppo and Salih Muslim, the PYD co-presi - Syria recently proclaimed by the shelling villages they had just dent, described the Turkish SDF. A few days later, on the 6 th , taken from ISIS… The SDF incursion into Syria as an inva - at a press conference held at Ain would then have to fight ISIS sion, which was opposed “ not Issa, 50 km North of Raqqa, the while being subjected to attacks only by the Kurds but by all SDF announced the launching of from those they described as Syrians ”. He went on to state “ if the operation, named “ Euphrates’ “mercenaries of the Turks ”. • 2 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 380 • November 2016 Thus on the 7 th , while, according terrorist State that is striking at the president of the Senate Armed to the UK-based Syrian positions of the Military Council that Forces Committee: “ The United Observatory of Human Rights is fighting ISIS ”. On the same day States has long-standing relations (SOHR) the fighting began near the Turkish President, in a speech with Turkey [but] a series of recent the town of Ain Issa, the SDF in Istanbul to a meeting of events have raised concern about the called not only for regional and NATO’s parliamentary assembly, fundamentals [of these relations]”. international support for the oper - criticised the US support of the McCain further added that coop - ation but also help by NGOs for YPG and expressed the hope that eration with the SDF “[served] the Raqqa’s residents. Despite the its position would change “ so that interests of national security of both jihadists’ resistance, using, as Turkey be freed from the terrorist dan - the United States and the countries of usual, booby-trapped vehicles, the ger ”. He reminded the US and its the region, including those of Turkey ” SDF had taken several villages. As NATO allies of Turkey’s proposal before insistently asking the from the 8 th the SDF had begun of setting up an air protection Turkish government to abstain digging trenches to protect them - zone over Northern Syria to ban from further attacks on the selves from those suicide attacks. the Syrian Air Force. The next day, Kurdish groups in Syria… On the On the same day, the Turkish the 22 nd , Peter Cook, the US State 16 th US Colonel John Dorrian, Foreign Minister, Mevlut Department’s spokesman, indi - spokesman of the Coalition stated Çavuşoğlu, clearly trying to make rectly replied that the Kurds could at a press conference that Turkey’s the best of the way Turkey had well be amongst the local forces action against al-Bab was a been sidelined, announced that charged with defending Manbij “national decision ” undertaken Washington had committed itself against ISIS, but that they would independently by Turkey and that to ensuring that the Kurdish be long time local residents, not it “ was not supported by the coali - Fighters would not enter Raqqa, necessarily members of the PYD tion ”, even making the point that adding that he hoped this promise whose withdrawal to the East the United States had “ withdrawn would be kept, although the same bank of the Euphrates Peter Cook their Special Forces troops originally thing had been promised about confirmed it had been announced. deployed to help the Turkish forces Manbij, from which the However, on the 23 rd violent and their allies ”. announced withdrawal had not clashes took place between the yet taken place… On the 10 th SDF and the Syrian rebels of the It should be noted that, while the Cihan Ehmed, SDF spokesman for Free Syrian Army (FSA) backed by United States support the military “Euphrates’s Wrath” told Turkey near al-Bab, a town of alliance of the Syrian Kurds in the Associated Press that the fighters 100,000 inhabitants about 30 km field (the Coalition has even were advancing on two separate South of the Turkish border in vil - increased its support of the SDF fronts North of Raqqa, and that lages on the road to Manbij. by supplying it with arms and once the tow had connected they According to the SOHR the equipment) Russia, for its part, would have encircled a area of 550 Turkish troops and their allies had regularly makes statements km 2 controlled by the jihadists. On already begun shelling and bomb - defending their inclusion in the the 14 th Talal Silo declared that the ing the town on the 12 th , clearly political process. Thus on the 21 st , SDF had recovered 32 villages seeking to prevent the SDF from The Russian Deputy Foreign from ISIS since the start of the opening a corridor connecting the Minister, Guennadi Gatilov, stated operation. On the 16 th the YPG’s Canton of Afrin, to the West, with that the UN special envoy Staffan overall Command announced that the two Eastern cantons of their de Mistura should, in carrying out its fighters were withdrawing Federal Region, Kobané and his mandate, resume the consulta - from Manbij and returning to the Jezireh. The Manbij Military tion regarding the future of Syria East bank of the Euphrates to take Council’s forces continued, in par - as rapidly as possible — and on part in the Raqqa operation, since allel, to confront the FSA. the most inclusive base possible. the town’s own Military Council According to the Kurdish news Thus the opposition delegation could now protect it. On the 21 st , agency Hawar (close to the PYD) would have to include all the however, despite this withdrawal three Turkish tanks were opposition groups having a politi - islamist militia backed by the destroyed. cal platform and particularly the Turks attacked the West of Manbij. Syrian Kurds: “ The Kurds must be The commander of the town’s It is clear that the US, at its highest included in the political process ”, Military Council, Adnan Abou level, takes a poor view of these stated Gatilov, “ They are a real polit - Amjad, announced that Turkish Turkish air strikes against their ical and military force that controls a air raids had killed one of their allies. This is shown by statements considerable part of Syrian land and fighters and wounded several oth - made on 27 th October by are actively taking part in the strug - ers and accused Turkey of being “ a Republican Senator John McCain, gle against terrorism ”. n° 380 • November 2016 Information and liaison bulletin • 3• Faced with Turkish attacks, the Turkish Army published a com - Middle East Eye he added on the SDF continued their offensive muniqué announcing an air strike 23 rd , that the warrant aimed at against Raqqa. On the 19 th , along - by the regimes planes early that forcing him to limit his journeys to side American troops they encir - morning. The raid, at about 3.30 Europe, which “ bothered the cled the village of Tell Saman, a.m., killed 3 Turkish soldiers and Sultan ”.
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