INSTITUT KURD E DE PARIS
Information and liaison bulletin n°358
january 2015 The publication of this Bulletin enjoys a subsidy from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGCID) aqnd the Fonds d’action et de soutien pour l’intégration et la lutte contre les discriminations (The Fund for action and support of integration and the struggle against discrimination)
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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° 358 January 2015
• KOBANÎ: KURDISH RESISTANCE IS VICTORIOUS
• SINJAR: THE COMPLETE LIBERATION OF THE TOWN IS NEAR • MOSUL: THE PESHMERGAS ARE GAINING GROUND • KIRKUK: CLASHES AND TENSIONS • LONDON: AN ANTI-ISIS CONFERENCE EXCLUDING THE KURDS • CULTURE: DEATH OF THE TRADITIONAL BARD HASSAN SISAWE
KOBANÎ: THE KURDS DRIVE ISIS FROM THE TOWN. KURDISH RESISTANCE IS VICTORIOUS t the end of January, was of little importance in US ing the joint defence by the YPG the Syrian Institute for global strategy regarding Syria. and the Peshmergas, US opinion Human Rights (SIHR) Thus the Pentagon’s press secre - is showing itself more aware of A estimated that about tary, Vice-Admiral John Kirby, the symbol represented by this 80% of the town had in a media statement on 13 Kurdish resistance, which is been retaken by the Kurds, with January, repeated that his gov - alone successfully confronting the help of the Coalition’s air ernment had not changed its ISIS in the field. The fact that this strikes. Indeed, according to the views on the low importance it symbol has also hurt ISI can be US government statistics, 80% of gave Kobani, except that the seen by the numerous almost their strikes in Syria since the waves of ISIS fighters rushing to suicidal assaults it has launched beginning of winter had been attack the town were making against the town. around Kobani (over 270 out of themselves easy targets for the 333). Despite this, at mid- Coalition. “ So long ad they set On 16 January ISIS launched a January the US government had themselves up we’ll hit them ”. final attack at four points in the not gone back on the statement (USA Today) town to break the YPG — an made last October by John Kerry attack that Rahmi Abdel in Cairo. On that occasion He However, regardless of the Rahman (SIHR) considered the had said that the Kurdish town White House’s attitude regard - biggest for over a month (AFP). • 2 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 358 • January 2015
Four days later, however, the 220 military operations, 98 didn’t leave a building standing ”. Kurds succeeded not only is others were indecisive and 37 Alongside this, other fighting repelling ISIS but in seizing a suicide attacks were carried took place mid-January, more strategic hill overlooking the out by the YPG. unexpected by also more spo - town, called Mishtenur that radic, between the YPG and the enables them to open fire direct - - the ISIS militia had launched Syrian government forces in the ly on the enemy positions still 19 suicide attacks and had lost “Canton of Jezireh”, at Hassake, inside the Kobani. In doing so 3,710 men, the bodies of 316 of a town divided into areas con - they killed about forty ISIS mili - them remaining in the hands trolled by the YPG and those by tiamen and seized a substantial of the YPG the Government forces. These stock of arms and ammunition. occurred when Syrian soldiers On 25 January a 75 metres long. - the YPG damages 87 vehicles, and Baathist militia took over a TEYDEM banner flew above the including 5 Hummers, 2 building that, by agreement hill, while the YPG announced Panzers and had destroyed 16 between the YPG and the Army, that it again controlled the armoured vehicles and 18 should have remained “ demili - whole town and some villages to Duchka machine guns. tarised ”. According to the SIHR the East and south of it. TEY - the YPG arrested 10soldiers and DEM stands for the Movement - 408 YPG fighters and one militiamen, while prolonged for a Democratic Society, which Peshmerga lost their lives in fighting took place in the town is the PYD’s political front. the battle for Kobani. causing 18 casualties — 8 YPG and Asayish and 9 of the However, the ISIS militia still After the retreat of ISIS from regime’s soldiers and militia. hold the immediate surround - Kobani was announced, John The Army also shelled three ings of the town and all the Kerry stated, in a markedly spec - Kurdish areas in Hassake. Kobani “canton”, which means tacular about face, that the that there are still 350 villages to Kurds had just won a “ strategic ” Hassake is divided into Kurdish win back, while half of the town victory against ISIS. and mixed quarters and some is in ruins, leading some journal - purely Arab quarters. The ists to talk of a Pyrrhic victory, From the ISIS side, Amak, a Kurdish YPG control the first especially as some 200,000 Press agency located in the part while the Army and Syrian refugees are still at Sunuc, on the of Syria occupied by ISIS, pub - forces run the second, in accor - Turkish side of the border and lished an interview with two dance with an agreement Turkey is building another men described as ISIS fighters, between the two made in 2012. camp, with a capacity of 35,000 talking about their retreat from There are divergent reasons people — the biggest refugee Kobani. According to them the given for these clashes. Some say camp on its soil. main reason for their retreat was that the Hassake based Syrian the incessant air strikes carried General Mohammed Khaddour, On 21 January, one of the out by the Coalition. has been trying for the last three Peshmergas sent by the Iraqi months, to close down all the Kurdistan Government lost his “We recently gradually withdrew checkpoints manned by the life fighting ISIS. Jabbar Yawar, from ’Ayn al Islam (meaning Kurdish YPG and push them out general secretary of the “Source of Islam”, a name that ISIS of the town — as he had already Peshmerga Ministry, officially has given to Kobani) because of the done with those manned by the announced that Zerevan Akrem heavy air raids and the deaths of a Arab National Defence Forces (a Abdulmajeed, a member of one number of our brothers ”. paramilitary militia set up by the of the medical team, had been government in 2012). killed by a sniper. One of the fighters also described the destruction of the If this is so, it could suggest an The total assessment of the town as a “ message to Obama ”. attempt by the regular Army to human losses and operations The other described the air take control of the whole town was drawn up and announced at strikes in these terms: by expelling all its militia, a Press conference given by the “I swear before God that their Kurdish and Arab. These have YPG military command’s planes were incessantly in the air, been clashing to take control, spokesman, Shoresh Hassan: day and night. They bombed us all this tending to start an “ ethnic through the day and all through the cleansing ” as between Kurds and - the Kurdish defence forces night. They aimed at everything — Arabs, each being obliged to have successfully carried out they even attacked vehicles. They seek shelter either in North n° 358 • January 2015 Information and liaison bulletin • 3•
Hassake, with its Kurdish major - predicting a “sensitive” situation Jihadists, the YPG would here be ity or South Hassake with its at Hassake that could lead to faced with the Government Arab majority. Kurdo-Arab conflict, as occurred forces. Unlike the former fight - at Sere Kaniye. The difference ing at Sere Kanuye, both protag - For over a year the PYD co-pres - here id that instead of opposing onists are threatened and being ident, Salih Muslim, has been the Free Syrian Army and the attacked by ISIS.
SINJAR: THE COMPLETE LIBERATION OF THE TOWN IS NEAR espite an advance Peshmergas, ISIS is unable to move regional Government having slowed down by its positions or to resupply them. taken the step of including Sinjar snipers and booby They have set up their position in its borders, it is now Erbil or D traps, the Peshmergas inside Sinjar and we are ready to Dohuk that it will have to sup - announced on 7 repel any offensive and to attack ply the town with power. January that they had reached them as soon as we receive the order the Sinjar town centre. Thus a to do so ”. In addition to a budget entirely “source close to the Peshmergas ” devoted to the reconstruction of stated to the daily paper At the same time, the Coalition Sinjar, the Mayor is asking for a Basnews that, at the time, they air strikes are targeting ISIS Peshmerga unit specially controlled “ all the town’s strategic inside e and outside the town of attached to the town and its points ” and were only waiting Sinjar while the Peshmergas are province — a force that would for orders from the top before besieging their former attackers, probably largely consist of local cleaning it completely. However, acting as snipers in their turn. people or Yezidis, like those that this kind of optimistic statement These air raids, moreover, raise ensure the protection of Lalesh should be treated with caution the question of the state the or Sheikan. becaue, as the paper itself com - town will be in once cleaner, mented, this is the second time even if it hasn’t suffered, so far, On 5 January, the Iraqi that Sinjar Hospital was said to bombing to the same extent as Kurdistan Prime Minister, have been “ freed ”. This kind of that at Kobani, which has been Nêçirvan Barzani, climbed street fighting, like trench war - half destroyed. The Mayor of Mount Sinjar and vested the fare’s, often takes the form or Sinjar has recorded the extent of local Yezidi officials as well as advances and retreats to the the town’s destruction and has the tomb of Sheikh Sharafaddin extent that attacks succeed or are asked the KRG for a budget to and the Yezidi “ holy places ”. He repelled. A month to the day rebuild it. “The city is badly held a Press conference in which after the arrack of 17 December, damaged because of the fighting he laid out his plans for the the Peshmergas had to fight off a between the ISIS militia and the future of Sinjar, affirming that 3-hour-long ISIS attack on three Peshmergas. It needs to be his government would do all in sides. A Peshmerga Major, entirely n=renovated after its lib - its power to restore the basic ser - Bahram Arif Yassin, affirmed eration because of the impro - vices that would, henceforth, be that the Jihadists had been vised explosive devices that provided by Kurdistan and not checked but that fighting was have been placed in and round Mosul. The Prime Minister also still taking place. almost all the buildings, houses announced the formation of and streets. It will nave to be commissions to visit the locali - It seem, however, that the completely cleaned before the ties of Sinjar and other areas lib - Jihadist movements are becom - town can live again”. (Basnews). erated as the Kurdish troops ing increasingly slow as advanced towards Mosul. He explained by Bahram Doski, a Water and electricity supplies promised that the inhabitants Peshmerga commander, to have to be restored, especially as would be “compensated as soon Basnews, remarking that his previously Sinjar was adminis - as possible” and that his govern - men were watching their move - tratively dependent on Mosul ment was determined to make ments and that these were and received it electricity from the Yezidi genocide recognised becoming less and less frequent it. At the moment no services are by the international organisa - and taking place especially at working in the capital of tions. night, because of the Kurdish Nineveh and we cannot hope for watch. “ So long as Sinjar’s main any return to normal for quite a On 22 January it was the turn of road is controlled by the while. Moreover the Kurdistan a Parliamentary delegation to • 4 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 358 • January 2015
travel to draw up a report on the its efforts through a special commis - interference will lead to a deteriora - present situation in the region sion to secure an international tion of the situation in Sinjar. Those and its inhabitants. The purpose recognition that the crimes against who will be most adversely affected of this report would be the Erbil the Yezidis amount to genocide. will be the populations of Kurdistan government’s plan of recon - in general and of Sinjar and its struction. The Erbil Parliament While the KRG Council of neighbouring regions in particular. also opened an office in Sinjar. Ministers expresses its gratitude to Consequently such attempts must the People’s Protection Units cease. However, the Erbil Parliament is (YPG) for having helped the not the only Kurdish authority to Peshmerga forces during the ISIS The Peshmerga forces are at the take an interest in the future of attacks to rescue the Yezidi Kurds regaining complete control of the Sinjar. Although the PKK has in the Sinjar region, we consider the whole Sinjar region. The KRG will denied any attempt to set up a attempt made on 4 January by the continue it efforts to help and “canton” there, some small pro- Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to rebuild this well-loved region and PKK Yezidi grouping, some from create an administrative council for well succeed in this objective in con - Syria, have carried out something the Sinjar region to be an illegal cert with the Iraqi Federal that is very much like the unilat - action that goes against the Government. eral proclamation of the 3 Constitution and the laws in force Cantons of Rojava. Thus on 4 in North Iraq and the Kurdistan The KRG’s Council of Ministers is January a “ Popular Assembly ” of region. at present examining the proposal some 200 people elected a asking for the creation of a Sinjar Council of 27 members to take The PKK must refrain from inter - Governorate. This will be discussed charge of the “ destiny of the fering in the affairs of the Kurdistan with the Iraqi Federal Government Yezidis of Sinjar ” and the PKK region — such interference is inac - on a legal and Constitutional basis. immediately welcomed this elec - ceptable. The distress of this wound - The Nineveh Provincial Council tion as “ an important historic step ”. ed region must not be exploited for will be kept informed of the progress partisan ends by what is an illegiti - of these discussions. Understandably the reaction of mate action that would lead to polit - the KRG leaders was sharp and ical and administrative chaos. The KRG Council of Ministers, 17 the Regional Government’s com - January 2015. muniqué was not delayed: The Kurdistan Region and Iraq “The Sinjar region has gone have constitutional and legal insti - If the KRG refers to the Iraqi through some tragic events since it tutions. The Yezidi Kurds of the Constitution, it is because Sinjar was seized by the terrorist organisa - Sinjar region are represented in the in one of the areas covered by its tion ISIS or the “Islamic State” on Kurdistan Parliament and in the Article 140, which provides for a 3 August 2014. The people of Iraqi Council of Representatives (its referendum of the regions Kurdistan have felt the mass mur - Parliament) as well as in the removed by Saddam Hussein der of the Yezidi Kurds and the kid - Nineveh Provincial Council. All the from Kurdish Provinces. While it napping of the Yezidi Kurdish measures that will be taken, now or is true that in June, when the women as a painful tragedy for in the future, will be through some Peshmergas deployed in these Kurdistan. Because of these deep legal institutions of Kurdistan or areas, Masud Barzani considered sufferings the President of the Iraq — not by illegal means or that the referendum had become Kurdistan Region and Commander unacceptable interference. invalid (indeed, the in Chief of the Peshmerga forces has Constitutional deadline for hold - personally followed and supervised The KRG’s Council of Ministers is ing the referendum had expired the plans and operations of the trying to help all the parts of in November 2007). In any case, Peshmerga forces in this region. Kurdistan — Sinjar like the other the Iraqi Constitution also pro - regions of Iraqi Kurdistan — in vides for the possibility of In these difficult circumstances, the order to improve relations, not to Provinces forming autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government create divisions and tensions. We Regions, like that of Kurdistan has made great efforts to rescue and thus ask the PKK to immediately or of joining an existing Region. provide assistance to the population stop its illegal endeavours in Iraqi All that was needed was for a of this region as well as trying to Kurdistan. We hereby wish too reaf - request to me made by 2/3 of free the Yezidi Kurdish women, a firm the statements made by the the Provincial Council or a tenth number of whom are still be held by Yezidi Kurdish dignitaries and reli - of the electors. There was, there - ISIS. Moreover, the Kurdistan gious leaders as well as other Yezidi fore, no need to amend the con - Regional Government is pursuing Kurdish public figures, that this stitution for Kirkuk, Makhmur n° 358 • January 2015 Information and liaison bulletin • 5•
or Sinjar to join the Kurdistan This is the diplomatic and institu - and create a peaceful situation in region. Moreover, in the field, tional weakness of the “Rojava which the Yezidis live. Baghdad was no longer able to cantons” that have no legal exis - militarily restore the pre-2014 sit - tence apart from the PTD procla - Nor would linking Sinjar direct - uation regarding the Kurdish mations. ly to Baghdad work as Baghdad areas. However, Masud Barzani’s has lost any authority over the policy had always been one of The liberation of Sinjar will Sunni Arab provinces that cut it extreme caution regarding any depend, above all, of ISIS’s with - off from the North especially as advance towards autonomy or drawal from the region if its the Shiite-Sunni conflict shows independence since the 1992 elec - fighters find themselves increas - no signs of easing. Quite apart tions and of making every effort ingly cut off from reinforce - from patriotic attitudes of to find a legal framework for his ments from Mosul. As for the Kurdish and Yezidi public opin - actions. He always tried to ensure future of Sinjar, its future in ion, the integration of Sinjar into his right on the issue and either Iraq’s Mosul Province is incon - Kurdistan is the only solution the agreement (or least the ceivable. That Province’s popu - for the security of the region and absence of a categorical rejection) lation is predominantly Sunni its inhabitants. It would also re- not so much of Baghdad but of Arab and many of them have unite the three major Yezidi the International powers to avoid collaborated with ISIS to exter - homelands of the “ Yezidi coun - a diplomatic isolation that might minate or kidnap the Yezidis try ”, Sinjar, Lalesh and Sheikhan lose Kurdistan’s political gains. and this is unlikely to change within common borders.
MOSUL: THE PESHMERGAS ARE GAINING GROUND
n 8 January the Iraqi twenty Km away. The air strikes ernment hopes to avoid being Central Government and had not been directed at the city but involved in the inter-Arab con - the Kurdistan Regional only the surrounding areas, to limit flicts between Sunnis and Shiites, O Government signed an civilian casualties. which they consider none of their agreement of military business. The population of Tel cooperation so that their respective Round Tel Afar, several localities, Afar, moreover, see the forces, the Peshmergas and the Iraqi small towns and villages, were Peshmergas arrival with mixed Army, could co-ordinate against the taken by the Peshmergas and a feelings — relieved at the depar - ISIS militia. According to sources vital junction point for communi - ture of the ISIS forces that they close to the Iraqi Ministry of Defence cations with Mosul, thus prevent - had, at first, welcomed as libera - and the VOA news Agency, ing the Jihadists from transporting tors before becoming disillu - Baghdad has accepted to provide arms, food and reinforcements to sioned, they nevertheless fear the Kurdish fighters with arms and defend the “Islamic State’s capi - “reprisals” from the Kurds for ammunition — which the Iraqis tal”. Brigadier General Bahjat their collaboration with ISIS. For have refused to do especially since Taymes also indicated that captur - their side, the Kurdish troops are their loss, in June of their Sunni ing this road would protect the wary of pro-ISIS units, infiltrated Arab territories to ISIS and the Mosul dam. As they withdraw, amongst the population, which Kurdish areas to the KRG. the Jihadists destroyed several could indicate their positions to bridges and power lines to slow the enemy. A Peshmerga Colonel On 22 January, the Peshmergas the Kurdish advance. As they told AP the perhaps “ten percent” launched a major offensive towards advance, the Peshmergas take care of the inhabitants of Eski-Mosul Mosul and Tel Afar with the aim of to strengthen their defences with were still loyal to ISIS and that it cutting the lines of communication trenches, sandbags and banking to was essential to identify them to between these two towns, held by cover their rear and avoid any hit ensure the security of operations. ISIS. Their advance was backed by and run attacks in this hostile area. However, there have been no acts several air strikes from Coalition of violence by Kurdish troops to forces, aimed at vehicles, Jihadist The Sunni Arab localities that are the Sunni Arabs have taken place fighting units and their heavy outside the Kurdish regions are — whereas evidence from weaponry and a bridge. The not intended to be permanently reporters and Human Rights Kurdish advance was fairly rapid defended by the Peshmergas and NGOs condemn the Shiite militia and two days later, on the 24 th , their the Kurds hope to withdraw as who have been involved in several first rockets began to fall on Mosul, soon as the Iraqi Army has linked massacres of Sunni Arabs in with the Peshmergas only about up with them. The Kurdish gov - Northern Iraq. • 6 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 358 • January 2015
KIRKUK: CLASHES AND TENSIONS he military and securi - tia have been responsible of real heaviest losses incurred by the ty situation was tense acts of war grimes on a par with Kurds were due to ISIS. In the and bloody this month those committed by ISIS, such as night of 10 January, an ISIS force T both because of the massacres of Sunni Arab civil - carried out a surprise attack in growing hostility ians and arbitrary kidnappings. the region of Gwer, 40 Km from between the Shiite militia and Erbil, killing 26 Assayish the Peshmergas and of the con - On 2 January, some Peshmergas (Kurdistan Police) and some ventional attacks by ISIS. arrested a 9 strong group of Peshmergas. The ISIS fighters Following the collapse of the Shiite militia to the South of crossed the Zab using boats regular Iraqi Army at Mosul last Kirkuk, at the Dubz checkpoint under cover of a mist. They June, Nuri Maliki, at that time as they were transporting six attacked the Kurds for over an still Prime Minister, had armed “prisoners”, one of which was a hour before being repelled. and encouraged the recruitment Kurd. The Kurdish information Brigadier General Hejar Ismaïl of sectarian para-military militia services identified these captives stated that nearly 200 corpes of to try and stop ISIS’s advance as people who had been reported ISIS fighters were left behind. and to win back the Sunni Arab “missing” since September. A According to Shafaq News areas since he had no confidence week after Fahl Fayadh’s visit, Agency the ISIS wounded were in either the regular Army for the Iraqi government announced take by their men to Mosul this. The deploying of these mili - the formation of three brigades of Hospital and the inhabitants tia in Kirkuk was supposed to Shiite militia, directly command - were obliged to donate blood for provide military support for the ed by the Prime Minister, Hayder them. In withdrawing the ISIS Iraqi and Kurdish troops Al Abadi, which recalled the bad unit took 8 prisoners with them. defending the province against old days when Maliki also held According to the Peshmerga ISIS. However their presence the Posts of Minister of Defence command the attacking force and their heavy weaponry led and of the Police. was some 550 strong. the latter to fear a threat to Kirkuk and its own troops Baghdad’s avowed objective is Finally, on 30 January, an ISIS sui - should Baghdad feel like re- to form a total of six brigades of cide attack caused the death of imposing its control over the National Guards in Kirkuk that several Peshmergas, including a province. would include all the Province’s senior office, Brigadier General ethnic communities: the Kurds, Fatih Shwani. A car bomb first of By the beginning of the year the the Arabs and the Turkmen all exploded near the Police number of these militiamen had would each make up 32% of the Headquarters in the town centre, reached 8,000 and Falh Fayaz, an troops. However the Kurds causing 5 wounded. Then the advisor of the Iraqi National demanded that these brigades attackers tried to take up posi - Police announced, during a visit should operate solely under the tions on the roof of a hotel before to Kirkuk, an increase of their command of the Peshmergas being killed by the Police. number as well as the formation while the Arab tribal militia Fighting continued at several of a local National Guard unit, wished to answer to the Iraqi points in southern quarters of but commanded by the Iraqi Defence Ministry. Kirkuk, while a curfew was Defence Ministry — which the imposed on the city till all the ISIS Kurds rejected. Some Shiite mili - Alongside these tensions, the fighters had been eliminated.
LONDON: AN ANTI-ISIS CONFERENCE EXCLUDING THE KURDS n 22 January an (ISIS), and particularly how to Commonwealth’s Secretary of International prevent the flow of new recruits State for Foreign Affairs, Philipp Conference took place to the Jihadist ranks and how to Hammond. The other countries O in London that cut their reception of financing... invited were Saudi Arabia, the brought together the Arab Emirates, Australia, Foreign Ministers of 22 coun - This conference was jointly Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, tries, to discuss means of fight - Chaired by the US Secretary of Denmark, Egypt, France, ing against the “Islamic State” State, John Kerry, and the Germany, Holland, Iraq, Italy, n° 358 • January 2015 Information and liaison bulletin • 7•
Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and further similar events. There is no consistent and continuing gains Turkey. doubt that the most effective forces being made by the Iraqi forces, includ - fighting global terrorism directly and ing the Kurdish forces in co-ordina - The fact that only the Iraqis were in the field are our Peshmergas. We tion with the Iraqi security forces. invited and not representatives of the hereby express our annoyance and The United States and the Coalition Kurdistan Government at a time that of our people at the organisers of have greatly supported these Iraqi when the Peshmergas were launch - this conference. Kurdish forces and are continuing to ing their offensive towards Mosul do so (…) London was the occasion while the Iraqi Army was notable for It is extremely discouraging to see the for a small group of the Coalition to its absence in the field greatly offend - People of Kurdistan sacrificing itself work directly with the Iraqi ed the Kurds. President Masud while others get the credit. The People Government to identify the areas Barzani expressed his annoyance in of Kurdistan and its brave Peshmergas where we can improve our help and an official communiqué: deserve to be represented at such inter - our cooperation, including with the “The London Conference to oppose national meetings, so as to give their Kurds, while continuing to put pres - the ISIS terrorist group is taking points of view. The Kurdistan people is sure on ISIS to put an end to it siege place at a time when Kurdistan is the first victim of this situation and no of the Iraqi people. As head of the leading the struggle against this ter - other party or individual can represent Government, Prime Minister Abadi rorist organisation, and when our it or speak in its name at such interna - represented the Iraqi government at brave Peshmergas are risking their tional meetings ”. this conference(…). General Allen lives and inflicting heavy defeats on and Ambassador McGurk have the ISIS terrorists. After the ISIS Questioned on this issue during a directly met representatives of the massacres the Peshmergas sacrificed Press conference, the US State Kurdistan Regional Government dur - their lives to protect hundreds of Department spokesman, Jen ing their travels in Iraq and they will thousands of displaced persons, Psaki, answered that the Iraqi continue to do so ”. including people of different ethnic Prime Minister, who was present and religious communities. They have in London, represented “ all the As one of the journalist objected: liberated wide areas irrespective of the Iraqis, including the Kurds, who were “You well know that Iraq is, basically ethnic background of these regions. part of Iraq ”. formed by two states: Baghdad and Kurdistan and that you have worked We were expecting some expression of “We have enormous respect for the with the tow of them” independently ”; respect for the se sacrifices made by courage that the Kurds have shown Jen Psaki merely repeated: “ They the people of Kurdistan and its and the splendid struggle they have are part of Iraq and Prime Minister Peshmergas by inviting a representa - conducted to recover land from ISIS. Abadi is still the head of the Iraqi tive of Kurdistan to this event and We have seen, in the last few weeks, Government ”.
CULTURE : DEATH OF THE TRADITIONAL BARD HASSAN SISAWE assan Sisawe, the great decided to remain single. He interviewed and auditioned him Kurdish dengbêj , died began his career as a performer of himself and allowed him to on 10 January in Kurdish maqams (especially record live for the first time. H Shaqlawa Hospital Heyran maqams ) in the early 60s near Erbil at 89 years and rapidly became famous in Hassan Sisawe came from a of age. According to the doctors’ Erbil Province. Thus he used to humble background and began communiqué, his death was the sing whole nights through in the as an agricultural labourer along result of a road accident two main square of villages he visit - the Hamilton highway. He fre - years previously, from which he ed, surrounded by a large crowd. quented some of the greatest had never fully recovered. Kurdish singers: not only Ali Those close to him encouraged Merdan but also Hassan Zirek, Hassan Sisawe was born in a vil - him to record his performances Taher Towfiq and Rassoul Gerdj. lage on Erbil Province in 1928. He on Baghdad’s Kurdish radio and Several dozens of his maqams has never married, which is rare he went to the Iraqi capital with have been recorded — some amongst Kurds, explaining that a few friends. There he was wel - based on traditional folklore, since he had not succeeded in comed at the radio by the others that he had composed marrying his beloved, he had Kurdish singer Ali Merdan, who himself. Reaue de Presse-Press Reuiew-Berhsuokn Çapê- Riaista Stampa-Dentro de ln Prensø-Basin Ozeti
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a transformation de la révolution syrienne èn guerre civile puis la montée en puissance des djihadis- tes de l'Etat islamique, au prin- temps 2014, ont plongê les Kurdes conflit qui menace au cæur d'un Dans le sud-est kurde de la Turquie, près de la ville d'Hasankeyf, sur les bords du Tigre, demporter tout le Proche-Orient. Ils se re- menacée de diaparition p¡r un ploiet de barrage. I Raphael FoURNIER trouvent à la fois acteurs et spectateurs de la dislocation dun équilibre régional dont ils étaient les grands perdants, la chute de l'Em- pire ottoman, au sortir de la première guerre Quelles sont les limites du foyer de peu- tés étaient sous domination iranienne. C'est mondiale, n'ayant pas débouché sur la créa- plement kurde ? dans ce morcellement que sont appams une tion d'un Etat kurde. Le point sur la situation Au départ, le foyer national, c'est I'Iran, I'em- culture, une littérature et un patrimoine artis- avec Kendal Nezan, directeur de l'Institut pire des Mèdes (VII"siècle avant f.-C.). Déjà, au tique kurdes très riches. Hormis les artistes et kurde de Paris. temps du Prophète, le mot < kurde ¡ est em- quelques hommes de religion, peu de Kurdes ploye. Aux ehvirons du X" siècle ont émergé vivaient à Istanbul. Et iusqu'aux guerres balk- Les populations kurdes, auiourd'hul écla- trois Etàts kurdes. L'un avec pour capitale aniques de I'empire, à la fin du XIX" siècle, les tées entre Turquie, Iran, Irak et Syrie, Diyarbakir (sud-est de l'actuelle Turquie) ; un soldats kurdes étaient très rares au sein de nbnt iamais été unies sur le plan politi- autre dans le Caucase, autour de Gandl4 qui l'armée ottomane. que. Elles sont maioritairement sunnltes englobaitune grande partie de l'Arménie et de Cet équilibre a été remis en cause pendant la mais peuvent être alévies ou yézidies, lAzerbaïdian actuels; et le dernier Etat était seconde moitié du XIX" siècle avec les tentati- voire chiites ou chrétiennes. Pourtant leur implanté dans le Kurdistan iranien. Puis l'arri- ves de centralisation des Ottomans, inspirées revendication nationale semble plus forte vée des Turco-Mongols a tout boulevdrsé. du modèle étatique français. Les princes kur- que iamais. Si les racÍnes de ce peuple ne des nbnt pas eu d'autre choix que I'insurrec- sont nipolitiques ni religieuses, qu'est-ce Les Kurdes ont vécu pendant de longs tion. Au déparg ils combattent pour conser- qui fait son unité ? siècles sous la domination des Ottomans, vèr leurs privilèges, mais cela débouche bien- Fondamentalement, c'est la langue qui les sans perdre leur singularité. Comment tôt surr la revendication d'un Kurdistan uni. réunit, véhicule de toutes les valeurs culturel- l'expliquez-vous ? Les Kutdes étaient alors en avance sur les Ara- les. Mais vous avez aussi des coutumes socia- Il faut s'imaginer I'Empire ottoman comme bes, dont les premières revendications natio- les et religieuses, la place de Ia femme, assez un espace extrêmement souple et décentra- nalistes remontent au début du XX" siècle. égalitaire, le mode de vie... ll m'est arrivé, dans lisé. Au Krirdistan, il avait laissé subsister une les années r97o, de voyager dans des commu- dizaine de principautés héréditaires qui Comment se falt-ll alors que les Kurdes ne nautés dAsie centrale, au Kirghizistan ou au avaient pour principale obligation de fournir soient pas parvenus à obtenir un Etat à la Kazakhstan. Les proverbes, la façon d'ac- des soldats en cas de guerre, Ces principautés chute de l'Empire ottoman ? cueillir le voyageur et les formes de politesse ne voyaient pas pourquoi guelroyer pour Après l'armistice, il y a eu une délégation y ressemblent étrangement aux coutumes s'unir: de toute façon, les Ottomans s'y se- kurde à Paris, dirigée par ChérifPacha, un an- des Kurdes d'Iran ou dAnatolie. raient opposés, De plus, certaines principau- cien ambassadeur. Le traité de Sèvres,
1 Rarue de Presse-Press Reuieto-Berhanolcn Çapê-Riais tø Stampø-Dentro de la Prensø-Basin Ôzeti
en 1920, instaurait un Etat kurde, mais les Il y a des identités multiples. Les K.urdes ira- du clân Assad n'a pas changé : nous, alaouites, frontières finales ont été dessinées contre niens ont été éduqués dans des écoles, con- kurdes et chrétiens, sorunes minoritaires en nous. Londres a considéré que, face à la me- frontés aux médias persans... De même, en $rrie, et si les sunnites, dont les plus modérés nace soviétique, une grande Turquie natigna- Turquie, beaucoup de Kurdes ont été assimi- sont Frères musulmans, prenaient le pouvoir, Iiste constituerait une zone tampon plus fia- lés linguistiquement, et ceux qui ne llétaient ce serait une catastrophe pour tout le monde. ble qu'un Kurdistan sans tradition étatique. pas ont néanmoins hérité des formes de rai- Comme il s'est placé dans lbptique d'un Les élites ont aussi leurpart de responsabilité sonnement du kémalisme. On pourrait aisé- conflit long, comparable à la guerre du Liban, dans cet échec: les partisans de I'indépen- ment trouver dans la doctrine des rebelles du Bachar Al-Assad a fait savoir aux Kurdes qu'il dance nbnt pas touiours été suivis, ils étaient PKK fPaÉi des trovailleurs du Kurdístanl des se concentrerait sur la défense de la Syrie analogies avec le mouvement nationaliste < utile >, à savoir Damas et Ia région alaouite. Il vus par une partie des Kurdes comme très turc, notamment la mystique du libérateurde a proposé la gestion detrois cantons kurdes du éloignés des réalités. la patrie... Nord au PKK, et celui-ci l'a aussitôt acceptée. D'autres ont choisi I'alliance avec Mustapha Il y a également des singularités régionales, Quant aux rebelles kurdes modérés, hostiles Kemal, qui disait vouloir créer une république mais tout cela n'empêche pas l'existence à Damas, ils ont mis plus de deux ans pour < des Turcs et des Kurdes >. Là plupart d'entre d'une identité kurde qui s'exprime de façon trouverun accord a minima avec les autres for- eux ont fini sur la potence. Dès liindépen- évidente dans la diaspora, Dans les moments ces dbpposition à Assad : prisonnières de leur dance, en 1923, Kemal a décidé la mise en je suis très frappé de constater vision nationaliste arabe, elles refusaient de place d'un Etat exclusivement turc. Et, le de malheur, que l'ensemble des Kurdes se mobilisent im- garantir l'égalité de droits aux minorités. 3 mars rg24, vn décret interdisait les écoles médiatement. Mais si le Kurdistan devait de- L'Etat islamique,lui, nous est resté totalement kurdes et les publications en kurde. C'est à ce venir un Etat indépendant, il serait nécessai- étrangeç même s'il y a sans doute quelques moment qu'est né le mouvement de lutte qui, iement polycentrique et fédéral. rares traiectoires intlividuelles. d'une certaine manière, dure encore.
Est-ce que la décomposition des Etats de la Qu'est-ce qui explique la persistance de Le problème de la définition de frontières région est une chance historique pour les cette revendication unitaire ? à la fin de la première Buerre mondiale ne Kurdes ? Les Kurdes ont conscience dêtre une popu- vient-il pas du fait que ce sont des terres Il y a trente ans, on n'osait rêver du jour oir il lation cohérente, qui a été victime de I'His- otr cohabitent depuis longtemps plusieurs y aurait un Kurdistan quasi indépendant en toire. Et un sentiment d'injustice a alimenté communautés ? que Etats soutenus par I'ex-URSS ou la résistance. Nous sommgs près de mil- De très importantes communautés armé- Irak, des 4o les Etats-Unis figureraient sur des listes noi lions. Pourquoi les populations de Saint-Ma- niennes vivaient là depuis des siècles, mais à que les Kurdes émergeraient comme rin, du Liechtenstein ou des petits émirats du l'époque des conférences de taprès-guerre, res, et partenaires raisonnables. Or c'est ce qui Golfe auraient-elles le droit de se doter d'un elles avaient complètement disparu, massa- des arrive. Désormais, dans la conscience politi- Etat et pas nous I Sans représentatior¡ nous crées... C'etait une des caractéristiques du Kur- que occidentale, il y a la reconnaissance d'une ne pouvons pas défendre notre patrimoine distan que ce mélange de juifs, de chrétiens, certaine légitimité des Kurdes à avoir leur comme celui de la ville d'Hasankeyf, mena- dAssyro-Chaldéens ou dArméniens, et de - propre Etat. Donc, ce n'est plus qu'une ques- cée de disparition par un proiet de barrage. musulmans, Et c'est pour cela que la plupart tion de temps... Un autre exemple : il y a une trentaine d'an- des Arméniens qui ont été sauvés lors des nées, proposé d'éditer plusieurs volu- massacres de 1915 lbnt été par des Kurdes. i'avais Qu'est-ce qui garantit qu'un Kurdistan mes de < musiques du Kurdistan D, sous ne deviendrait pas, comme l'égide de l'Unesco. Il a fallu plus d'gn an pour Cependant, les Hamidi¡re, qui ont large- indépendant d'Etats de la réglon, une terre le faire admettre : le mot Kurdistan ne passait ment partldpé aux début¡ du génocide, beaucoup pag. La Turquie s'y opposaÍt, et l'Iran, lilrak, étaient essentlellement kurdes... dbppression ? Dans la pratique, les Kurdes d'Irak ont fait la mais aussi, notamment, la Chine, à cause de A Ia fin du XIX" siècle, après la destruction démonstration qu'ils respectaient le plura- son annexiondu Tbet. des principautés kurdes, le sultan Abdülha- lisme religieux et politique. Il y a eu trois ou Finalement, on a dfi faire un compromis : il mid a cherché à s'inspirer du système des Co- quatre années difficiles, au sortir de la guerre n'y aurait qu'un seul volume, intitulé a mu- saques, donnant le titre de < pacha ¡¡ à quel- de zoo3, mais même dans ces périodes de lut- siques kurdes >. Quand on n'a pas d'Etat, on ques seigneurs locaux kurdes et les chargeant tes intemes, jamais les communautés reli- est impuissant.,. I de défendre les marches de I'empire contre les gieuses n'ont été inquiétées. Russes. Mais quand les révoltes d'Arméniens ont éclaté, en t89z-r893, ils se sont charges de Tout de même, le PKK n'est pas franche- la répression, massacrant plusieurs centaines ment démocratique... de milliers de personnes. le PKK a une filiation kémaliste évidente, Ces soldats ont été recrutés d'autant plus fa- mâtinée de baasisme et de marxisnre, mais cilement qu'ils vehaient de territoires reven- beaucoup évolué. C'est devenu,.ie diqués pai les Arméniens. Ils ont collaboré. ils ont pense, un mouvement qui peut se recycler Mais à côté de cela il y avait la société civile, dans le politique. D'ailleurs, on a recyclé très hostile aux massacres. En 1915, les deux ieu seuls gouverneurs kurdes de I'Empire otto- par le passé des mouvements beaucoup man se sont opposés aux directives d'ls- moins fréquentables. tanbul: ils étaient originaires de Diyarbakir, qui a été vidée des Arméniens et des syria- La Syrie a longtemps servi de base arrière ques cette annéelà. au PKK. Qu'en est-il des rapPorts entre les Kurdes et Damas après bientôt quatre an' Les frontlères apparues au XX" siècle ont- nées de guerre civile, et alors que fait rage elles débouché sur des différences cultu- la guerre contre I'Etat islamique ? Le digcours relles parmi les Kurdes ? Les Kurdes syriens sont partagés,
2 Reaue de Presse-Press RØiew-Berhæokn Çapê- Riaistø Stømpa-Dentro de ln Prensø-Bøsin Ôzeti
felllonôc MARDI6 JANVIER 2015
Ceux{à qui enseignent aux voulant éIímîner les fascÍstes, Lesvaleurs enfants sunnites de to ans la ne nous demandez pas de haä meilleure façon d'apprécier I'islam sunnite en nous battant l'angle du couteau qui égorge contre Ie Daech quÍ prétend des combattants tous ceux qui ne croient pas à parler au nom dAllah. ¡ Bien un Dieu sans miséricorde qui sûr, tout cela est plus com- dénature I'islam. Le lende- plexe, Nous le savons. Il n'em- deKobané main, nous réussissons à join- pêche : nous cherchions les al- dre par skype la ,comman- liés locaux qui ne nous obligeraient pas à envoyer des dante en chef des troupes trôupes au sol, nous qui ne sont les nôtres kurdes défendant Kobané, Na- voulons pas y Les Kurdes rin Afrin, la ville demeurant aller. de Syrie sont ceux-là. Ils n'exi- complètement assiégée, donc gent pas le versement d'une Quand donc se décidera-t-on à armerles Kurdes interdite d'accès. Ce fut un seule goutte de notre sang. Ils moment magnifique. La contre les égorgeurs ! N'abandonnons pas ieune veulent seulement des armes ferrime, précise autant que dé- pour défendre nos valeurs les assiégés à leur sort et à llEtat islamique terminée, nous affirma au communes. Nous Français, ne nom de tous les combattants pas C'est sa volonté de défendre la nous dérobons I De- place pied à pied. Deux maintenant oir iamais. pnn cúnnrp CHALTAND, iours plus tard, en quittant le terri- main, il sera trop tard. PATRICE TRANCISCHI Comme d'habitude. Les missi- toire kurde de Syrie, des obus BT BERNAND KOUCHNEN les Milan antichars qui seront étaient tirés sur la ville à par- réformés tir du territoire turc. Au vu du dans deux ans et les abarbarie n'estpas àve- monde entier. mines antichars ne nous coû- T teraient rien. r I rir, elle est déià h, in- .LJ carnée par le Daech, POTITIQUE EUROPËEÈNE l'Etat islamique, qui détruit Nous avons longuement ren- tout ce qui n'est pas lui- contré les chrétiens du Kurdis- même. Laisserons-nous les tan de Syfie, ceux qui sont Kurdes résister seuls ? La me- membres du gouvernemen! nace n'est pas que régionale, des organisations officielles, af elle nous conceme aussi, du et les autres. lls nous ont dit J Parlement canadien à la Kaby- leur espoir de demeurer dans Gérrrd Chrli¡nd est géostrotège lie, conime chaçun sait. Nous terreur est soutenue la la Syrie de demain, leur enga- þar hricc Fr¡nce¡chi rentrons d'un séiour au Kur- Turqirie, un allié de I'OTAN gement pour se dresser. face estécrivain distan syrien otr les Kurdes dont manifestement l'agenda aux ¡rolontaires de Daech qui ¡arnrrd Kouchnor, ont mis en place des structu- régional ne corespond pas à crucifient les chrétiens qu'ils ancien mìnistrc des af- res politiques démocratiques celui des Etats-Unis et de l'Eu- rencontrent. Avez-vous vu fo i res é tra ngè res (2007 auxquelles participent les Ara- rope. comment les clous s'enfon- 2070), est cofondoteur bes.et les chrétiens. Ltgalité Dans les tranchées de Séri- cent dans les paumes des de Médecins sons fron- hommefemme y a été insti- kani, au plus proche de Ko- mains ? < Si nous ne défendons tières et de Médeèins tuée, comme la laTcité et les bané, nous avons écouté des pds tous les persécutés, iI n'y du monde droits de I'homme. Un exem- ieunes filles de r8 ans en te- aura demoín plus personne ple pour tout le Moyen- nue de combat, toutes volon- pour nous détendre r, nous di- Orient. Leurs combattants et taires, qui avaieht passé trois sait Nazira Gauriyé, la vice- leurs combattantes sont ex- nuits dans la boue en pre- présidente chrétienne syria- traordinairement motivés par mière ligne. En attaquant sans que du Parlement du cet idéal, ainsi que la défense cesse. C'est la stratégie des Kurdistan syrien (Rojava). de Kobané le symbolise après < Yapagués >, les combattants Nous vdulons résunier nos quatre-vingts iours de siège. kurdes : ne iamais reculer de émotions, les ramener à des La situation de cette ville vant les égorgeurs de Daech. considérations de politique reste précaire malgré I'hé- Leur choix est simple : ne pas élémentaire, européenne si roÏsme de ses défenseurs qui tomber aux mains de ceux possible. manquent de tout, à com- qui découpent les femmes vi- Mais un Arabe qui ressem- mencer par des armes anti vantes. Elles sont lucides. La blait à un personnage des Sept Piliers chars contre les blindés des is- mort se trouve souvent au dela sagesse de Thomas lamistes. Nous ne pouvons bout de leur combat. Leurs Edward Lawrence, le cheik pas laisser écraser par le compagnons d'armes raison- Mashaiï Shammar, qui dirige Ia plus grande sunnite Daech ceux et celles qui se nent de même. Pas un cri de tribu battent aux noms de valeurs haine contre les monstres qui du Proche-Orient, nous di- proclamées qui sont aussi les incarnent la plus odieuse des saÍt : 3 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaoka Çøpê- Riaista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti January 2,2015 to recover from the damage done Sadia seethe by ISIS. We have been told by the ]alawla, in govemorate of Diyala that 11 bil- lion dinars of the 2013 projects will be delivered to us." sectarian rivalries He added: "Eleven billion By Nawzad Mahmoud dinars for a town which is com- ,l-"*g.Lrv-.?.?911.. rudaw.net pletely destroyed is nothing. All of the government offices are loo- Cr ULAIMANI. Kurdistan ted. Nothing is left in the buil- Dn.giot - Sunni residenrs of dings of the directorates of elec- Jalalvla and Sadia accuse the tricity, municipality, water Shiite militias, rvhich played a resources, education and banks." role in the fìght to liberate the The return of the Karawis to tolvns from the Islamic State falawla and the cooperation bet- (ISIS), of norv imposing their ween Khorasanis and Karawis anti-Sunni rule. against the Kwds will jeopardize "Whatever ISIS did is being the future of Kurds in Jalawla and repeated by the Shiites," said Riaz Sadia, sources say. Saad, who left his hometown of Sheikh Jafar Mustafa, head of Jalawla and is looking for workin the Khanaqin branch of the Sulaimani, after giving up hope Kurdistan Democratic Party of a happy life in his hometown. (KDP) predicted that negotiations He believes that sectarian rivalry Peshmerga entering Jalawla shortly after recapture. with the Shiites would not be will affect the lives of the towns- fruitful. "Who will you negotiate folk. who they should talk to." stressed that, in the Jalawla with: Sadr, Badr, Khorasan and "Currently, Shiites are using }{azhar Khalil Ibrahim, an beginning of the Arabization pro other groups all have different the same tactics as ISIS to fight Asayish official who was trans- cess, 80 percent of Jalawla's resi- ways of thinking," he said, Sunnis and take revenge on ferred from Sulaimani to Jalawla dents were Kurds, but now Arabs naming some of the Shiite militia them," Saad added. "The Shiites to supervise the security forces, comprise the 80 percent popula- are not going to leave Jalawla and said that the Kurds are waiting tion. He also said that Kurds are SrouPS. He added that the Shiite Sadia peacefully. The Sunni for discussions with the present in only 10 of Jalawla's 36 groups will never agree to a Arabs in these two towns will Khorasani Shiite militia, which villages. Kurdish administration in have to live in fear." wields power in Jalawla. Mayor Anwar Hassan said After fierce fighting that kil- "The fight between Iraqi that townsfolk are waiting for the falawla. Prior to the arrival of ISIS in ledl44 Peshmerga and wounded army and ISIS in Balda has green light by the minesweeping Sadia, 800 families left the town. 300, ISIS was driven out of the delayed the negotiation," teams to return to Jalawla. So far, not a single Peshmerga has area. The Kurds entered the Ibrahim said. Seventy percent of the town has entered the town. towns, but so did the Shiite mili- Sources say that the PUK will been cleared. Salih Mahdi, member of the tias. Their flags fly across the try to convince the Khorasanis to But mines and explosives are Sadia municipality council, said area. withdraw their militias from not the only obstacles for retur- that the Peshmerga have gone as The Patriotic Union of though that is unlikely ning to the town. A security Jalawla - far as the Kobashe checkpoint. Kurdistan (PUK) is eager to dis- to happen. source in the town reveled that "But they have not entered the cuss the appointment of an admi- with a population of "the presence of Shiite militias in falawla, town." Mustafa claimed, howe- nistrator for falawla with Shiite 8O000, is 28 kilometers from the the town has created chaos." ver, that the "Peshmerga have leaders, but a senior official West of Khanaqin and is compri- The mayor said that is Jalawla been prevented from entering confessed that, "The problem for sed of 36 villages. The mayor of in need of "twenty billion dinars Kurds is that they don't know Sadia;'t lrak: plus de 15.000 morts en 2014, année la plus sanglante depuis 2007 l janvier 2015 AFP ll faut remonter à 2007 pour trouver de tels bilans importants. Cette année là, en plein conflit confessionnel entre chiites et sunn¡tes (2006-2008), les violences LES VIOLENCES EN IRAK ont coi¡té la v¡e à plus de 15,000 personnes en avaient causé la mort de près de 18.000 personnes. 2014, I'année la plus meurtr¡ère depuis 2007, selon des chiffres publiés par "2014 a éle I'une des années les plus douloureuses pour les lrak¡ens à cause le gouvernement jeudi. de l'offens¡ve du gang terroriste" de I'El, a déclaré le Prem¡er ministre irakien Plus de 22.000 personnes ont également été blessées au cours de cette période Haidar al-Abadi dans ses v?ux. marquée par une offensive d'envergure des jihadistes du groupe Etrat islamique Les v¡olences en lrak avaient démarré en þnvier, avec des heurts dans la prc (El), qui s'est emparé de vastes régions d'lrak. vince occidentale d'Al-Anbar, frontalière de la Syrie. La prise de Fallouja et de Les Nations unies ont, elles, fait état de 12.282 v¡ct¡mes en2014. parties de Ramad¡, chefl¡eu d'Al-Anbar, ont été les signes avant-coureurs de I'assaut majeur lancé début juin par l'El "De nouveau, les lrakiens continuent de souffrir de la violence et du terrorisme. 2014 a vu le plus grand nombre de victimes depu¡s les v¡olences de 2006-2007. L'El s'est alors emparé de Mossoul, deuxième ville du pays, et de tenito¡res C'est elÉmement triste", a déploré I'envoyé spécial de I'ONU, Nickolay dans cinq provinces irakiennes, avant de pousser vers le nord en août, où il s'est Mladenov, dans un communiqué. heurté à la résistance des combattants de la région autonome du Kurdistan. L'ONG lraq Body Count, basée en Grande-Bretagne, a dénombré 17.073 morts Dépassée au début du conflit, l'amée tente depuis, aidée par les combattants en 2014 kurdes et des miliciens chi¡tes et parfois sunnites, de repousser les jihadistes. Selon les chiffres compilés par les m¡n¡stères de la Santé, de I'lntérieur et de la Et une coalit¡on internationale, emmenée par les Etats-Un¡s, lu¡ apporte un appu¡ Défense, '15.538 personnes ont péri en 20'14, soit deux fois plus qu'en 2013 aérien en menant des raids réguliers contre des pos¡t¡ons du groupe ultradical (6.522 morts). sunnite accusé par I'ONU de crimes contre I'Humanité. a 4 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaicrv-Berheuokn Çapê-Riaistn Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti .l¿¡ntt¿rlt 7. ll) 15 furkey's AKP plts Kurd agalnst Kurd Attempts by the leaders of Turkey's ruling party to cast a Kurdi¡h Islami¡t party as an alternative to the PKK are raising serious questions and feeding old rivalrie¡. Fehlm Tagtekln January 7,2015 www.al-monltor.com /\ s Turkey's Kurdish peace process seems to devolve ¡nto a "crisis pro- ñlcess," go\Ernment quarters have begun suggesting the idea that the Kurdish lslamist Free Cause Party (Huda-Par) is the sole force capable of finishing off the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and could ewntually join the settlement talks. While some are promoting Huda-Par, an offspring of Turkey's Hezbollah, old feuds between Hezbollah and the PKK are being revived. Many believe th¡s is no coincidence. Hezbollah, which has no relalion to the Lebanese group, defines itself as a "Muslim Kurdish" movement, while the PKK comes from a Maaist tradition. Their rivalry in the past was inevitable, and it appears to still be so today. ln its 1990s heyday, Hezbollah failed to achieve its goal of becoming the sole Kurdish force against the regime. Similarly, the PKK failed to eliminate other Kurdish groups and suffered heavy casualties at the hands of Kurds clash with Turkish police in Cizre, Dec. 29,2014. (photo Hezbollah. by ILYAS AKENGIN/AFP/ Getty Images) The PKK, which sees Hezbollah as "contras" used by the state against the group Kurdish movement, has branded the "Hezbol-Contra," while lslamist vote of Kurds with lslamic inclinations. Promoting Huda-Par as an alterna- groups (Party have called it "Hezbol-Sha¡tan" of Satan) because of its mur- tive Kurdish party is a sly tactic ahead of the June elections, in which the police ders of rival lslamists. Aner its leader Huseyin Velioglu was killed in a AKP aims to clinch a strong parliamentary majority that would allow it to raid in lstanbul in 2000, Hezbollah sank into silence for a few years before introduce a presidential system, a goal that will be easier to achieve ¡f the making a comeback in the civil realm. ln 2012, it set up Huda-Par as a legal HDP fails to overcome the 10% national parliamentary threshold. political force. ln last year's municipal polls, the party's overall vote stood at Second, the government on an uphill track ¡n the Kurdish peace process only 0.1 9%. Yet, it garnered 7 .8Y" in Batman and 4.321" in Diyarbakir, pro- - partner ving to be a force to be reckoned with in the mainly Kurdish southeast. - appears to be flirting with the idea of taking on Huda-Par as a in the talks. Hezbollah is beliewd to have receiwd support from rogue elemenls of the Turkish security forces blamed for counüess extrajudicial killings in the sou- However, a serious problem emerges here: Who is Huda-Par going to theast. While there are no indications that Hezbollah has renounced vio- represent at the negotiating table, being the offspring of an organization lence, its political debut seems to haræ resulted in a revision of its alleged that has fought the Kurdish movement in collaboration with armed ele- "contra' mission as the Kurdish party that would politically finish off the ments of the state? Lingering hostilities with the PKK could erupt at any PKK{ed Kurdish movement. moment into a full-blown confrontation, as seen during the deadly October unrest and most recently in the Dec. 27 clashes in Cizre that claimed three Huda-Par could tlnish oft PKK? lives. lt is very hard to imagine a negotiation formula in which Huda-Par and Writing for pro-government Yeni Safak, columnist Yusuf Kaplan uttered the PKK sit on the same side of the table, given their mutual misùust and what many have been discreetly discussing: "This country can be saved the easy flare-up of hostil¡ties. partition from drifling to the brink of not through ethnic awareness, but Undoubtedly, the settlement process concerns not only the PKK, but all through ummah flslam nation] awareness. ... A strong ummah awareness Kurds and the whole of Turkey. No one denies this, yet participation is a dif- particular exists in the [Kurdish] region among Huda-Par supporters in and ferent matter. Those involved in the issue emphasize that not Hezbollah but general. among lslamic communities in ... Had supporters of the PKK and the PKK has fought the state for three decades and therefore the war, lately the [pro-Kurdish] People's Democracy Party IHDPI suffered the oppression in a lull due to a cease{ire, can be ended only through negotiations bet- that Huda-Par supporters suffered, they would have raised hell across the ween the warr¡ng parties. world! We owe Huda-Par gratitude for its prudence and common sense. ... pail Huda-Par is the safety valve of the country and the region. ... lf Huda-Par Huda-Par wants to be of the talks maintains its common sense, the PKK will be finished." Huda-Par, however, argues that negotiating with the PKK alone could A series of developments have sparked concern that the "Kurds versus resolve only the PKK problem, while a comprehensiw settlement of the Kurds' tactic could be replayed in a new format. Kurdish question requires broader representation. Deadly clashes occurred between PKK and Huda-Par supporters Oct. 6-8, ln remarks to Al-Monitor, Huda-Par spokesman Sait Sahin asserted the process. when Kurds took to the streets to denounce the lslamic State's offensive on party wants to be a "partner" in the settlement "A healthy outcome Kobani. The two sides traded accusations over the bloodshed, and Deputy requ¡res the participat¡on of all Kurdish segments. The process often suf- Prime Minister Bulent Arinc paid a visit to Huda-Par and made remarks fers road accidents because only the PKK is involved," Sahin said. "The contain¡ng the following critical messages: government may hold talks with the PKK to make it lay down arms and may eventually succeed, but if it wants to resolve the Kurdish question in gene- O The HDP is not the sole representrative of the Kurdish people. ral, all Kurdish segments should be interlocutors." O Other parties will represent the Kurds if the PKK threat ceases to ex¡st. Asked about how the government and the PKK view this demand, Sahin "We've O Huda-Par has a vision for a new civilization, centered on humanity. said, had contacts both with the gorcrnment and the PKK. We've had occasional meetings with the government because the state has been O One has to listen to anyone who has a word to say in the setüement the source of suffering. And we've had dialogue w¡th the PKK because they process. are a force in the region. The PKK, however, wants no one but itself to be Arinc stressed, "The program of the Free Cause Party, through which involved." devout Kurdish friends engage in politics, is extremely ¡mportant. This party And on which side of the negotiating table does Huda-Par want to be? "We has a lot to say both about the country's problems and the settement don't want to sit on either side. We could sit on a third chair as a just and issue." fair party," Sahin said. Two conclusions can be drawn from Arinc's remarks. First, the ruling Provocation by a thlrd hand? Juslice and Development Party (AKP), which used to brag about being the Engaging Huda-Par in the s€ttlement process is not yet being seriously only party other than the HDP to enjoy Kurdish support, sees Huda-Par as considered, but a heatecl debate has opened over alleged attempts to play a "sister parv' rather than a rival, even though Huda-Par also targets the it off against the PKK The Cizre clashes, which followed Arinc's visit + 5 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çapê- Riaista Stampa-Dentro de lø Prensø-Basin Ozeti + to Huda-Par, stoked accusations that the AKP government ¡s using like 'Zoroastrians attack Muslim neighborhood,'which leads me to wonder Huda-Par against the PKK. The clashes erupted over an attempt to infil- whether some ¡n the government were aware of this provocation. l'd like to trate a guard post that the PKK's youth branch, the Patriotic Revolutionary ask Bulent Arinc: Did you have a hand in the provocation in Cizre or not?" Youth Movement (YDG-H), had set up in Cizre to fend off pol¡ce operations. The pro-AKP media spoke of the PKK targeting Muslims, but the PKK has Sevenl points sæm to back up those claims: recently sought to develop good ties with lslamic quarters. KCK co-chair- man Cemil Bay¡k, for instance, hosted 83 Kurdish clerics from lraq in the place O The attack in Cizre took after HDP members visited the local Qandil Mountains in August 2013. Last May, a Democratic lslam Congress Huda-Par office and the two sides agreed on certain issues was held in Diyarbakir on the appeal of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. O Just before the attack, the YDG-H had agreed to stop efforts to enforce The HDP similarly says it wants to embrace the devout. Turkey's recent his- partial control in the area such as digging ditches in the streets or erecting tory ¡s no stranger to bloodshed caused by religious provocation, and pru- banicades and check¡ng the lDs of passersby that had contributed to pola- dent voices were immediately raised. rizing the atmosphere. Sahin denied his party had any links with the state. Asked about Huda- Par's supposed m¡ssion, he told Al-Monitor, "Some may see us as a force media outlets reported on unrest O Pro-government the with inflamma- to finish ofi the PKK, but we have no such intention. ... Our problem with tory headlines such as "Zoroastrians [idolaters] attack Muslims." the PKK is that they attack us, refusing to tolerate us. lf the PKK stops its Provocative media violence, it could well exist as a way of thinking or a political formation. We Two civic groups penned reports on how the unrest unfolded. lslamic{ea- do not approve of the PKK, and we'll continue to struggle against them in ning human rights group Mazlumder said, "The incident was an act of pro- the civil realm. lf we manage to finish them in this way, fine. But no one has vocation by secret formations seeking to turn the sides against each other. the right to use arms to finish ofi a thought." An attempt is underway by some deep centers to start a PKK-Hezbollah Despite the deadly clashes and a possible plan by the state to foment a war. The press has widely reported that'devout people are under attack,' PKK-Huda-Par conflict, neither of the sides appears keen to open a second but the issue has nothing to do with rel¡giousness." The Human Bights chapter of the feud of the 1990s. Each time tensions have flared, a media- Associalion, for its part, blamed the clashes on special forces teams acting tor or Ocalan himself has stepped in to cool things down. Yet, the region together with armed civilians. remains a powder keg, and the longer the settlement process drags on, the The PKK's umbrella organization, the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), larger the risk of explosion looms. I happened to be in Diyarbakir on Dec. blamed the government and Huda-Par, while Huda-Par blamed the PKK. 27 and I was frequently told, "lf the unrest in Cizre spills over to Diyarbakir, things will come to a disastrous end." And that's no passing fear. o HDP co-chairman Selahaüin Demirtas, however, spoke of provocation. Fehim Tagtekin is a @lumnist and chief editor of Íoreign news at lhe Tur4¡sh news- "We noticed that fake media] accounts posted messages, posing as [social paper Radikal based in lstanbul. He is lhe host of a fortnightly program called Huda-Par and Kurdish youth accounts. The incident in Cizre was orches- "Dogu Divanr" on IMC TV. He is an analyst spec¡al¡z¡ng in Turkish foreígn Wlicy and trated by forces who had infiltrated both sides, seeking to foment conflict Caucasus, Middle East and EU aftairs. He was founding ** and bloodshed," he said. "Government media organizations run headlines Biîtr#! 5,2015 mpAì's ZAMAXI January Kurds. ln the meantime, it is important to note party's that even in the Kurdish-dominated regions Pro-Kurdish of Turkey, the HDP places second after the AKP in all elections. Yet the gains made by Demirtaç in the Augusl 2014 presidential r¡sky election gamble election are important when analyzing the future role of Turkish-Kurds in Turkish politics in particular and their positive impact on that Demirtaç has the art of speech delivery, Turkish stability in general. party's stance LALE KEMAL but also that his democrat¡c ln the June 2011 national elections, (as opposed to the other opposition parties) todayszaman.com Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) late has attracted non-Kurdish, liberal voters in - January 05, 2015 renamed the HDP - cand¡dates ran as inde- big cities. pendents to bypass the 10 percent electoral opposition Republican Yet, the main threshold, obtaining 6.65 percent of the People's Party (CHP) places second Turkey's pro-Kurdish People's Democracy still votes, sending 36 independent deputies to and Development I party (HDP) gave a start to its campaign after the ruling Justice the 550-member Parliament. (AKP), though it has failed to raise its for the June national elections with a party Party 10 percent threshold was designed by 25 percent of the vote closer to that of the Jhe congress held in istanbul this past Sunday, I the former decision makers of the military AKP, which has around 48 percent. introducing its election rally music with junta that staged a bloody coup in 1980. The Kurdish flags flown in the background of the A relative increase in the votes of the threshold was intended to create a two-party -- junior opposition Parliament video. The music, a mixture of Turkish and HDP a in - system with more stable governments based and fact that candidate Demirtaç also Kurdish languages, starts with rap and ends the on comfortable majorities in Parliament, and received non-Kurdish votes August with a folk music rhythm. in the the exclusion of smaller parties from the poli- president¡al election, can be interpreted as a ln last year's August presidential elec- tical arena. But independent candidates, who things, tions, pro-Kurdish candidate Selahattin sign that, among other Turkish-Kurds are exempt from the 10 percent electoral Demirtaç, co-chairman of the HOP, had a sur- have increasingly, albeit slowly, been gaining politics, threshold, can be elected as deputies. pr¡se surge in votes. The party partly owes its recognition in Turkish and hence The high threshold has, however, played This ¡s positive trend in a increasing popularity to Demirtaç, who recei- among Turks. a into the hands of the AKP, in power for more country where Turkish-Kurds usually ved around 9.76 percent of the vote in are than 12 years, to assert its authoritarian poli- associated of the Turkey's first direct presidential election. He with the terrorist activities cies instead of ensuring stable governments. (PKK), received not only votes from the Kurdish- outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party The threshold issue has been a part of dominated eastern and southeastern parts of which has waged armed campaigns against the national agenda lately, as the Turkish state about decades. Turkey, but also in big cities such as istanbul the for three Constitutional Court is scheduled to make a peace process from liberal segments of society. The Turkish state initiated a ruling soon as to whether the 10 percent with PKK to end armed conflict, starting When compared to the HDP's roughly 6 the threshold can be lowered. with a 2013 cease-fire which has played a percent that it received in the local elections , The AKP, which has been against lowe- changing, even if just relat¡vely, the last March, Demirtaç's gains in the presiden- role in ring the threshold, claimed that even ¡f the people's negative perception of the tial election were considerable. lt is not only Turkish high court lowers the threshold it won't - 6 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çapê- Rioista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti - be applicable in the pending June natio- 10 percent election threshold if it enters the the threshold, stressing that it would be a nal elections. elections under the HDP umbrella instead of "turning point" if it succeeded in doing so. I lustafa Sentop, a deputy chairman of the running as independent candidates. Still, there is no guarantee that the HDP lVlnre aigr"å'over the weekend that Demirtag surprisingly announced recently will gain the voles necessary to bypass the under the Constitution, a year should pass that HDP deputies would enter the June 10 percent threshold. lf the HDP insists on over the changes to be made on election laws national elections under the HDP umbrella, running in the elections as a party and not as for them to be implemented. Hence, he clai- not as independent candidates. He confi- independent candidates, it will engage in a med, any rul¡ng to be made by the dently stated that his party would overcome dangerous political gamble, s¡nce its failure Constitutional Court over lhe election thres- the 10 percent threshold in national elec- to enter Parliament will have negative reper- hold cannot be applied to the June elect¡ons tions. Similarly, speaking during his party's cussions on an already fragile Turkish politi- as they are in less than a year. congress in istanbul this weekend, Demirtaç cal atmosphere Turkey can no longer tole- The HDP, in the meantime, faces the risk urged voters to vote for the HDP, disregar- rate a Parliament where Turkish-Kurds are of losing the next general elections due to the ding the difficulties ¡t may have in overcoming not represented. o January 5,2015 executed them," says Ageed, a Yezidi Kurd who has joined the Yezidi sunrivors say they Syrian-Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) that have Íorgive Arab joined forces with the cannot Peshmerga in the fight against ISIS. in ISIS atrocities He says that the Arabs complicity should pay for what they did, and he is more than willing to By Hemin Abdulla fight them out of the village. rudaw.net January 5,2015 "The price is that they should leave us, we don't want fìHARAFADIN. Kurdistan them to live among us," says Dnegion - Rasho and Salim, Ageed, who tries to convince a survivors of the Islamic State's Peshmerga commander for per- (ISIS) unmitigated violence mission to enter one of the Arab against the Yezidis, are the two villages. faces of a community struggling But the commander warns: with the aftermath: one regards "We have orders from the presi- all Arabs as enemies fit to die, dent of the Kurdistan Region and the other sees them as fellow that no one should attack them." victims. In the village of Sharafadin As Kurdish Peshmerga Sheikh Ismael Bahri, guardian of the second most important forces fight to clean up remai- Yezidi women baking bread on Mount Shingal. ning ISIS fighters from Shingal shrine for Yezidis after Lalish, and the surrounding Yezidi shares the anti-Arab sentiments Guevara. "Some Kurds, without the areas the jihadis captured in an of much of his community. Whenever he sees Arabic knowledge of the Peshmerga, go assault last August, many In his guesthouse, the pho- writing on the walls of Sinune and set those houses on fire," he Yezidis cannot forget how their tos on display show him with an he turns away in anger: "I used explains, confiding that he own Arab neighbors had turned agal on his head, though he says to have so many Arab friends, agrees with the practice. against them and sided with the he no longer wears one. but they betrayed us." He and others in Hardan tes- militants. "The Arabs in our area For Salim, who works as a tify that, before the arrival of is Anti-Arab sentiments are so betrayed us, that why we deci- laborer and lives in a camp near ISIS, the Arab residents closed deep rooted among Yezidis that ded to throw away our agals. Duhok" all Arabs "are not the the villages gates to prevent most of their religious men Now you can rarely see a Yezidi same." anyone from escaping. As a refuse even to wear the Arab wearing an agal, even if He adds: "I still have Arab result, ISIS captured and massa- headbands, or " agals," that used someone does, he is looked friends. like us, they have cred 500 Yezidi Kurds. to be part of their traditional cos- fust down upon," Bahri explains. left their hometown and now The brotherhood that once tume. In four mass graves found in they are sheltered in Erbil. They existed among the Yezidi and Rasho and Salim have both Sharafadin, many of the agals call me regularly and ask about Arab residents is gone forever, returned to see if their homes mixed in with flesh and decayed my situation. As a matter of fact, one villager says: "There is no still stand in Sinune, a Yezidi body parts are shot through during the Eid they called me." brotherhood after betrayal. They Kurdish town near the Syrian with bullet holes. The village of Hardan, just a insulted our honor; they are no border that the Peshmerga Bahri calls upon the interna- lO-minute car ride from Sinune, longer our brothers." recaptured from ISIS just a few tional community "to help used to be populated by Arabs, Tensions seethe in villages days ago. Yezidis establish an indepen- Turkomen and Yezidi Kurds. like Awinat, where many Arabs "If I see an Arab right now, I dent Yezidi Region which Although there has been no have remained put in their will kill him," says Rasho, a 20- would be part of the Kurdistan fighting there for several days, homes, despite efforts by some year-old in the Kurdish Yezidi Region and under the supervi- plumes of smoke are still seen Yezidis to force them out town of Sinune near the Syrian - sion of the United Nations." rising from the village. One vil- which has been prevented by border who has joined the He warns: "there will be no lager, Rashid, whispers that the the Peshmerga. Peshmerga forces and sports a place for Arabs in that Region."t smoke is from Arab homes "I saw Arabs with my own beret in the style of the late being secretly burned in eyes when they tied our children Argentinian revolutionary, Che revenge. to the trees, cut off their legs and 7 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaoka Çapê- Riaista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti 6.ianlicr'2lll5 La c¡tadelle d'Erbil, le joyau Unesco qu¡ symbolise les rêves kurdes Entre fierté identitaire, bouleversement des modes de vie et quête de visibilité intemationale, cette massive cité de 6.000 ans cristallise les enjeux que connaît le Kurdistan irakien. La citødelle dErbil. Photos: Delphìne Darmency et Constønce Desloire. Delphine Darmency et Constance même si le programme des festivités et des vision de l'Histoire qu'il aimait promouvoir Desloire travaux semblait léger. la petite maisonnette -un panarabisme obtus s'appuyant sur la ó janvier du comité > du Kurdistan qui a obtenu une enveloppe vendredi, seuls sont ouverts un hammam retrait de l'armée irakienne imposé par les gouvernementale. datant de r75, inactif depuis les années r98o, Américains, et surtout depuis zoo5, avec la et le musée du textile kurde. nouvelle Constitution fédérale. 9 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaieut-Berheaokn Çøpê-Riaistø Stampa-Dentro de lø Prensa-Basin Ozeti PAr"o"m"aPro" Irak : I'EI tue 30 membres des forces de sécurité kurdes au cours d'une attaque surprise ll janvier 20f5 / BAGDAD / Sinan Salaheddin / A P dire si le groupe armé État islamique avait perdu des soldats. Les troupes kurdes avaient repris la ville de Gwer en août dernier, soute- AU MOINS 30 SOLDATS KURDES ont été tués à la suite d'une nues par les tirs aériens de la coalition internationale, alors que I'organi- groupe offensive du armé Éøt islamique pour reprendre le contrôle sation extrémiste contrôlait une vaste portion du territoire irakien. de la ville de Gwe¡ au nord de I'Irak. Si le groupe armé État islamique s'emparait de Grver, cela pourrait lui per- que groupe peut l-a bataille sanglante démontre le extrémiste encore mettre de cibler la capiøle kurde, Irbil, qui est à proximité. mener des attaques, et ce, malgré les frappes aériennes de la coalition intemationale dirigée par les Etats-Unis. Plus tôt ce mois-ci, les soldats kurdes - aussi appelés peshmergas - ont réussi à reprendre certains villages, près de Sinjar, permettant ainsi d'ou- que - Bien I'alliance entre les différentes troupes en Irak I'armée locale,les vrir un corridor pour que les membres de la minorité yézidi puissent s'en- que soldats kurdes, ainsi les milices sunnites et chiites - ait fait certains fuir du mont Sinjar. gains,leur progression demeure pour le moins très fragile. Le groupe arméEtatislamique contrôle environ le tiers de I'Irak et de la porte-parole précisé que Un de I'armée kurde a les combats avaient com- Syrie voisine. mencé samedi,lorsque les extrémistes se sont avancés vers Gwer, tout près de Mossoul, une ville qu'il contrôle déjà. Halgurd Hekmat n'a pas pu L'armée américaine a annoncé qu'elle avait mené samedi 12 frappes aériennes en Syrie et trois en Irak. O .f¿lï[omûc 7 janvier 2015 de trente ans dans le pays. Turquie : un adolescent tué dans des Cizre, située après de la fron- tière de la Turquie avec I'Irak et heurts dans Ia ville kurde de Cizre la Syrie, a été le théâtre ces der- nières semaines d'affrontements Le Monderfr oiuec AFP et entre partisans de Hüda-Par (la Reuters, Tjanuìer zotg Partisans du branche politique du Hezbollah PKKilans turc), qui a toujours été hostile garçon été jeunes T Tn de 14 ans a une rue ile au PKK, et de liés au PKK. abattu dans la nuit de mardi LJ Cizre, le 27 De violents combats de rue d'affrontements à mercredi lors décembre. entre partisans de Hüda-Par et le entre la police turque et des AEPfiLYAS PKK ont eu lieu dans le sud-est manifestants à Cizre, ville kurde AKENGIN de la Turquie en octobre, alors du Sud-Est anatolien, ont 1¡:'l que I'Etat islamique combattait annoncé, mercredi 7 janvier, les les forces kurdes dans la ville à services de sécurité. Iæs heurts majorité kurde de Kobané, de trine, dit-on au sein des services il y a deux ans entre le gouverne- ont fait par ailleurs un blessé. I'autre côté de la frontière, en de sécurité. ment turc et le Parti des travail- L'adolescent est mort à I'hôpital Syrie. r après avoir été blessé à la poi- Cette mort souligne la fragi- leurs du Kurdistan (PKK), qui a lité du processus de paix entamé mené une insurrection de près ó janvier 2015 du nord de la Syde "sans que le gouverne- la Syrie dénonce les visites ment syrien le sache ni donne son accord", souligne la lettre. Damas "tient les gouvernements des pays "illégales?' de Kouchner et dont ces personnes sont originaires pour pleinement responsables de cette violation McCain de sa souveraineté". ttFaire pression gouverne- Le Point.fr le o6/or/zo15 sur les mentstt Ia lettre, distribuée aux rS pays membres du a Syrie s'est plaint à IONU de ce que plu- T Conseil, demande au secrétaire général de L¡sieurs personnalités politiques, dont I'an- I'ONU Ban Ki-moon et au Conseil de "faire cien ministre français Bernard Kouchner, pression sur ces gouvernements pour qu'ils soient "entrées illégalement" sur son terri- I prennent immédiatement les mesures néces- toire, et a demandé aux pays dont ils sont L'ambassadeur sytien à I'ONU Bachar saires contre leurs ressortissants qui entrent originaires de faire cesser cette "violation fla- þaført s'est plaint ile ce que plusieurs per- illégalement en territoire syrien". grante". Dans une lettre datée du z4 décem- sonnalités politiques soient "entrées illé- L'ambassadeur syrien cite aussi des visites bre et dont I'AFP a eu copie, I'ambassadeur " sur son tetitoire, de Peter Galbraith, ancien ambassadeur synien à I'ONU Bachar Jaafari cite aussi I'in- américain en Croatie, en décembre 2ot4, et fluent sénateur américain John McCain. Bernard Kouchner, ancien ministre des de Walid al-Tabtaba'i, ancien membre du Celui-ci est passé en mai zor3 en Syrie affaires étrangères, s'est pour sa part rendu Parlement koweitien, en septembre 2or3. D depuis la Turquie pour rencontrer pendant en novembre dernier dans les zones kurdes quelques heures des chefs rebelles syriens. 10 Rea ue de P r e s se -P r e s s Rea iew -B erhea oka Çap ê - Ria i st a Stampø-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti ôrc¡ otam¡rtcr JanuarY 7r2015 lraq¡ Kurds Retake Terr¡tory; Seek More Help to Free Mosul Mosul. Barbara Slavin At a Defense Department briefing on Kutdistan president Massoud Barzani www.voanews.com Tuesday, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy (L) utith Kurdish Peshmergø soldìers. RearAdm. John Kirby echoed Bakir's asser- January 07,2015 Photo: Peshmetgø tion that the lS offensive has been blunted. Abdul Rahman, the new Kurdish representa- yet weeks has been any renewed offensive o one is talking about victory in the tive in Washington, called the humanitarian war against the vicious group that calls moves by lSlL of any significance," Kirby N said. "They have largely taken a defensive situation for these people "dire." "The refugee itself the lslamic State (lS). posture in the last several weeks." camps become lakes of mud when there's Today's shocking attack in Paris underlines rain," she told VOA. "Your heart breaks for But "nobody is taking that progress for gran- the threat that terrorist fanatics pose to civili- the people who have to live like that." ted." Kirby added. ln addition to controlling zed society everywhere. Mosul, he said, lS is still threatening mem- fiutside the camps, others are living in But on the battlefronts of lraq, lS has lost its bers of the Yazidi minority in and around lvf makeshift shelters along the roadsides, edge. lraqi Kurdish forces, backed by U.S. Mount Sinjar, parts of Anbar province and the in forests and in partly constructed buildings, airpower, have now retaken virtually all the ciÇ of Baiji, adjacent to lraq's main oil refi- she said. "Most Kurds have been refugees" at territory they lost to the group over the sum- nery. some point in their lives, she said."We know mer, according to Falah Mustafa Bakir, head ln a recent article in "Foreign Affairs," authors what it is to lose everything." of the department of foreign relations for the Robert Pape, Keven Ruby and Vincent Bauer While lraqi Kurds still harbor aspirations for Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). argue that the U.S.-led air campaign has fai- independence, they have shelved those aims ln an interview with VOA on Tuesday, Bakir led to prevent lS from consolidating control for now to present a united front against lS said he had come to snowy Washington to within Sunni territory in lraq and Syria even if with the central government in Baghdad. A introduce a new U.S. representative for the it has checked their expansion beyond those new budget and oil revenue sharing agree- KRG, Bayan SamiAbdul Rahmanand to dis- areas. ment has been approved by the cabinet of cuss with U.S. officials "what's next" to libe- According to the authors, "the crucial next Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and is awai- rate lraq. step is to identify pockets of Sunni resis- ting parliamentary approval. The Kurdish Peshmerga, a force of some tance" to lS in lraq. They suggest two poten- lf there is a silver lining in the crisis, Adul 150,000 men and women, is doing its part tial sources of anti-lS recruits: the Nineveh Rahman said, it is the improved relationship but "where is the lraqi army and where are provincial police force of about 24,000 and between Baghdad and Erbil since the remo- the Sunnis?" Bakir asked. Sunni tribes that have opposed lS in Anbar val of former lraqi prime minister Nouri al- Even with U.S. air support and technical province, including the Jaghaifi, near Haditha, Maliki. assistance, the Kurds cannot recapture and Albu Nimr, near Hit. The Kurds have also been able to seize terri- Mosul, a multi-ethnic metropolis with a Sunni þeversing lS's "momentum ¡n lraq will also tory they consider part of historic Kurdistan, Arab majority, he said As long as Mosul I \likely weaken the group in Syria at least including the oil-rich city and environs of remains in jihadi hands, the tens of thou- compared to other Sunni groups, changing its Kirkuk, and are welcoming an influx of foreign sands of lraqis who have fled to Kurdistan trajectory from a rising dominant force to one diplomatic missions to Erbil. Just last week, from other parts of lraq will not dare return of numerous fragmented factions," the China opened a consulate general there, home, Bakir said authors state. lndia has submitted a request and Saudi "They are not the same lSlL alternative Arabia is scouting for a suitable location, [an ln preparation for a possible offensive against acronym for lSl of six months ago," Bakir Bakir said. Mosul, the Pentagon has announced that it said. "They have been demoralized and lost a will train '12 new army brigades in lraq inclu- Abdul Rahman's arrival in Washington under- lot of foreign fighters." But "we will not feel ding 3 in the Kurdish region. lines the Kurds'desire to cement their most safe and secure until lSlL is thrown out of important diplomatic relationship Bakir said the Kurds want more of their forces lraq." journalist to undergo this training and are also seeking A former and KRG representative in "Mosul is key," he said. Once lS is defeated quasi- direct deliveries of tanks, Humvees and anti- London, Abdul Rahman is filling a there, he said, it will be much easier to expel post tank weapons as well as technical assistance ambassordial that has been vacantfor the group entirely from the country. He added in dealing with improvised explosive devices. two years since Qubad Talabani, son of for- that the city also has symbolic importance as mer lraqi President Jalal Talabani, returned to guerrilla the place where lS declared its "caliphate." Previously trained as fighters, the the KRG to become depug prime minister. Peshmerga have had to learn how to fight on After initial setbacks, the lraqi Peshmerga more conventional battlefields as well as to "Our message in sending a new representa- has not only recouped its losses in lraq but deal with terrorists, Bakir said. Hundreds tive to Washington is that we consider the has managed to assist beleaguered Kurds have been killed since the summer and more U.S a friend and an ally," Bakir said, noting across the border in Syria. The border town go than 3,000 wounded, he said. ties that back to the 1991 Gulf War. of Kobane is now 75 percent in Kurdish "We hope that we can build on this longstan- hands, Bakir sa¡d. But to tackle Mosul, "we The Kurds are also seeking more humanita- ding relationship. We share the same values have to be ready and have to do it right. We rian aid to help them deal with some two mil- and we fight for the same objectives. The have to have the Sunnis as part of this pro- lion refugees and internally displaced lraqis U.S. can count on us to be a reliable partner cess." who have fled to northern lraq in recent years people," an enormous burden on a society of only 5 for the betterment of millions of he Bakir would not predict when Sunni and other - million people. said. o lraqi forces would be ready to confront lS in /, 11 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çøpê-Riaistø Stampa-Dentro de lø Prensø-Bøsin Ozeti îíecf¡n January 10,2015 The Kurds Are Quietly Annexing K¡rkuk of Arabization by successive Baghdad regimes. by VAGER SAADULLAH When Peshmerga fighters moved in to secure January 10,2015 in Kirkuk the city in June, KRG Pres. Massoud Banani medium.com declared that "Afticle 140 had been achieved and will not be discussed anymore." But Barzani insisted he didn't mean that Kurdish Kurilish Peshmergø forces stand at a Islamic State swept into Mosul in June I  ,hen authority would impose itself on Kirkuk. "There checkpoint in Kirkuk. Kurds høae a VVzor+, Iraq's army crumbled and fled. will be a referendum so the residents will sttong cultud and emotional attach- Baghdad's troops also abandoned surrounding decide," he said. "And their decision will be res- ment to Kirkuk, tohich they call "the territories, including the oil-rich c¡ty of Kirkuk. pected." Kurdísh ferusølem." Kurds see it øs the But before Islamic State could move in, Kurdish For the first time since the establishment of rtghtful ønil perþct cøpitøl of an autono- Peshmerga forces swiftly secured Kirkuk. The Iraqi state, the Kurds controlled Kirkuk and mous Kurdistøn støte. Photo: Reuters ethnically diverse city is home to Kurds, Arabs almost all historic Kurdish areas. And Kurdish and Turkmen. politicians tipped the scales against Iraqi Arab The Peshmerga began patrolling and protecting politicians who claim that Article 140 is void- According to Yaseen, this move contains a the city from terroristg and have maintained because it wasn't implemented by the 2007 significant political message. It broadcasts that relative security. But the Kurdish move ¡nto the deadline. these areas are as impoftant to Kurds as the city was controversial. OIt WARS other three provinces of Kurdistan. Leaders Baghdad accused Kurdistan in the After the Peshmerga took control of Kirkuk, the BUYING OFF TUR,KEY Regional Government of overstepping its autho- KRG'S ministry of natural resources took over Baghdad isn't the only other party with a stake rity-along a slow march toward annexing the some oil fields in the province, claiming that in Kirkuk's future. Because of Kirkuk's sizable c¡ty. they were protecting the oil fields from sabo- Turkmen population, Turkey has shown keen The has been major flashpoint the tage. city a in interest in events in the region. debate over lraq's disputed territories--€reas But there's also political calculations involved. that both the central government and the Kurds Ankara has been critical of any Kurdish annexa- Having control of the oil fìelds and the lraq- believe belong to them. tion of Kirkuk-and fears that an independent Turkey pipeline--damaged by a terrorist attack Iraqi Kurdistan could provoke secession¡sm in Iraq tried to resolve the polit¡cal status of Kirkuk in March 2014-las strengthened the KRG's eastern Turkey. Many Turkish politicians voiced years ago. The effoÉ failed. AÊicle 140 the of stance in negotiations with Baghdad. The opposition to the Peshmerga presence in Kirkuk 2005 lraqi constitution required a settlement of attack prevented Baghdad from expofting before June. the issue of disputed areas no later than Dec. 31, 2007. But as the Kurds consolidated their hold, Turkish critics have become far less vocal. This now 2015, and issue remains as It is the of could be a consequence of the budding rela- contentious as ever. Many Kurdish politicians tionship between the Erbil and Ankara-spurred and opposition groups have accused the KRG of by increased trade ties and oil and gas agree- dragging its feet and ignor¡ng the issue. ments. They want Erbil to be more aggressive at taking Turkey has traditionally had a degree of over the city outright. But it's possible Kurdish influence over Turkmen leaders in Kirkuk, and leaders have simply remained silent because has impeded Kurdish moves. But if Turkey they are slowly annexing the c¡ty. backs off, it would remove a huge obstacle to PTAYTNG THE POTTTICAL GAME Kurdish aspirations for the city. There is serious resistance in some corners of These cautious moves could be vital steps for Kirkuk to Kurdish annexation. Some Arabs and Kirkuk's oil. the Kurds. Possession of Kirkuk will help fuel Turkmens fear Kurdish rule could make them After a contentious debate, the Iraqi govern- Kurdish dream of an independent state-+aking second-class citizens. Many are afraid they ment agreed to allow the export of Kirkuk oil it much closer to reality. could lose their homes and businesses. through the KRG pipeline to international mar- It's not just economic æwer that helps the If the Kurds rush the process too quickly, it kets in December. This agreement will get the Kurds. If they are able to legally annex dispu- could lead to more violence and instability. But oil flowing again, and might help boost lraq's ted areas, it would give the KRG more regional the Kurds have taken slow, quiet steps toward flagging economy. legitimacy ... something hard for the internatio- absorbing Kirkuk into Kurdistan without starting But the big winners of the agreement are the nal community to ignore. fights and inciting chaos. Kurds. In effect, Baghdad is now indirectly allo- However, much of this is possible because all In the 2010 lraqi parliamentary elections, the wing Kurdish control over the disputed areas. parties share the common enemy in Islamic politicians gained Kurdish six seats in Kirkuk. By Dec. 14, the Kurdish regional government State. A victory against the jihadists also poses gained Arabs and Turkmens together six. had the fìrst review of a draft law, which allows a latent danger to the Kurds. ln 2014 electiont the Kurds gained eight seats, representatives from the disputed areas to If Baghdad can defeat the militants, there's no while Arab and Turkmen had just four seats. enter the Kurdish parliament, guarantee it will let Kirkuk-and the disputed This has helped solidiff Kurdish administrators Mohammed Ali Yaseen-a Kurdish parliamen- areas{o without a f¡ght. in the city. It also allows Kurdish leaders to win tary member-said this law is a legal way to fill trtrtr by default-the æpulation of Kurds in Kirkuk is the vacuum of political representation from the larger than the othert in spite of the decades disputed areas. 12 Reuue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çøpê- Riaista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti January 13,2015 welle Kqrdish rga fighters ask Germ ore wêaponry 13 january 2015 www.dw.de/ j ôerman Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen wrapped up her \,ltwo-day visit to northern lraq on Monday by visiting a small contin- gent of Bundeswehr soldiers training peshmerga fighters in some of the weapons already delivered by Germany But a senior officer among the Kurdish fighters, General Asis Wejsi, said that while they were thankful for the equipment and trai- ning that Germany had so far provided, this was nothing but a "drop ¡n the ocean." He said the Kurdish fighters needed armor-piercing weapons, demining equipment, and ammunition. "The lraqi troops with their high{ech weapons are advantaged," General Wejsi said. "We pesherga fight using only our determination and our bravery." Kurdish pershmerga fighters have called on Gemrany to pro- "lf we don't continue the fight against the lS ("lslamic State)" then vide more assistance in their fight against 'Islamic State" Paris grocery attacker Amedy Coulibaly 'claims allegiance to forces in northern lraq. Germany's defense minister said she ls'attacks like those in Paris (last week) will happen on a daily would consider the request. basis,"# he argued. Ursula aon der Leyen bei Erbil L2.01..2015 So far, Germany has delivered equipment worth around 70 million euros ($83 million) to the Kurds, enough to supply 10,000 fighters. "We have heard many w¡shes expressed by the peshmerga and Currently there are 12 Bundeswehr trainers in northern lraq, but this Kurds," von der Leyen said, adding that it was important to continue number is set to climb to around '100 shortly. to support the Kurdish fighters "because we know that the peshmerga The German defense minister appeared open to the possibility of are not only standing up for their country, but for all of us." pfd/bk sending more hardware to the Kurdish fighters. (dpa, Reuters). January 16,2015 recaptured by the Peshmerga ground troops with the support of Kurdish leaders say they know who American air strikes. Peshmerga officials in the area say that in the Gwer region pushed ISIS to attack Kurdistan alone they have killed 400 ISIS militants in the last three months rudaw.net 161112015 of fighting. The area is strewn with des- [rnnn Kurdistan Region - troyed ISIS vehicles, including a -U.¿Kurdish' leaders say they now long-range artillery gun that posed know who encouraged the Islamic the biggest threat to Erbil when State (ISIS) to begin attacks on the the group attacked the region in Kurdistan Region last summer. August. "We know what ISIS's agenda A Peshmerga fighter, standing was, why they targeted Kurdistan only 300 meters from the last bor- and who sent them to Kurdistan," der with the Islamic State, said: said Ali Hussein, member of the "the war with ISIS is a vicious Kurdistan Democratic Party war." (KDP) leadership. "But the Peshmerga are like a "And certainly the time will mountain and ISIS should learn come when the people of not to bang their heads against the Kurdistan will learn about it too," mountain," he said. The Kurdish forces share a he said. Kurdistan president Massoud Barzani (C) with Kurdish lO50 kilometer border with ISIS Other high profile officials Peshmerga military officers. Photo: KRP told Rudaw on condition of ano- and fìghting rages on a daily basis nymity that Kurdistan Region from Shingal to Makhmour in the Thousands of Peshmerga "This place is close to Erbil President Massoud Barzani has west to southern Kirkuk. forces are now concentrated in the and at the same time it is close to also been informed about who and "This the first frontline with Gwer area, 60 KM west of Mosul, Mosul," said Hussein, who is also what drove ISIS to begin f,rghting ISIS," said a Peshmerga, standing after hundreds of ISIS militants a Peshmerga commander in the Kurdish forces last August. under a Kurdistan flag on a attacked the town last lveek in a area. "It is as important to ISIS as On several occasions last year, recently-dug mound marking the surprise attack. it is to us. It (Gwer) is very close Barzani said that "others had pus- Kurdish border. "If ISIS crosses Hussein said that Gwer's loca- to Mosul, which is the ISIS capital hed ISIS to turn towards this line they will be able to reach tion is ol extreme strategic impor- of Iraq." Kurdistan," without reveali ng fur- anywhere," he warned. r tance to both the Kurdistan Gwer briefly fell to ISIS mili- ther details. Region and ISIS. tants last summer before it was 13 Rea ue de P r e s s e -P r e s s Reaiew -B erhea okn Ç ap ê - Ria ist ø Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti January 14,2Ol5 Airstrikes kitl 100 ISIS militants near Makhmour By RUDAW L4lll20l5 aerial bombardment began when military officials an ISIS convoy started moving in in the region said ERBIL, Kurdistan Region- the area. that their forces USled coalition airstrikes killed Separate airstrikes also targe- had killed six at least 100 Islamic State (ISIS) ted an ISIS military base in the high-ranking ISIS militants in the Gwer-Makhmur village of Tawya near Makhmur commanders in Peshmerga attack. region on Monday, an lraqi mili- at ll:45 Monday night. recent battles lary source told Rudaw. Kurdish Peshmerga forces with the group. The war on ISIS is getting Coalition flrghter jets pounded and ISIS have been locked in The Kurdish army has increa- closer to its main base of Mosul ISIS positions in the village of several days ofintense fighting in sed its attacks on the radical where on Monday Iraqi and coali- Kinsh, overlooking the town of the area after a major ISIS offen- group on the Nineveh plains out- tion jets dropped leaflets on the Gwer,60 KM southwest of Erbil, sive on the town of Gwer was side Mosul while the Peshmerga city, urging people to keep away killing more than 100 militants, repelled by the Kurds on are engaged in a street battle with from the radical group's bases and said the Iraqi mititary source. Saturday. ISIS militants in Shingal for the report their whereabouts to the He added that the intense Also on Monday Kurdish control of the city. afTny. ¡ ¡rylli_#¡ll January ?ßr2015 ASHARQ AL.AWSAT War of words continues between Baghdad and Erbil over o¡l dispute Both sides accuse the other of delaying the return of out¡tanding funds By : Hamza Mustafa 28 January 2015 again?" still owed to either side. wìirw.aawsat,net Naguib accused the State of Law coali- However, the joint committee brmed by tion-whose members made the accusa- both governments to oversee the transfers Eìaghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat- tions against Erbil and is led by former pre- is yet to make any progress on this issue, EloËagreements over òutstandrng debts mier Maliki 14 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaieut-Berheaokn Çapê-Riaista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti l¿rnr¡irlr 15. l0 l5 Turkish military savs MIT shiopedr r weapons to äl-Qaeda New documents have been leaked online, prompting the government to immediatey ban report- ing on the scandal and order the content deleted. Fehim Taçtekin January 15,2015 n www.al-monltor.com Qecret official documents about the searching of three trucks belon- 9ging to Turkey's national intelligence service (MlT) have been leaked online, once again conoborating suspic¡ons that Ankara has not been playing a clean game in Syria According to the authent¡cated docu- ments, the trucks were found to be transporting missiles, mortars and anti-aircraft ammunition. The Gendarmerie General Command, which authored the reports, alleged, "The trucks were canying weapons and supplies to the al-Qaeda terror organization." But Turkish readers could Accotiling to informøtion published on and then banned lrom the not see the documents in the news bulletins and newspapers that sha- lnternet in Twkey, on lan. 19, 2074, the prosecutor of an Ailøna red them, because the government immediately obtained a court injunc- court instructeil the Ailana Prooincial Gendørmerte Command to tion banning all reporting about the affair. (photo bv Anonttmous) :!.o-e. *r L.::.s.rs!.!!.r : :..t:v:1,: :... When President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was prime minister, he had said, "You cannot stop the MIT truck. You cannot search it. You don't have the authority. These trucks were taking humanitarian assistance to O With a letter of guaranlee sent by the regional director of MlT, co- Turkmens." signed by the governor, the trucks were handed back to MlT. Since lhen, Erdogan and his hand-p¡cked new Prime Minister Ahmet O Driver Murat Kislakci said in his deposition, "This cargo was loaded Davutoglu have repeated at every opportunity that the trucks were car- into our trucks from a foreign airplane at Ankara Esenboga Airport. We rying assistance to Turkmens. Public prosecutor Aziz fakci, who had are taking them to Reyhanli [on the Syrian border]. Two men [MlT per- ordered the trucks to be searched, was removed from h¡s post and 13 sonnell in the Audi are accompanying us. At Reyhanli, we hand over the soldiers involved in the search were taken to court on charges of espio- trucks to two people in the Audi. They check us into a hotel. The trucks nage. Their indictments call for prison terms of up to 20 years. move to cross the border. We canied similar loads several times before. ln scores of documents leaked by a group of hackers, the Gendarmerie We were working for the state. ln Ankara, we were leaving our trucks at Command notes that rocket warheads were found in the trucks'cargo. an MIT location. They used to tell us to come back at 7 a.m. I know the cargo belongs to MlT. We were at ease; th¡s was an affair of state. This According to the documents that circulated on the lnternet before the was the first time we collected cargo from the airport and for the first time ban came into effect, this was the summary of the incident: we were allowed to stand by our trucks during the loading." On Jan. 19, 2014, after receiving a tip that three trucks were car- O O After accusations of espionage by the government and pro-govern- rying weapons and explosives to al-Qaeda in Syria, the Adana Provincial ment media, the chief of general staff ordered the military prosecutor to Gendarmerie Command obtained search warrants. ¡nvestigate,. On July 21, the military prosecutor declared the operation O The Adana prosecutor called for the search and seizure of all evi- was not espionage. The same prosecutor said this incident was a mili- dence. tary atfair and should be investigated not by the public prosecutor, but O Security forces stopped the trucks at the Ceyhan toll gates, where the military. The civilian court did not retract its decision. MIT personnel tried to prevent the search. THE GOVERNMENT COVER-UP O While the trucks were being escorted to Seyhan Gendarmerie Though the scandal is tearing the country apart, the government opted Command for an extensive search, MIT personnel accompanying the for its favorite tactic of covering it up. A court in Adana banned written, trucks in an Audi vehicle blocked the road to stop the trucks. When MIT visual and lnternet media outlets from any reporting and commenting on personnel seized the keys from the trucks' ignitions, an altercation the stopping of the trucks and the search. All online content about the ensued. MIT personnel instructed the truck drivers to pretend their trucks incident has been deleted. physical gendarme- had malfunctioned and committed violence against The court case against the 13 gendarmerie elemenls accused of esp¡o- rie personnel. nage has also been controversial. The public prosecutor, who in his O The search was carried out and videotaped despite the efforts of the indictment said the accused were involved in a plot to have Turkey tried governor and MIT personnel to prevent it. at the lnternational Criminal Court, veered off course. Without citing any O Six metall¡c containers were found in the three trucks. ln the first evidence, the indictment charged that there was collusion between the container, 25-30 m¡ssiles or rockets and 10-15 crates loaded w¡th ammu- Syrian government, al-Qaeda and the lslamic State (lS). The prosecutor nition were found. ln the second containe(, 20-25 missiles or rockets, 20- deviated from the case at hand and charged that the killing by lS of three 25 crates of mortar ammunition and Douchka anti-aircraft ammunition in people at Nigde last year was actually carried out by the Syrian state. five or six sacks were discovered. The boxes had markings in the Cyrillic At the moment, a total blackout prevails over revelations, which are alphabet. bound to have serious international repercussions. o O lt was noted that the MIT personnel swore at the prosecutor and Fehim Taçtekin is a columnist and chief editor oÍ foreign news at the Turkish denigrated the gendarmerie soldiers doing the search, saying, "Look at newspaper Radikal, based in lstanbul. He is the host of a foñnightly program IMC TV. He an specializing in Turkish Íoreign those idiots. They are looking for ammunition with picks and shovels. Let called "Dogu Divant" on is analyst policy and Caucasus, Middle Easl and EU affaks. He was founding editot of " someone who knows do it. Trucks are full of bombs that might explode Agency Caucasus. O The governor of Adana, Huseyin Avni Cos, arrived at the scene and declared, "The trucks are mov¡ng with the prime minister's orders" and vowed not to let them be intefered with no matter what. 15 Reaue de Presse-Press Reuiew-Berheaoka Çapê- Riaistø Stampø-Dentro de lø Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti 14 ianvier 2015 La France vote - T la poursuite de :, lr la guerre contre Daech en Irak Dans le climat d'unanimité de I'après ll janvier,les parlementaires ont fait valoir le poids fìnancier des opérations militaires. ALAIN BARLUET .j/ k,ì.rl).1llr1i. UN CLIMAT d'unanimité inédit a présidé JF'¡ mardi au vote des députés et sénateurs 500 l(nr sur la prolongation des frappes aériennes Le dispositif contre Daech françaises en Irak contre I'Etat islamique (U), alias naech, Après les tragiques évé- r Prlnclpauxcentresde Pays dans lequel l'El ,,. I'lrak, seul pays nements de la semaine dernière et I'élan comt¡andement de est présent dont., ou la Érance effectue des frappes contre I'El national qu'ils ont suscité, le feu vert par- l'opération Chamnral lementaire - obligatoire pour toule inter- vention au delà de quatre mois - a été Base d'Al-Dhafra (Emirats massivement approuvé mardi en fin de ar¿bes unis) "t¿thorles de Gøulle journée, par 488 voix contre 1à l'Assem- SYRIE En route IRAK +++ blée nationale, et 327 voix contre 19 abs- vers le Golfe' I tentions au Sénat. Le 24 novembre, cette Bagdad ìRJ\N +++ Amman r intervention française avait doruré lieu à +++ un débat sans vote, là aussi conformé- ri6yp'ft-. totttllutl: 9 chasseurs- 1 avion de ment à la Constitution. '!/¡- bombardiers renselgnernent Base d'Azraq Fregate Jeon 8oñ Dans I'après-midi, lc Marseillaise, .\lì i\ìll Rafale Atlantlque 2 (Jorclanie) ti :ìr entonnée d'entrée sur tous les bancs - un 'jr\OLil)l ;I .]r Abou Dhabi événement rare -, tant au Palais Bourbon qu'à celui du Luxembourg, avait donné {ra 1, Kowirt 1)MAN Ie ton. L'hymne avait été précédé d'une 2. Bahreth minute de silence. Avant la séance, les {ra 3. Qatar 6 chasseurs- 1",1" déptttés PS, UMP, UDI et EELV avaient bombardiers 1 r¿vltailleur 1 grret aérlen fait connaître, via leur chef de file, leur c 135 E3F Awacs Mlrage 2000-D -D¿rlr j¡nvierde nìobilisé contre t)acc¡ intention de donner leur feu vert à la ma(lilJ I0ul0í' i n0!rra erc poursuite des frappes engagées contre Daech en lrak, le 19 septembre dernier. << Bien entendu dans les circonstances ac- faveur ci'un << engogement indispensable Le vote de mardi intervenait tandis qu'à Toulon, tuelles rr,les élus UMP se prononceront pour les vctleurs de la France >r, selon le Ie polte avions Chcrles- favorablement, avait indiqué leur chef chef de file du groupe à l'Assemblée, Phi- de-Gaulle appareillait pour une mission planifiée depuis plusieurs de groupe, Christian Jacob. <, Vqincre tes Iippe Vigier. Celui-ci a néanmoins fait rnois, officiel- << >r, lement à destination ørmées djihcdistes dans leur sanctuaire, valoir que le mandat devre évoluer de I'océan Indien. < Aucun c'est en parne couper I'alimentatíon du en réfléchissantà << laproblématique dela engagement dans l'opération << " Chammal" (en terronsme sur notre sol. Celane suffit pas, SyrÍe > et en faisant en sorte qùe toutelq. française Irak) n' est pour l'irrstar,rt maß c'est un élément particulièrement communquté interno,ttonale se mobílße r, décidé >, indiquait on dans l'entowage du ministre de la Défense. important >, avait pour sa part déclaré le Cette remarque, en fottne d'appel, a La participation, depuis Ie Golfe, chef de file des députés socialistes Bruno été un autre fil rouge dans une séance très du navire << amiral de marine Le Roux, élu de Seine-Saint-Denis. consensuelle. C'est un gros effort la à la campagne de bombardements aériens menée par Ia qu' assume la France aunom de l' Europe rr, coalition internationale contre Daech ne << Cet effort est cof¡teux >> a ainsi déclaré Manuel Valls dans son in- serait guère surprenante. r Quant aux députés écologistes, ils avaient tervention devant les députés. << Cet ef- indiqué par,la voix de leur coprésident, Íort est cottteux, La solidorité cle l'Europe François de Rugy, qu'ils voteraient dâns doit être dans la rue, elle doit aussi êh'e le même sens, soutenan|la r< ilémsrche > dans les budgets >, a ajouté le premier suivie par François Hollande et le gou- ministre, en faisant allusion à la présence vernement depuis les attentats de la se- de plusieurs dirigeaqts de l'UE lors de la maine dernière. Du côté de I'UDI, les suf- marche républicaine, dimanche dernier frages allaient << nqturellement >> en à ParLs. 16 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaoka Çapê- Riaista Stampa-Dentro de Ia Prensa-Basin Ozeti ftlflontc DIMANCHE 18 - I,UNDI 19 IANVIER 2015 En lran, le président Rohan¡ joue son va-tout Critiqué parles conservateurs, Hassan Rohani en appelle à lbpinion etveut rassemblerle camp réformateur e plus en plus étouffé avaitbrandi, le 4 ianvier, la possi- parlesmanæuvres ¿¡. bilité, prévue dans la Constitution réfé- fJ camp conservateur iranienne, d'organiser des ÉÈa. r E u -à 'd; hostile, en politique iendums pour contourner le pou- voir législatif. Cette démarche, étrangère, à un accord surla ques- E tion nucléaire et, en politique in- inédite de la part d'Hassan Ro- "ït', térieure, aux réformes, le prési- hani, en dit long sur le niveau Ç Q4 o dent Hassan Rohani est passé à d'hostilité au sommet du pou- l'offensive. Plus question de se voir. n Que Ihvis du peuple soít de- au laisser faire en silence, comme mandé, de manière directe, ò ¡ú' ' cela a été le cas tout au long de moin3 pour unefoís, au suiet d'une \ I'automne zor4. M. Rohani multi- questíon importante qui ne fait ) plie les déclarations fermes à pas I'unanimité >, a proposé : l'égard de ses adversaires et pré- M. Rohani, lors de la première pare une reconquête du Parle- Conférence sur l'économie ira- ment, auiourd'hqi dominé par les nienne, organisée pendant deux conservateurs. jours à Téhéran. t E Dernière manifestation en date Le président iranien a ensuite I de la pugnacité retrouvée du pré- mls I'accent sur la situation éco- sident, zoo personnalités emblé- nomique du pays et évoqué le matiques du camp réformateur se dossier nucléaire et les négocia << > (les Rohanl (au centre) dans la salle de contrôle de sont réunies, jeudi t5 janvier, à tions avéc le groupe 5 + r Le président Hassan permanents du Téhéran, pour soutenirM. Rohani cinq membres la centrale nucléalrc dc Bouchehr, le 13 fanviet. uoH¡tutunD BERNo/AFP et préparer la bataille des élec- Conseil de sécurité, plus lAllema- tions législatives, prévues en gne). < Le pays ne peut pas se déve- lopper de manière constante dans ques et dans tous les dPmaínes. ¡ LE CONTEXTE mars zo16. < Nous ne voulons pas - du chef Ia majorité des sièges du Parle' I'îsolement r, a-t-il soutenu. Des L'appel au référendum les foudres des ment. Nous voulons tous les zgo mots qui établis$ent clairement de I'Etat lui a valu qui sont allés jus- síèges t, a proclamé Mostafa Ka- un lien direct entre les sanctions conservateurs, vakebian, le chef du parti Mar- internationales et la nécessité qu'à lui demander de mettre fin DEUX PROJETS nu- nucléaires. Pour domsalari (< démocratie )) en per- dbbtenir un accord sur le aux négociations de sanctlons amérlcCncs ses le bastion san), lors de cette grande réunior¡ cléaire, par ailleurs I'une de le quotidien KaYhan, Deux projets visant à faire pres- Hassan baptisée < lAssemblée générale promesses électorales. des ultraconservateurs, sion sur l'lran sont actuellement jourlà, des réformateurs >. Une déclara- Hassan Rohani a, ce Rohani n'a que deux oPtions: à t'étude au Sénat des Etats- pourrait << íI continue surle chemin pé- tion de guerre à I'intention des ac- laissé entendre qu'il Soit Unis. tuels députés qui ne ménagent organiser un référendum sur la rìIleux des négocíatìons (...), soi't il Le prernler tcxte pour la résolution de ce contentieux, qui est porté par le démocrate pas leurs efforts entraver ( politique du gouvemement. dure depuis zoo3. Nos principes Robert Menendez et [e républi- ne sont pasliés aux centrifugeuses, cain Mark Kirk. ll prend la forme D, Organlser de¡ rélércndum¡ maís à notre détermínatíon a- tiques insatiables en Occídent. >. d'une loi qui déclencherait t-il conclu. Une réponse à tous ses Ayant ioué un rôle-clé dans I'élec- automatiquement de nouvelles tion du président Rohani, en adversaires qui mettent sur le Ré.ctlon du Gulde luprême sanctions à partir de juillet 2015, la Répu- zor3, l'ancien président Ali même plan les idéaux de Le Guide suprême, Ali Khamenei, échéance fixée pour paruenir à iuin et la poursuite Akbar Hachémi Rafsandjani blique islamique a également réagi aux ProPos de un accord final sur le nucléaire du programme nucléaire. (tg8S-tSSZ) et son successeurt le Hassan Rohani. Le 7 ianvier,le nu- iranien, Cette proposition sera réformateur Mohammad Kha- Pour l'économiste et analyste po- méro un iranien a demandé au examinée par [a commission tami (r997-zoo5), bien qu'absents litique iranien SaId Leylaz, Hassan bancaire du Sénat à partir du de la.réunion, avaient chacun en- Rohani a bel et bien changé d'atti 20 janvier. t voyé un message. Si le premier a tude et haussé leton. LiéconomÍe l.e deuxlème texte appelé r les dirígeants r de la Ré- est en pleine dégradation en Iran. est défendu par le républicain publique islamique d'Iran à n évi- La chutebrutale des cours du brut a Bob Corker, président de la com- ter des méthodes qui limitent Ie affecté, de manièr e fl agra nte, Ia v íe cherche pas, pour I'instant, à offec- mission des affaires étrângères droit du peuple â choisir tr, l'autre a quotídienne des gens r, explique ter nos princiPes. Mais si nous re- du Sénat. ll vise à adopter une somméles réformateurs de s'unir. M. Leylaz, qui vit àTéhéran loi obligeant le président Barack culons, il Ie fera r, a-t-il soutenu, Ce rassemblement, interdit de- Le pétrole, dont le prix a baissé Obama à soumettre tout accord juin reprenant le mot < PrinciPes t, puis la réélçction controversée, en d'environ 6o % depuis zor4, sur [e nuctéaire à un vote du utilisé par le président, Pour le constitúe la première source de re- Congrès. Une mesure rejetée par iuin zoo9, de I'ultraconservateur mettre en garde contre toute fai- (zoo5- venus du pays et un tiers de son la Maison Blanche, qui veut évi- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad blesse face aux Occidentaux' ll a de budget annuel. A cause des sanc- ter que le Congrès ne zor3), a reçu l'aval du ministère tout de même réitéré son soutien lintérieur du président Rohani. Ce lllran a vu court-circuite les négociations. tions intemationales, à la poursuite des PourParlers, témoigne clairement de la ses ventes de pétrole diminuer de Qui tout en se disant Pessimiste' volonté du chef de l'Etat dbffrir z,r millions de barils par iour Has- Le référendum évoqué Par pouvoir l'organiser. Plus que ia- une tribrine et plus de marge de en zo11 à t,r million aujourdhui. san Rohani est Pour le rnoment ir- mais, la survie politique de M. Ro- manæuvre à ses partisans. Selon Sald Leylaz, r Hassan Ro- réalisable: selon là Constitution hani est liée à un accord nucléaire Respecter r lhvis du peuple >.Ce hani nh plus de patÍence. II veut iranienne, il faut le vote des deux avcc les Occidentaux. a était déjà au cæur des qu'une unanímíté soit obtenue au mot dbrdre tiers des Parlementaires Pour GHAZAL GOLSHIRI déclarations du président, qui niveau de toutes les couches politi- '17 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çapê- Riaista Stampø-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti VENDREDI 23 JANVI ER 2OI5 Comment dire Charlie cn turc policiers Par AIIMET INSEL Professeur émérite scrutent toutes les pages clu sup- vère rapport portant sur ce sujet, accepté au plément, à I'université Galatasaray (lstanbul) les photographient et les en- Parlement européen il y a quelques jours. voient à leur donneur d'ordre. Non, il n'y a Entre-temps, c'est I'agitation dans les mi- pas de représentation râ du Prophète. Ouf , les lieux islamistes de T\rrquie. Et on découwe camions peuvent partir. La direction du avec horreur que deux ont l" journal Journalistes lo Cumhurlyet avait au dernier mo- incorporé dans leurs colonnes la vignette lp ment décidé de ne publier qu'une large de cette fâcheuse couverture. Le procureur sélection < 18 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çapê- Riaista Stømpa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti serait de mettre enplace une dé- darts, ne pøs utílßer wbntairement certaines le théologien Hayrettin Kara treà þerser, mocratie qui accepte comme réfé - deleurliberté.r, C'est grôsso modo ce que man; avait proposé la solution dans une de rence þndamentale l' islam. Maß propose aujourd'hui le pouvoir de I'AKP' ses chroniques au journal pro- si l'on insiste à maintenirune démocmtielibé- Une démocratie dont les libertés sont déli- gouvernement aJ Ymi Safalç y a I rale, dans ce cas,les gouternementsne doi- mitées selon les desiclerata de la majorité plus d'un an : < . ljll 17 janvier 2015 lrak: plus par Par AFP, avoir été retenus près de le 17/0112015 Mossoul. liberation.fr Les jihadistes les ont Iibérés sur front, au sud-ouest de la ville (Irak) le f,-rrbil - Plus de 200 de Kirkouk, où des peshmergas, lllrakiens de la minorité yazi- les combattants kurdes irakiens, die ont été libérés samedi par le sont venus les accueillir puis les groupe Etat islamique (EI) dans conduire au centre de soin dans la le nord de I'Irak, beaucoup d'entre localité de Altun Kopri. eux souffrant de troubles phy- . BLESSÉS,HANDICAPÉS - siques ou mentaux après des mois passés aux mains desjihadistes. "Certains sont blessés, certains Il s'agit de la plus importante sont handicapés, et nombreux libération "d'otages" par le sont ceux qui souffrent de pro- groupe extrémiste sunnite res- blèmes mentaux et psycholo- La plupart d'entre eux ont été pris en charge dans un centre de ponsable d'atrocités, ont indiqué giques", a précisé M. Domli. soin, souffrant de troubles physiques ou mentaux. des responsables irakiens, Dans la soirée, des dizaines de s'avouant surpris par cette déci- yazidis se sont rassemblés devant centaines sinon des milliers de Peu après la prise par l'EI de sion prise selon eux sans aucun€ le centre de soin, espérant retrou- femmes, vendues comme épouses Sinjar en aott, et I'exode drama- coordination avec les autorités. ver des proches disparus. A I'inté- pour des combattants jihadistes tique des yazidis sur le mont épo- L'air épuisé et perdu, les yazidis rieur du bâtiment, médecins et ou réduites à I'esclavage sexuel, nyme, le président américain libérés, certains en chaise rou- infirmières s'affairaient à prodi- selon Amnesty International. Barack Obama a annoncé la c¡éa- lante, d'autres appuyés sur des guer les premiers traitements. Plusieurs se sont suicidées pour tion d'une coalition internationale échapper à ce destin. antijihadistes qui mène depuis bâtons de bois, ont été conduits "Nous avons envoyé des équipes contre I'EI. dans un centre de soin sur la route pour analyser leur sang, contrôler -'UNFARDEAU'- des frappes menant de Kirkouk à Erbil, la notamment s'ils n'ont pas L'EI multiplie les exactions dans Ces frappes ont permis à I'amée capitale du Kurdistan irakien. contracté Ia polio ou de possibles les régions sous son contrôle en irakienne, totalement dépassée jours "C'était tellement dur... pas seule- maladies contagieuses", explique Irak comme en Syrie voisine, où aux premiers de I'offensive jihadiste, ment à cause du manque de nour- Saman Bananji, directeur du il est impliqué dans la guerre et aux peshmergas de riture, mais aussi parce que nous département de la Santé à Erbil. depuis 2013. Les défenseurs des regagner un peu de terrain. avons été longtemps inquiets", "Une autre équipe est là pour droits de I'Homme et I'ONU ont "Le fait que les peshmergas raconte l'un d'eux, un vieil gérer leurs besoins immédiats. accusé le groupe de nettoyage reprennent du terrain chaquejour homme assis dans un fauteuil Nous avons également mobilisé ethnique et de crimes contre doit avoir joué un rôle dans cette roulant, une écharpe rouge et des ambulances pour emmener I'Humanité. libération. L'EI est sous pression, blanche nouée autour du cou. les cas les plus graves vers les "L'EI a dû décider qu'il ne pou- et doit continuellement se réorga- "Ces hommes et ces femmes hôpitaux". vait plus nourrir et surveiller (ces niser", estime Vian Dakhil. étaient retenus à Mossoul", t-a minorité yazidie, considérée personnes). Ils étaient devenus un Mais, selon un responsable kurde deuxième ville d'lrak plise en comme hérétique par I'EI, a été fardeau", analyse M. Domli. qui a recueilli le témoignage d'un juin par l'EI, a affirmé à I'AFP particulièrement visée par les Pour Vian Dakhil, une députée rescapé, quelque 3.000 yazidis Khodr Domli, un militant des exactions du groupe extrémiste yazidie devenue mondialement sont encore aux mains de l'EL droits des Yazidis au centre de qui a conquis des pans entiers du célèbre après avoir lancé un appel "ll m'a dit qu'il avait entendu ce santé où les ex-otages ont été territoire irakien, notamment les à I'aide pour sa communauté chiffre dans une conversation conduits, précisant que 196 d'en- alentours du mout Sinjar (nord), décimée par les jihadistes, "l'EI a entre jihadistes sur le nombre de tre eux avaient été identifiés. fief des Yazidis. compris qu'il n'y avait aucun repas qu'ils devaient servir". a Plusieurs rescapés ont raconté Les jihadistes y ont enlevé des avantage à garder ces vieillards". t9 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaoka Çapê- Ríaistø Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti lntcnr¡tion¡l ñtu !lork @inrcs JANUARY I6,2015 Turk.y and Isr I eng in war of words BAGHDAD Turkish prime minister compares Netanyahu to Charlie Hebdo gunmen BYTIMARANGO Ifthe Paris attacks unleashed a power' ful demonstration of unity, with world leaders gathering to denounce terror- ism, they also touched off adivisive new chapter in the war of words between Turkey and Israel, once stalwa¡t allies but now bitter rivals. The latest exchange came on Thurs- ANGERINISTANBUL TurksprotestedonThursdayaftertheThrkishnewspaperCumhuriyetpubllshed issue of Charlie Hebdq the French satlrlcal newspaper' day when Tlrrkey's prime minister, Ah- cartoons and articlesfrom thilatest met Davutoglu, said the two gunmen to and the growing role of religion in Ttrrk- who attacked a French satirical newspa- at ishpubliclife. per last week in Paris and Israel's prime an Türkish leaders across the board have minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, were im condemned the violence, but in many guilty of "crimes against humanity," d ithardto cases they have couched their criticism president, Tayyip The Tt¡rkish Recep of Islam and have not ral- Mr. Netanyahu understand how he dared t Erdogan, had criticized se of freedom of expres- for participating iir the march of solidar- First, give an account of the e way that western lead- ity with other world leaders in Paris on womeñ that you have massac In a meeting on Wednesd Sunday because Israel had been "wa- oglu, the prime minister, A American Israel public Affai ging state terror" in the Gaza Strip. sday that the freedom of fired back, calling Mr. tee, or Aipac, Mr. Netany top Israeli official rs not mean the freedom to Mr. erdogan,'saying, "He said Erdogan an "anti-Semitic bul$' ¡s values' Israel's should not have beõn represe Mr. Davutoglu then equated ginsults against aprophet Gaza march in Paris, a4d the reas treatment of the Palestinians in sent as a mercy to man- gunmen, who was our actions to defend with the actions of the two eedom of expression"' he people against the thousands of roc killed 12 at the newspaper, while ws conference' alour cities bythe terrorists c another gunman killed four at a kosher rish officials have singled police As the dialogue continued supermarket in Paris and a of- y see as rising Islamopho' ficer near the city. Mr. Erdogan'Jcþief foreign viser, rbrãhim Kalin, said and the west, and some "If Israel is looking for a bully," Mr. even mentioning Islam in ,neni "The Israeli príme mi Davutoglu added in a televised iews the attack on the newspa- nipulation of the ràly again conference on Thursday, "it needs to ageof bigotrv' look in the mirror." Pâris for his own põritiãa i not only disrespéctfui tor thisattackasan'attackon This most recentexchange ofba¡bs be- which published the car- continues a pat- memory of innocent civilian tween Tirkey and Israel theirlivesinGazabutalsono het Muhammad'will only tern of animosity between the onetime ibutetothedesirednegat- allies that has escalated in recent years. than a poor desire to stage As Mr. Erdogan's power has grown, he show for international public opinion." ive perception of Islam and Muslims in has further distanced himself from Tl¡r- Europe," T\rrkey's culture minister, key's secular past, seeking to burnish his Omer Celik, said in a statement. Islamist credentiâls and put forwardTl¡r- Less than two years ago, reconcili- key as ane¡emplar forthe Muslimworld' il war in ation between, T\rrkey and Israel He has increasingly placed Tirrkey as the Syria, The United States and others seemecl at hand' In a surprise move, defender of the Palestinians, and sup- háve criticized Turkey for not doing P-resident Obama, on a visit to Israel in porter of Hamas, the militant Islamist more in the war against the Islamiã 20l3,brokeredatelephoneconversation group in the Gaza Strip thatfought afour- State, the extremist lroup that controls between Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Er- month war with Israel last year. portions of Iraq anã Sy.iu, and have dogan, in which Mr. Netanyahu apolo- Mr. Erdogan, appearing this week in Llamed 1\rrkey,i lax policing of its bor- gized for mistakes in a deadly raid in Ankara, the Tl¡rkish capital, with Mah- ders for helping lead to the-rise of the 2010 on anaid ship that was sailing from moud Abbas, the president of the Pales- group, also linoún as ISIS or ISIL. TLrrkey to Gaza. That event had led to a tinian Authority, set off the war of words -rhèreactioninsider\rrkey::Jfffl; with Israel, criticizing Mr. Netanyahu' ;:îf""X"ffi:fü:ää.ll:rerationship for appearing at the Paris rally, which ctine the The promises of reconciliation, was also attended by Mr. Davutoglu. ll aõ the though, including the restoration of full '¡What do you think of NetanYahu, and Isra- diplomatic ties, have gone unfulfilled, who has been waging state terror bY el, highlights both the increasing diver- even as commercial ties between the massacring 2,500 people in Gaza, waving gencõ between T\rrkey and thã West twocountriesremainstrong' 20 Reaue de Presse-Press Reuiew-Berheaokn Çapê-Riaistø Stømpa-Dentro de lø Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti January 17r2015 IRAQI KURDISTAN WARNS PKK IT WILL NOT BROOK'EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE' IN SINJAR January 17,2015 ekurd.net ERBIL-Hewler, Kurdistan region'Iraq',-The Kurdistan Regional Govemment (KRG) has wamed the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) against interfering in Shingal (Sinjar) district in northwest Iraq and trying to tum it into a canton under its own rule. "We will not accept any extemal intervention in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, since such an attempt is illegal and against the Iraqi constitution," the KRG said in a statement. It also condemned any "illegal administrative system" in Shingal. Referring to the PKK, it said that, "instead of solving the crises of the people of the area, they are trying to manipulate the opportunities to impose their political interests in Shingal, and that will not be accepta- ble by us." Despite strained relations, the PKKlinked Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) from Syrian Kurdistan have been fighting alongside Iraqi Kurdistan Region's own Peshmerga forces against Islamic State (IS) forces that captured the predominantly Yazidi area in northem Iraq in Assembly ol SinjmYazídís set up on fønuary 74,2075 PUK says August. an ifldependent Canton at Mount Siniør "The Yazidi people have been living in a bad condition and the Kurdistan Region still considers the Shingal calamity as a wound on the body of Kurdistan," the KRG statement said. at which the decision was taken to establish an assembly, the Assembly "We want to announce that the current attempts of the PKK for creating of Sinjar Yazidis. The 200 delegates represented Yazidis staying at the a canton for Shingal is unlawful and is completely contradictory with Newroz camp in Syrian Kurdistan, those living in camps in Iraqi the Iraqi institution and the Kurdistan Region laws, and they must stop Kurdistan and those sheltering on Mount Sinjar. these interventions inside the Kurdistan Region, as Shingal is part of the The delegates decided to establish an assembly in order to counter the disputed areas in the Iraqi constitution," the KRG said. lack of unity that led to the massacres perpetrated by Islamic State group "The Peshmarga forces have planned to retake control of Shingal , and IS on 3 August. The 200 delegates who attended the meeting were joined the KRG will continue to reconstruct this beloved area," it added. by Patriotic Union of Kurdistan PUK Mosul deputy chair Hussein "We will propose to change Shingal from a city to self-rule govemorate Derman, Federation of Yazidi Associations in Europe co-presidents in a lawful way," the statement said. Zerdesht Gunay and Ali Atalan and Yazidi Foundation in Turkey chair ln February last year the Democratic Union Party, the PKK's Syrian Azad Barish, who all made speeches at the meeting. 5 committees were wing, unilaterally declared three cantons in Syrian Kurdistan, or Rojava. set up in order to organise the Yazidi community. These have been under PYD-YPG rule since then. The Alliance and Organisation Committee, Defence Committee, Finance The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Party representative at Yazidis and Economy Committee, Diplomacy Committee and a Truth Inquiry Meeting in mountain Sinjar confirms that Yazidis didn't talk about or Committee tasked with finding out what happened to those people who asked for an independent Sinjar Canton. were abducted and killed by the IS militants. The decision was taken to establish a transitional constituent assembly with 27 members, called the Hussein Darman, deputy head of PUK organization center in Mousil, Mecllsa Êzdiyên Mecllsa Avaker a Demkl (Assembly of Sinjar was present with representatives of several Kurdish parties at the $engalê, Yazidis Transitional Constituent Assembly). The 27 members were Yazidis meeting in Mount Sinjar held on 14 is rejecting those - fanuary elected from those on Mountg Sinjar, those living in the Newroz camp allegations that Yazidi leaders asked for an independent Sinjar Canton, in Syrian Kurdistan and those living in camps in Iraqi Kurdistan. in a statement to Millet. The IS group has extended its control on most parts of Sinjar district (124 Darman added that the Yazidi leaders created a united Yazidi associa- km west of Mosul) on August 3, 20L4 which led thousands of Kurdish tion to represent all Yazidis and the volunteer fighters in Sinjar. families to flee to Mount Sinjar where they were trapped in it and suffe- He also said that the united Yazidi association is aiming to pass on red from significant lack of water and food, killing and abduction of Yazidis voice to the intemational communities; request aids and make of Yazidis as well as rape and captivity of thousands of the world recognize\azidi's genocide by ISIS group. ffårffOr Hussein Darman told millet that representatives of People's Protection Those who stay behind are subjected to brutal, genocidal acts: thou- Units (YPG), and PKK whom are fighting ISIS near Sinjar for more than sands killed, hundreds buried alive, and countless acts of rape, kidnap- 4 month, were also attended the meeting. ping and enslavement are perpetuated against Yazidi women. IS figh- So far 40% of Sinjar have been liberated from the Jihadist group and ters ransack and destroy ancient Yazidi holy sites. <) Kurdish forces including Peshmerga, YPG and PKK are in battle with Copyrtght @, respectiae author or news agenc!, rudazu,net I Ekwd.net ISIS militants to retake the Yazidi town. I ffuatnews.com I milletpress,com I Agencies On 14 January 200Yazidi delegates attended a meeting on Mount Sinjar 21 Reaue de Presse-Press Reuiew-Berheuokn Çapê- Riaistø Stømpa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti KURDISTAN REGIONAL GOYERNMENT January 18,2015 KRG Council of Ministers condemns formation of illegal administrative council in Sinjar area SUN, 18 JAN 2015 lKRG.org as an illegal act, which goes against the constitution and laws that are in force in Iraq and Kurdistan Region. Erbil, Kurdistan Region,Iraq, (gov.krd) - The The PKK should stay away from interfering in the Kurdistan Regional Government Council of affairs of the Kurdistan Region; such interference is Ministers issued a statement condemning the unacceptable. The agony of this wounded area should not attempts to establish an illegal administrative be exploited for partisan purposes, as it is an illegal act and would lead to political and administrative chaos. council in Sinjar, stressing that, "The tragedies of Sinjar and the surrounding areas should not be The Kurdistan Region and Iraq have constitutional dealt with in a partisan way, which, instead of and legal institutions. The Yezidi Kurds and Sinjar area are represented ln Kurdistan Parliament and Iraqi healing the sufferings these areas have endurrcd, Council of Representatives as well as in Nineveh lead to political and administrative chaos." would Provincial Council. Any measure that is to be taken now or in future for this Following is the text of the statement: region would be through legal institutions in Kurdistan and Iraq and not The area of Sinjar has been going through tragic conditions since it was through illegal means and unacceptable interferences. taken by the Islamic State terrorist organisation, known as ISIS, on 3 The KRG Council of Ministers tries to help all the parts of Kurdistan, August 2014. The people of Kurdistan view the mass killing of Yezidi as well as Sinjar and other areas of Iraqi Kurdistan with the view to impro- Kurds and abduction of the Yezidi Kurdish women in this area by ISIS, as ving relations and not creating divisions and tensions. Therefore, we ask a new painful tragedy for Kurdistan. the PKK to immediately stop its illegal attempts in lraqi Kurdistan. Due to these deep sufferings, the President of the Kurdistan Region and We would like to reaffirm the statements made by the Yezidi Kurdish General Commander of the Peshmerga Forces, Massoud Ba¡zani, has per- dignitaries and their religious leaders and other Yezidi Kurdish figures that sonally supervised and overseen the plans and operations of the Peshmerga this inteference will lead to deterioration of the situation in Sinjar and forces against ISIS in this area. those who would be effected most are the people of Kurdistan in general The Kurdistan Regional Govemment is exerting great deal of efforts in and Sinjar and surrounding areas in particular. Therefore, such moves these difficult circumstances to rescue and pnovide assistance to the people should be stopped. of the region, in addition to attempts to free the Yezidi Kurdish women, a The Peshmerga forces are in the process of attempting to regain com- number of whom are still abducted by ISIS. Also, the Kurdistan Regional plete control on the entire area of Sinjar. The KRG will continue its efforts Govemment continues its efforts, through a special committee, to obtain to help and reconstruct this beloved area. The KRG will achieve this objec- international recognition of the crimes committed against the Yezidi Kurds tive in concert with the Federal Government of Iraq. genocide. as The KRG Council of Ministers is currently examining the proposal, While the KRG Council of Ministers expresses its gratitude to the urging the creation of Sinjar governorate. This will be discussed with the [Syrian Kurdish] People's Protection Units, [YPG], for having helped the Iraqi Federal Government according to legal and constitutional basis. Peshmerga forces during ISIS attacks, to rescue the displaced Yezidi Kurds Ninewa Provincial Council will be informed of the progress of in the area of Sinjar, we consider the move on 14 January by the Kurdistan the discussions. o Workers Party, PKK, to create an administrative council to run Sinjar area, January 16,2015 here and will not relinquish this Iraqi government forming area to any other force," said Wasta Rasul, the Peshmerga commander of the Kirkuk region. Shiite militias in Kirkuk "Any force that is formed will be under the command of the ByRUDAW r6nlmß form their own armed group inside Kurdish Peshmerga," he added. the city. For their part, the Arab com- munity seeks its own force under KIRKUK - The Iraqi govem- '"The militia groups protect our the Iraqi ministry of defense. ment has started forming three bri- area but we want our own armed "We want our force but lve gades Shiite militias the group inside the city, though of in want the Iraqi defense ministry to Kirkuk region under the directive legally," said Omar Yauz, a do it for us because it will guaran- from Prime Minister Haider al- Turkman member of the Kirkuk tee the liberation of this region," Abadi. security committee. said Ismail Hadidi, the chief of the The decision came a week after But the Kurdish parties in the Hadidi tribe. an ofhcial visit to Kirkuk by Falih Shiite rrilitias training south province are opposed to the forma- The Iraqi government plans to Fayadh, Iraq's National Security of Kirkuk tion or presence of any militia or organize -- under a single com- Advisor. armed groups in the area. Each group: Kurds,Arabs and mand -- a force of around 9,000 Iraqi officlals said that However, they approve of offi- Turkmen -- would make up 32 per- Shiite militiamen who are believed Baghdad aims to form slx brigades cial groups, "On condition that they cent of the National Guard. to be operating in areas south of of National Guards in Kirkuk that operate under the control of the Turkmen leaders have asked Kirkuk, particularly in Tuz would include the province's Peshmerga forces." the Iraqi government to help them Khurmatu. r various ethnic groups. "The Peshmerga forces are 22 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaoka Çapê-Riaista Stømpa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti il[EPtt0El{I January 18,2015 Freed Yazidis tell of girls and women Ded ãnd sold into sexual s Isis fighters Isis has released dozens of sick and elderþ members Elderly membets of the of the sect Yøziili sect wøit besi¡le Iraqi it brands ø road neø Kirkuk øfter 'apostates' but, as Patrick being rcleøseil by their Cockburn reports, many lsìs captors on Safitrdøy, They rcport of the healthy young c ontinuing mis tr e atment women still being held are of those still helil cap- turning to suicide as their tízte (Reuters) only way out PafickCockburn r8 January eor5 htþ : //rvrvw.inde¡rendent. co.uk "We tied scarves around our necks and pul- led away from each other, until we fainted." .|l any girls from the Yazidi community /f Wafa and her sister survived only because iräq are committing suicide after IVlin two other girls sleeping the same room being raped and sold into sexual slavery by woke up and stopped their attempted sui- Isis fighters who captured them last cide. August. And some zoo Yazidis, held priso- "Hundreds of Yazidi women and girls have ner for five months before being freed at had their lives shattered by the horrors of the weekend because they were sick or old, sexual violence and sexual slavery in capti- report continuing mistreatment of those vity," says Donatella Rovera, an Amnesty still captive. crisis response adviser who spoke to 4o for- 'They are verybad people," said Gawre mer captives. "Many of those held as sexual Semo, 69, who reached the Kurdish-held slaves are children - girls aged 14, rS or town of Altun Kupri. '"They took our chil- even younger." Captives are often forced to dren and they took our women." convert to Islam. A surprise Isis offensive in August led Isis launched a surprise attack on 3 August So,ooo Yazidis to flee into territory held by A doctor tends to a Yazüli zoomøn øt Al- against KRG forces in Nineveh province the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Tun Kopri heølth centre,between Kirkuk around Mosul and Sinjar, where the Yazidi But an unknown number, amounting to ønil Erbìl ín lraqí Kurdistøn, øfter she were heavily concentrated. The area has many thousands, were massacred or detai- uas rcIeøsed on fanuøry 77,2075 by the some of their holiest sites. ned while many women were raped or sold Islamic State iihødist group, Photo: AEP The KRG forces fled immediately, often as slaves. Isis claims that such treatment of without telling Yazidi villagers that they the Yazidis, whose ancient religion is drawn were leaving. The first that manyYazidis from Islam, Christianity and knew of the offensive was when Isis motori- who Arwa, 16, was abducted from her village Zoroastrianism and Isis call apostates, sed columns arrived in their villages and it is permissible under Sharia law. south of Mount Sinjar in August along with hundreds of relatives and neighbours. She was too late to flee. A KRG counter-offen- Some 3oo women who have escaped from described how she was moved around bet- sive in December has retaken part of Sinjar Isis-held territory have given accounts to ween Syria and Iraq until finally she was but few Yazidis have returned to their Amnesty International about how they were held in a house in Rambussi south of Sinjar homes. raped and sold as slaves. They say many of with five other girls. She says: '"They did to Today, General Shirko Fatih, the comman- the victims killed themselves. One girl, zo- me what they did to many other girls. I was der of Kurdish forces in Kirkuk, said almost year-old Luna, who later escaped, described raped... The men were all Iraqis. They said all of the freed prisoners were in poor how Jilan, r9, had committed suicide: "We that if we killed ourselves they would kill health and bore signs of abuse and neglect. were 21 girls in one room, two of them were our relatives." very young, 10-12 years. One day we were The militants transported the captives from Despite these many girls do given clothes that looked like dancing cos- threats, kill Tal Afar, where they had been held for five tumes and were told to bathe and wear themselves, or try to do so. The Amnesty months, and dropped them offat the these clothes. Jilan killed herselfin the International report Escape from Hell: Khazer Búdge, near the Kurdish regional and Sexual Slavery State bathroom. She cut her wrists and hanged Torture in Islamic capital of lrbil. "It probably became too describes how Wafa, 27, herself. She was very beautiful. I think she Captivity in Iraq expensive to feed them and care for them," and her sister tried to kill themselves with knew she was going to be taken awayby a General Fatih said. scarves around their necks after being told man and that is why she killed herself." aaa theywere to be sold as slaves. She said: 23 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çapê- Riuista Stampø-Dentro de Ia Prensa-Basin Özeti TURKEY, US TO TRAIN SYRIAN www.ekurd,net OPPOSITION FIGHTERS a ¡ a |anuary Ç 2015 KTJRDISTAÀI REGION Ankara: Turkey is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with the United States on a "training and equipment prcgram// for Syrian oppo- NEWS IN BRIEF sition forces in January, diplomatic sources said on Monday. The program will start in March and will last for three years. After this time, a total of 15,0ffi Syrian opposition fighters are expected to have been trained in KURDISH PESHMERGA REPELS ISIS Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Turkey is expected to host around 100 U.S. soldiers connected to the training; Turkey will also directly train ATTACK ON ZUMAR, KILLS 8 IS MILITANTS between 500 and 2,000 opposition Êghters a year. Following a visit by U.S. fanuary 3,20L5 Vice President Joe Biden to Ankara on November 22, 2074, Turkish Erbil: Kurdistan Democratic Party KDP announced on Saturday, that eight President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and he agreed on Turkey's efforts to train Islamic State group IS militants have been killed during clashes with the and ecluip moderate Syrian opposition forces protecting their communities. Kurdish Peshmerga forces in westem Mosul. The KDP representative in the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has also called for the equip- area of Zumat Hassan Khalu, said., "Today, the Peshmerga forces have ping and training of the Free Syrian Army in a comprehensive manner. repelled an IS attack on the village of Riij at the area of Zumar,located in Among Turkey's strategic suggestions to deal with the Islamic State group, the westem part of Mosul," pointing out thaL "Eight IS elements have been are calls for a "no-fly zone' and "safe zones" on Syrian territory, plus the killed in violent clashes during the attack" "The group has begun losing its removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from his position...aa.com.k presence in the area," Khalu added. iraqinews.com l Ekurd.net KIRKUK AUTHORITIES WARN THEY lRAqI OIL MINISTER ANNOUNCES LINKING CANNOT COPE WTH REFUGEE INFLUX KIRKUK.KURDISTAN PIPELINE OIL AND START lamtary7,2O75 PUTPING 175 OOO BPD Kirkuk Nearly a half-million refugees have fled to Kirkuk due to violence in the rest of kaq and live in deteriorating conditions, ofÊcials say. "It is the fanuary 3,20L5 Baghdad: The Iraqi Minister of Oil , Adel Abdul-Mahdi announced on responsibility of the Iraqi govemment to provide for these people," said Saturday, start pumping oil from Kirkuk fields through Turkey, under the Kamil Salayi, the mayor of Kirkuk city. "Their situation is dire and Baghdad "But agreement signed between the federal govemment and Kurdistan Regional should take their needs seriously," he told Rudaw. sadly, the central Govemment. " The Total primary energy of pumping operations reaches govemment is negligent about this." Most of the refugees fled to Kirkuk last (IS) 175 thousand barrels per day (bpd) after the completion of the technical summer, when the Islamic State occupied much of lraq's Sunni areas, matters in connecting pipes, Abdul-Mahdi said in a statement to al-Arabi swelling a population of thousands more that had arrived fled during the countq/s sectarian war in 2005-2008.. .rudaw.net Qatari news. Abdul-Mahdi said that his country will double oil production rates of up to more than 4 million bpd, pointing out that this increase will enhance the export site, which predicted to be more than 3 million bpd. The NEW KURDISTAN GOVT REPRESENTATTVE central govemment in Iraq has folded, two of the most prominent differ- ences with Kurdistan Region; the oil and budgel The govemment reached BEGINS HER MISSION IN THE UNITED STATES on the second of last December to a formal agreement with the regional lantary 7,2O75 authorities, to end the dispute on oil exports, and convert part of the budg- Washington: Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman began Monday her mission as et to the county, and the contribution of Baghdad in bearing a part of the Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Govemment KRG representative to the United cost of the war waged by Peshmarga forces against IS group. ..shafaaq.com States of America. Minister Falah Mustafa, Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, congratulated Ms. Abdul Rahman on her new post and met the staff of the Kurdistan Regional Govemment Representation in ISLAMIC STATE SEIZES I7O VILLAGERS IN Washington DC. Minister Mustafa reiterated the sigrrificance of Kurdistan K¡RKUK Region's relations with the United States. He said, "This Representation in Washington is a critical post. We will continue to foster our long-term, fanuary 3,2015 said, Kirkuk The Islamic State of Iraq and Snia (IS) militant group seized strategic partnership with the United States." Ms. Abdul Rahman "It job dozens of men from two villages in northem lraq on Friday while search- is an honour to be appointed to this post. The is made easier by know- ing for people who bumed its flag, officials and residents said. An intelli- ing there is a good team already in place. I look forward to working togeth- people and closer each other." gence officer said that a total of 170 men were taken from the villages of A1- er to bring the of Kurdistan America to Shajara and Gharib in Kirkuk province, after two IS flags were bumed in Minister Mustafa and Ms. Abdul Rahman also met Lukman Faily, Iraq's the area, an account confirmed by other officials from the province. Ambassador to Washington...gov.krd "Members of the (ISIS) organization who were driving around 30 vehicles took the kidnapped (people) to the center of Hawijah," a nearby town SYRIAN KURDISH YPJ FORMS NEW where they have a court and a prison, the officer said. A resident of AI- Shajara said that women pleaded with the IS militants not to harm the mm, DIVISION IN SINJAR to which the fighters responded that they would investigate and only pun- fanuary Ç 2015 ish those responsible for the flag buming in the village. A resident from Sinjan A new division of the Syrian Kurdish Women's Defense Units (YPJ) Gharib said they took around 90 people fi.om that village, and that the Êght- has been formed in Shingal (Sinjar) in noethwest Iraq as part of efforts to ers said they were searching for 15 men who bumed their flag there. It is not build up the Yazidi Shingal Defense Units (YB$), according to a new article the first time IS has tumed to mass detentions as it seeks to quell resistance by Rojin Dmiz and Sara Xwinda for JINFIA news whidr appeared in Özgür in the swathes of territory in lraq that it has ovemrn since June...AFP Gündem. The decision to constitute a separate division, the YPJ-Shingal, was taken by close to 50 Kurdish Yazidi women already fightlng with the YB$. A statement released by the leadership of newly formed YPf-Shingal ISI-AMIC STATE GROUP FETALE FIGHTERS following the decision read: We are calling on all Yazidi people lor support SURRENDERED TO PESHMERGA FORCES to strengthen this struggle, and in particular on young Yazidi women to be responsive to our struggle." rojavareport.wordpress.com I Eku¡d.net January 3,201.5 The Voice of Russia radio broadcasted news that 14 Islamic State female fighters have surrendered themselves to Kurdish Peshmerga forces. Saeed U.S. DELIVERS 25 ARTIORED VEHICLES TO Hamo a Yazidi activist told the Voice of Russia that 14 IS female fighters lRAql KURDS with 4 children have surrendered themselves to Kurdish Peshmerga forces fighting to control Sinjar (Shingal) after their commander was killed by the January 8,2015 Peshmerga forces. Saeed Hamo added that those IS women are all Iraqi The U.S. has sent 250 armored vehicles to Iraq, 25 of them to the Kurds in Arabs and currently in Peshmerga custody. milletpress.com I Ekurd.net the north, Stars and Strips said. According to the report the U.S. + 24 Reaue de Presse-Press Rersiew-Berheaolca Çapê-Riaistø Stampa-Dentro de la Prensø-Basin Özeti +embassy in Iraq stated on Tuesday that the U.S. govemment has sent holy sites in Sayeda Zainab and Ruqaya shrines in Syria, pointing out that the 250 vehicles to Iraq and 25 vehicles would be delivered to the Kurdish he went to Iraq to defend the shrine in Samara in Salahuddin province forces of Peshmerga. A U.S. defense ministry statement said the armored against IS that seek to control and desboy them. The reports added that vehicles have been delivered to Iraq officials last Sunday and 25 vehicles Norouzi was a member of the headquarters of the "martyr Tamori Nia" of have been sent to Kurdistan Region. U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Stewart the Basij forces "popular mobilization" in Kermanshan, pointing out that he Jones has stated the vehicles would protect Iraqi people against mines was killed in a direct confrontation with the elements of the terrorist organ- and rockets and would help them to win agâinst the IS, adding that each ization on Sunday night. Iran often denies serìding troops to Iraq in direct vehicle has cost 500000 dollars to be manufachrred. iii.co.uk fighting between Iraqi security furces and ISIS terrorists and only say that it has sent military advisers and experts to help train Iraqi forces. shafaaq,com l Ekurd.net ISI.ATIC STATE SUICIDE BOTBER KILLS 7 KURDISH PESHTERGA TROOPS WEST OF KDPI: 'NO SIGNS THAT KURDISH ISSUE MOSUL wlLL BE PEACEFULLY RESOLVED IN IRAN' January E,2015 15,2075 Shingal: A car bomb driven by Islamic State group IS suicide bomber fanuary Erbil: Since their 2006 split the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) exploded near a dreckpoint for the Kurdish Peshmerga ft>rces to kill fuur of and its breakaway Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) have been discussing them and injure three others in Sinjar dishict of westem Mosul, Iraqi news reunification for the past several years. Mustafa Hejri, leader of the KDPI, reported, Seven Kurdish Peshmerga brces were either killed or injured in told Rudaw in an interview that the process continues and the two sides are the attadç seo.rrity source said. IS militants carried out the attack in the growing doser. He wamed that the whole process cannot be publicized lor strategic Kurdish Yazidi town of Sinjar, followed by a large scale attack on fear the Iranian govemment will try to sabotage the process as a way of Peshrnerga forces in Zumar on Wednesday. Ekurd.net ensuring the Kurdish parties remain divided and weak Iran wants to manipulate this opporhrnity to show that its govemment is trying to solve YPG ANNOUI{CE A BATTALION OF the Kurdish issues peacefully. What is more important is the fact that par- PROFESSIOI{AL FORCES II{ AFRIì{ CAI{TON liamentary elections will be held next year, and they want to make people forget the promises that they made and pretend that they are still trying to lanuary9,2075 fulfill those promises. They want to attract people to the voting boxes and I Afrin: Mart¡¡r Diyar Battalion, furmed of professional combatants, was see these meeting within the context of election propaganda...rudaw.net announced on Thursday, January 8th in Afrin Canton of Syrian Kurdistan. More than 30 Combatants of the People's Defense Units (YPG) were involved in M. Bahoz Qualification Course. The one-month-long course 16 KURDISH PESHTERGA FIGHTERS was centered on teaching special military training as well as providing the KILLED II{ ISI.ATIC STATE FIERCE ATTACKS professionals with ideological lessons. The announcement ceremony ACROSS IRAQ : AIJAZEERA attended by members of YPG/YPI leadership, families of combatants, and january 15,2015 distinguished guests, started with a minute of silence in honor of the mar- Nineveh: At least 23, including 16 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, killd in IS tyred fighters. Later, the combatants uttered a promise to walk in the foot- assault in restive provinces of Nineveh and Diyala. Militants from the steps of their fallen comrades until the final breath. At the end of ceremony, Islamic State group IS have launched a series of attacks lraq's restive the Battalion members were honored with Marty' Diyar/s picture, the in region, killing dozens of people, induding several Kurdish Peshmerga sol- insignia of the battalion.fi ratnews.com diers. Sources told Al Jazeera that at least 1ó Peshmerga soldiers were killed on Thursday trþg to repel an IS attack on the Mosul Dam in Nineveh KURDISTAN ANNOUNCES THE SALE OF 42 province. The dam, located on the Tigris river, provides electricity to north- westem province which is IS group's OIL SHIPMENT WORTH S 3 BILLION AND THE of Anbar, under the cnntrol. In anoth- er attack seven fighterc from militias fighting against IS in Diyala Province DISTRIBUTION OF SAIÁRIES were killed in the town of Al Mansuriya. Meanwhile, in the flashpoint town fanuary 77,2015 of Sinjar, Peshemerga furces, backed by U$led coalition warplanes, Erbit Kurdistan Regional Govemrnent (KRG) announced on Sunday, that stopped an attack on the town's south-westem side. The IS fighters have it will distribute employees' salaries over the next few days for fiom last since mostly been driven out of the area. U9led brces launched 12 November beginning with the Ministry of Peshmerga, pointing out that it airstrikes against the group's positions ovemight on Wednesday, targeting has sold since last May 42 shipments of cmde oil for a total of about three tactical units, buildings and equipment used by the group, the Combined billion US $. KRG spokesman, Safeen Dizayæ said that the next few days Joint Task Force said in a statement...aliazeera,com I Ekurd.net will witness the distribution of delayed salaries from last November to all the departments and institutions of the region beginning with the Ministry ANOTHER TASS GRAVE FOUI{D INCLUDE of Peshmerga, explaining that the date was not specified yet, but it will not exceed a few days, he said. He added that, in order to secure the salaries, KURDISH PESHHERGA FIGHTERS N DVALA the govemment needs to 850 billion dinars. About the Kurdish oil sales, fanuary 15,2015 Dizayee stressed that his govemment is continuing to sell cmde oil, adding Diyala: A mass grave containing the bodies of 23 people has been 6ound that under the recent agreemerìt with the federal govemment , the govem- near the town of Kobashi in the district of falawla in Diyala province. The ment began to implement it since the beginning of this year and region's oil Ministry of Martyr and Anfal Affairs in the Kurdistan region said that some has decreased. He explained that his govemmentbegan to export oil begin- of the bodies in the mass grave belonged to Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. ning from last May through its pipeline to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey and Ministry official Nuri Aziz sæd that the remains of 23 people had been has sold it there, pointing out that so far 42 shipments of cmde oil have been bund, adding that they had not yet identified the bodies, but that from the sold for a total of about three billion US dollars...shafaaq.com I Ekurd.net garments on the corpses some of them were Peshmerga fighters from the Kurdistan region. firatnews.com I Ekurd.net IRAII AIINOUT{CES THE DEATH OF A KURDISH TILITARY COUTANDER II{ THE WAR AGAINST SOO,OOO.STRONG SHIITE MILITIA CALLS FOR rs D{ |RAQ FORMAL RECOGNITION BY BAGHDAI) fanuary 7i¿,2015 fanuary 18,2015 Kemranshan: Iran has announced the death of one of its military leaders in Baghdad: The leader of lraq's Hezbollah met with Shiite derical authorities the military operations in Iraq against Islamic State group IS militants in in Najaf Sunday to discuss formal recogrrition of hundreds of thousands of Salahuddin province. The Iranian pr€ss reports said that " the commander militiamen by the govemment and putting them on official payroll, a of special operations within the popular crowd forces in Samana , Mehdi Hezbollah statement said. Sheikh Abbas al-Mahmadawi, leader of the Nor.ouzi (Newrozi) was killed in clashes with IS terrorists." Reports said Shiite militia group Hezbollatu said that he met with Shiite clerics in Najaf, that Norouzi descended from the Kurdish city of Kermanshan in Iranian including Ayatollah Muhammad Saeed al-Hakim, to seek recognition "6or Kurdistan (Rojhelat) , he had fuught in earlier periods in defense of Shiite the success of the militia groups in the fight against the Islamic State+ 25 Revue de Presse-Press Reoian-Berheaoka Çapê-Riaistø Stnmpa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti =â (ISIS)." Al-Mahmadawi added that the Shiite volunteer militia should be IRAQ'S TRADE wlTH IRAN AND TURKEY recognized by the authorities and compensated financially "because many VALUED AT BILLION of them do not have any salaries and many have been wounded and hand- $28 icapped." According to al-Mahmadawi, there are 800,000 volunteer Shiite lamtary21'2O\5 Baghdad: Iraq's trade exdrange with the two states is valued at billion fighters in haq who joined the fight against ISIS last June. But he added that $28 "the numbers have been inflated by some political parties" by more than a year and is destined to surge with new agreements to facilitate the flow of double. "We do not have any such numbers on the ground which is put goods and commodities. Iraq's bade exchange with Turkey last year down as 2 million volunteers," he said in a statement following his visit to reached $16 billion and $12 billion with Iran...azzaman.com Najaf...rudaw.net ISLAMIC STATE CONTROLLIIIG HALF OF PKK SEEKING TO DMDE KURDISTAIT SHINGAL: JABBAR YAWAR REGION: KDP [anuary27,2075 |anuary 18,2015 Erbit T he Secetary General of the Kurdish forces of Peshmerga Jabbar Erbil: The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) faction in Kurdistan Region Yawar stated the militants of the Islamic State goup (IS) are mntrolling 50 parliament lashed out at the Kurdistan Workers' Party for "seeking to percents of Shingal (Sinjar), southwestem of Kurdistan Region. He told al- divide Kurdistan Region." The PKK attempt in brming "Shingal Yazidi Ma'aluma news agency that the city has not been fully liberated as the rad- Parliamenf' as the first step in forming Shingal (Sinjar) Canton was harsh- ical jihadists are controlling half of the city but the surrounding areas have ly blamed by the faction in the Kurdish region's local parliament. "Since the been cleaned from the extremists. A large part of the Nineveh desert is still Daesh (Arabic acronym for Islamic State) imposed war against the under the control of the militants and the city of Bashiqa, in the province, is Kurdistan Region has broke out, the PKK ignorant to the region's organi- controlled by the group, Yawar further said. It is worth mentioning that a zations, is fullowing its illegal demands in the region," the faction said in a Yazidi chief stated days ago that the extremist group in controlling Shingal statement. The KDP party officials called the PKK attempt to create Shingal and the whole of Nineveh deserts. kurdpns.ir I Ekurd.net Canton an attempt to divide the Kurdish administration. The statement fur- ther asked all the regiorls parties and civil organizations to react to the PKK 5OO DISPI.ACED IRAQI ARAB FATILIES atternpt and define a red line for the PKK activities in the region. úr a con- ference titled "Democatic self-management is our will" and attended by ARRIVED IN KURDISTAN'S ERBIL: tlP more than 200 Kurdish Yazidi representatives, the PKK asked for the cre- January 21,2015 ation of Shingal Canton and formed a 27-parliamnet for the region. kurd- Baghdad: Iraqi MP Talal al-Zobaie announced Tuesday, that Kurdistan's press.ir Erbil has received roughly 500 Arab families fleeing from al-Qayara in southem Mosul to the ar.ea of Dbka in Erbil. Al-Zobaie said "500 families AUSTERITY INCLUDES KURDISTAI{, BARREL have escaped al-Qayara in southem Mosul to the area of Dibka, located in Erbil district," noting that, "Those families will be induded in the million PRICE wlLL NOT FALL BELOW 335, SAYS dinars grant and will be resided in a refugee camp in Erbil." iraqinews.com HEMBER OF PARLNTENTARY FINAIICE I Ekurd.net fanuary 19,2015 Baghdad: A member in the Parliamentary Finance Committee confirmed MOSUL RESIDENTS IN IRAQ DESCRIBE LIFE Sunday, that the fiscal austerity to bllowed by the govemment to reduce the budget deficit, will include the Kurdistan region, pointing out that the AS 'HELL' UI{DER IS MILITANTS price of a barrel of oil will not fall below $35. The member of the Committee lanrary23,2O75 and the MP for the Change (Gorran) Movement, Massoud Haider said in an London: Residents in the Iraqi city of Mosul have described life under interview for a program brcadcast by Sumaria TV "One of main problems Islamic State (IS) militants as "hell" where people are deprived of basic that stand before of the Finance Committee is the problem of spending cuts rights and services. Masrour Barzani, the head of Kurdistan's regional secu- to reduce the budget defrcit with the continuing dedine in oil prices," not- rity council said that nobody could envy this life since the terror of IS is "too ing tha! "Austerity is one of the solutions to address this defrciL and it will much for anyone to handle", reported the Guardian. include the Kurdistan region as a part of Iraq as and not an independent Residents said that the conditions have worsened in Mosul, the city that state."...iraqinews,com I Ekurd.net was known as a cradle of multiculturalism once, has now tumed into a city where executions and stoning have become common. People in Mosul also refrain fiom talking to media fearing reprisals against themselves and their ISI-AMIC STATE KIDNAPS 25 KURDS FROU families. However, Kurdish fighters continue to battle the IS and have MOSUL, SAYS KURDISH OFFICIAL retaken large parts from militants in northem lraq. ANI |anuary 79,2075 Erbit The Kurdistan Democratic Party KDP party announced Sunday, that KURDISTAN REGION ISI-ATIG PARTY I-ASHES 25 Kurdish civilians have been kidnapped by Islamic State group IS mili tants in central Mosul. KDP spokesman in Mosul city, Saeed Mumozini, OUT FORTING CANTON IN SHINGAL said, "Yesterday evening, elements of the IS group have kidnapped 25 [antary23,2015 Kurdish civilians from the neighborhood of al-Jazaær,located in central Slemani: Kurdistan Islamic Community Party expressed its sever opposi- Mosul," pointing out that, "The detained Kurdish citizens were driven to an tion to forming a canton in Kurdistan Regionls southem city of Shingal unknown location." "Kurdish people who were unable to escape from (Sinjar). Releasing a statemen! the party, led by Ali Bapir, voiced its oppo- Mosul are living in miserable conditions," Mumozini said. iraqinews.con sition to creating in the city, most of it still under the control of the militants I Ekurd.net of the Islarnic State (IS). "Kurdistan Islamic Community believes Shingal and all Kurdistani regions, out of the regiorfs control, are a part of PUK DENIES LEAVING PARTY Kurdistan Region's soil and the regionls president, govemment and parlia- DEPUW ment are responsible in making decisions br them," the statement said. The fanuary 19,2015 Kurdistan Workers'Party (PKK) announced January 14 the establishment Slemani: The first deputy leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) of a canton in Shingal, the same as Kurdish cantons in northem Syria, after Kosrat Rasul Ali dined he and the second deputy Barham Salih have left the parts of the city were liberated by the PKK fighters and the Kurdish furces party as tension-hit party is seeking unity among members. Kurdistan of Peshmerga. 20}Yazidi representatives attended in the conference under Region media reported Rasul Ali and Salih have left the party after tensions the title of "democâtic self-management is our will." Four committees were fuelled among members of the Jalal Talabaniled party. Speaking with furmed for the canton to organize Yazidi Kurdish society and another com- Sulaimaniya news base Rasul Ali denied he and Salih have quit the PUK mittee to 6ollow the sate of Yazidi hostages taken by the radical group that and vowed to stay with the party to the end and "all will solve tensions attacked Shingal in June, killed many and abducted thousands, most of through dialogue." The PUK deputy further said the panty's congress has them women and has abeady sold a large number of them as slaves. been deferred due to the conflict in Kurdistan Region and its war against kurdopress.ir I Ekurd,net o the jihadists of the Islamic State (IS) but reiterated the PUK will hold the gathering in a near future. kurdpress.ir I Ekurd.net 26 Retsue de P r es se -Pr ess Reaiew-B erheaokn Çap ê- Rioista Stømpa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti UEXPRESS 21 JANVIER 2015 Diihadisme: le double ieu des pays du Moyent-Orient C'est en masse que les dirigeants ou représentants du Moyen-Orient se sont joints au défiIé du 11 janvier, à Paris, contre le terrorisme islamiste. Pourtant, I'ambiguïté tient lieu de politique à nom- bre d'Etats dans la région, face à des djihadistes qui essaiment et prospèrent, Géopolitique d'un double jeu dont la galaxie de I'islam radical ne cesse de tirer profit. ttNous Par Romøin Rosso sommeg 27/07/207s CHERIF tous Chérif www.lexpress.fr Kouachit', procla- ment ces mani- festants à rrrous unis face au terrorisme et à I'extré- Istanbul (Turquie), I misme. Le 11 janvier, I'image est belle le 16 AFP et inédite : une cinquantaine de chefs d'Etat ianvier. PHOTO/OZAN et de gouvernement, ou leurs représen- KOSE tants, marchent côte à côte dans les rues de Paris. En battant le pavé de concert avec les Européens, les leaders de nombreux pays arabes et musulmans, notamment du golfe ,Ð Persique, s'affirment solidaires, ce jour-là, de leur partenaire français. Ils sont venus, malgré leur aversion, et celle de leurs Raqqa, le fief des djihadistes en Syrie, est faites au Prophète", justifie le même populations -les manifestations antichré- retenu prisonnier par le groupe terroriste. Davutoglu, tandis qu'à Istanbul des tiennes au Niger, par exemple, en témoi- policiers échouent dans leur tentative gnent-, pour les caricatures de Charlie Les Emirats arabes unis, quant à eux, ont d'empêcher la publication du quotidien Hebdo, qui, à leurs yeux, blasphèment le dépêché à Paris le ministre des Affaires d'opposition Cumhuriyet, le seul dans le Prophète, étrangères. En vertu d'un accord de monde musulman à oser publier un cahier C'est un signe, selon certains experts, de défense, I'armée française dispose d'une spécial avec la plupart des caricatures de I'inquiétude des Etats moyen-orientaux base militaire près d'Abou Dhabi, d'où Luz et des autres rescapés de la tuerie... Au- face à la menace djihadiste du groupe Etat décollent ses avions Rafale et Mirage qui delà des derniers rebondissements, les cen- islamique (EI, ou Daech en arabe) en Syrie bombardent les positions de l'EI en Irak, sures de la presse se multiplient en et en lrak. De fait, I'unanimité politique L'Algérie et I'Egypte, également représen- Turquie, dirigée depuis douze ans par affichée à Paris est forte. Mais elle est tées, ne participent pas à la coalition anti Recep Tayyip Erdogan, qui fut Premier trompeuse. Car le soutien de plusieurs pays Daech. Mais ces deux pays ont fort à faire ministre avant d'être élu président en paraît incongru, à bien des égards, tant leur avec leurs extrémistes cachés dans leurs 2074. régime ne brille pas par le respect des lib- refuges de Kabylie etdu Sinaï, "Les régimes ertés fondamentales, et en particulier la lib- arabes n'ont aucun problème avec le fonda- "Tandis que son parti, I'AKP, développe une erté de la presse. Plus grave, la Turquie, le mentalisme, tant qu'il ne s'en prend pas à morale conservatrice, Erdogan se montre Qatar ou ì'Arabie saoudite, pour ne citer leur autorité politique", note le chercheur de plus en plus autoritaire et obsédé par la qu'eux, ont cultivé ou cultivent encore un Romain Caillet, basé au Liban. personnalisation du pouvoir", souligne rapport ambigu avec I'islam radical, selon Dorothée Schmid, chercheuse à I'lnstitut leurs intérêts géopolitiques. Tandis que la LA TURQUIE, PARTENAIRE OBIECTIF DE français des relations internationales (lfri). duplicité tient lieu de politique à nombre L'ETAT ISTAMIQUE Le gendarme des médias turcs menace de d'Etats dans la région, les djihadistes essai- poursuites judiciaires tous les organes de ment et prospèrent ¡igne des temps, le jeu de la Turquie, presse qui publieraient des documents ten- Jpourtant officiellement lalque, apparaît dant à prouver qu'Ankara a livré des armes Les partisans les plus déterminés de la lutte plus ambigu. Protocole oblige, le Premier à certains groupes rebelles islamistes contre l'islam armé son! sans surprise, les ministre, I'islamo-conservateur Ahmet syriens -ce que le gouvernement nie. régimes qui y voient une menace pour leur Davutoglu, a défilé au premier rang de la propre survie. Ainsi, la présence à Paris du marche parisienne. Trois jours plus tard, en Il y a un an, pourtant, quand des camions roi Abdallah de fordanie et de son épouse, revanche, lors de la publication du nouveau chargés d'armes ont été interceptés à la Rania, n'est pas étonnante. Le souverain Charlie Hebdo, un tribunal a ordonné Ie frontière syrienne, ils étaient escortés, hachémite, gardien des lieux saints musul- blocage des pages de quatre sites Internet, selon certaines sources, par les services de mans de Jérusalem, s'affiche dans la coali- qui reproduisaient la couverture de I'heb- renseignement. Depuis le début de la tion menée par les Etats-Unis, contre le domadaire satirique, montrant Mahomet guerre civile en Syrie, Ankara, qui veut faire "calife" Abou Bakr al-Baghdadi, qui a pour avec une pancarte "fe suis Charlie". tomber Bachar el-Assad, est accusé de fer- ambition de renverser le royaume. Un mer les yeux face au passage sur son terri- pilote jordanien, dont I'avion a été abattu à "Nous ne pouvons accepter les insultes toire, en sus des armes et de toutes Ð 27 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaieut-Berheaokn Çapê-Riaistø Stampø-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti Ð sortes de contrebande, de centaines de jeunes djihadistes européens. Ce qui irrite Des ilignitaires au plus haut point les alliés américains et qøtariens rcçus par européens, en particulier la France, dont Erançois Hollanile à 1400 ressortissants ont rejoint la Syrie. l'Elysée øoønt la matche républi- Parmi eux, Hayat Boumeddiene, qui a cøine, le 11 ianaier. gagné le territoire syrien depuis la Turquie REUTERSlPascal quelques jours avant que son mari, Amedy Rossignol Coulibaly, tue une policière municipale à Montrouge. Le double langage est une con- stante de la politique nationaliste "néo- ottomane" d'Erdogan. Le président refuse d'ouvrir la base d'lnçirlilç dans le sud du pays, aux avions de la coalition anti-Daech, rorisme, David Cohen, déplore la législa- Client important de I'industrie d'arme- alors que Parlement d'Ankara a donné le tion permissive de ces deux Etats qui per- ment française, Riyad considère Paris son feu vert à un engagement militaire. En met à des associations caritatives de comme un allié sûr depuis que octobre 2014, les chars turcs sont restés récolter des fonds privés pour des motifs Washington, son partenaire historique, immobiles devant la bataille de Kobané, humanitaires en apparence, qui atterris- discute avec Téhéran sur son programme peuplée de Kurdes syriens. sent "souvent", note le rapport, dans les nucléaire. François Hollande a effectué poches de groupes extrémistes. Le Qatar se deux voyages en Arabie depuis le début de partenaire La Turquie apparaît comme un défend contre ces accusations devenues son quinquennat que, para- objectif de I'Etat islamique, alors rituelles et fait valoir que I'armée améri- doxalemen! Ankara est engagé dans un caine dispose sur son territoire de son cen- t'INFLUENCE DU WAHHABISME S'ÉTEND processus à interminable d'adhésion tre de commandement pour tout le Moyen- AU-DELÀ DE t'ARABIE SAOUDITE complaisance I'Union européenne. "La Orieng le Centcom, poursuit turque à l'égard de Daech un dou- fì este que le royaume, gardien des lieux ble objectif, souligne I'ancien ambassadeur L'émirat a aussi multiplié les investisse- -tlsaints de I'islam sunnite, applique et à : Denis Bauchard, conseiller spécial I'lfri ments à l'étranger, notamment en France, promeut à travers le monde une idéologie affaiblir le régime syrien et éviter la créa- avec la bénédiction de Nicolas Sarkozy. ll fondamentaliste, le wahhabisme, version tion d'un Kurdistan autonome que dirig- n'empêche. Le jeune émir du Qatar, Tamim ultrarigoriste de I'islam dont se réclament erait son ennemi, Parti des travailleurs le al-Thani, n'a pas osé s'afficher à Paris le 11 aussi les dirigeants de Daech. "Le pouvoir kurdes (PKK), à sa frontière sud. Puissance janvier : il a envoyé son frère, Mohamed, se sort de sa contradiction en dissociant le sunnite, Ankara se réjouit de la faiblesse du Nul doute que le régime entend ménager radicalisme politique, qui est mal, du radi- gouvernement chiite." irakien ce qui tient lieu d'opinion publique. calisme religieux, qui est bon", note le poli- tologue Olivier Roy, spécialiste de I'islam, quant Dorothée Schmid, à elle, s'interroge: L'ARABIE SAOUDITE A CRIMINALISÉ "Ankara targue grand pays se d'être le tES ORGANISATIONS DIIHADISTES Pas moins de 87 décapitations ont eu lieu musulman de I'Otan. Les Turcs sont essen- pour des faits de droit commun fmeurtres, tiels à toute intervention militaire dans la ccusée d'avoir enfanté Oussama ben "sorcellerie"...-) en 2014, et dix depuis le région. Mais leurs ambigu'ités et leurs réti- ¡ t\Laden et 15 des 19 terroristes du 11 début de I'année. Deux jours avant la polices cences à travailler avec les septembre 200L, le chef de file des puis- marche de Paris, à laquelle Riyad n'avait de européennes et avec les militaires sances sunnites de la région, I'Arabie saou- envoyé qu'un représentant de second rang, I'Otan donnent le sentiment qu'ils ne sont dite, a gagné, sur son territoire, une guerre un blogueur, Raif Badaoui, était fouetté en pas à leur poste. A la fin, où est la Turquie?" de dix ans contre les terroristes - public à Djedda, après avoir été condamné aujourd'hui retranchés au Yémen sous à dix ans de prison pour "insulte à I'islam". DOHA NIE FINANCER DES GROUPES l'égide d'Al-Qaeda dans la péninsule Les valeurs intransigeantes du régime, sur DIIHADISTES Arabique [Aqpa), qui a revendiqué I'atten- lesquelles repose une part de sa légitimité, tat contre Charlie Hebdo. Elle est sont aux antipodes de la société française, Paris, question plus 1 7ue de la apparaît aujourd'hui très impliquée contre les dji- notamment concernant la laTcité et la mix- V brûlante, encore, s'agissant du Qatar. hadistes de Daech, qui la menacent à leur ité. "Le soutient PSC... terro- Qatar le et le tour : plus de 2500 combattants islamistes Cette pancarte par un sup- risme." brandie viennent de ce pays, selon Romain Caillet. Or I'influence doctrinale du wahhabisme porteur à corse lors d'un match de football ne cesse de s'étendre, en Europe partic- Bastia, le 14 janvier, en dit long sur I'image Obsédé par la montée en puissance de ulièrement. "Cela pose problème dès lors de ce petit mais richissime émirat gazier. l'lran chiite, le royaume a laissé certains de que, sous I'effet de discours salafistes, des Doha nie financer des groupes djihadistes. ses ressortissants financer des rebelles jeunes Français commencent à dire : la Soutien des Frères musulmans et du islamistes qui luttent contre Bachar el- convivialité avec les nonmusulmans, c'est palestinien, Hamas le Qatar, en revanche, Assad, allié de Téhéran. Avec retard, la mal", ajoute Olivier Roy. Facilitée par les assiste certaines des factions islamistes en monarchie semble avoir compris qu'elle réseaux sociaux et les vidéos disponibles guerre contre Bachar el-Assad. Les Emirats nourrissait de futurs ennemis, qui accusent sur Internet, la banalisation du salafisme soupçonnent aussi Doha d'ai- arabes unis la famille Al-Saoud vieillissante d'être ven- est un terreau sur lequel peut pousser le en qui s'opposent der les rebelles Libye due aux Etâts-Unis : inquiète du départ de djihadisme. o aux autorités élues de Tobrouk. Avec le ses jeunes, elle a ainsi criminalisé les pays pointé Koweït, le est aussi du doigt organisations djihadistes, comme Daech par le Trésor américain, ou le Front Al-Nosra, le bras armé d'Al- Qaeda en Syrie, au printemps dernier (les rapport d'avril le sous- Dans un daté 2014, Emirats arabes unis ont fait de même). secrétaire chargé de la lutte contre le ter- 28 Reaue de Presse-Pr ess Reuieu)-Berheaoka Çøpê-Riais ta Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti vend¡edl 23 ianvier 20I5 La campagne des alliés contre Daech sera longue La coalition menée par les États-Unis estime avoir stoppé l'avance de l'État islamique sur le terrain. Mais il reste < beaucoup à faire >. ge gont réunl¡, Jeudl, au manolr que et, coordonnées à I'action des de Lancast€r HourG. FtORENIItt COLLOMP I @fcollomp trouÞes irakiennes au sol, de repren- S. ROUSSEAU/AFP coRRESPONDANT ÀLONDRES dre 700 kilomètres carrés de territoi- re. << Nous awni défínìtivemert mis sa propagande. Sur la sellette pour la Daech sur la délenslve >>, se félicite porosité de sa frontlère avec la Syrie, le LA GUERRE contre Daech sera longue Kerry. Plusieurs milliers de ses com- premier ministre turc, Ahmet Daúuto- et difflcile, préviennent les alliis de la auraient été tués, dont la glu, s'est dit incapable de déployer des coalition de soixanté pays, menée par battants moitié de son état-major. Des centai- les États-Unis, qtÍi combat I'organisa- soldats sur plus de 900 kilomètres de nes de véhicules, de tanks, de Posi- tion terrorisie en Irak et en Syrie' Pour long. Selon un'rapport de la commis- tions d'ariillerie, de oasernes ont été le ministre des Affaires étrangères bri- sion du Conseil de sécwité de I'ONU détruits. Les dépôts pélroliers et les tannique, PhiliP Hammond, iI faudra publié en novembre, 15 000 combat- o ctumoiwsunanouileux >> avant dti re- capacités de raffinerie conttôlés par tânts étrangers de 80 pays ont rejoint pousser l'État islamique hors d'Irak' Daech ont été endommagés, Pesant les rangs de Daech et d'autres organi- Réuni à Londres jeudi à I'i¡itiative sur ses ressources financières, néces- sations radicales en Syrie et en lrak. dtr Royaume-Uni ét des États-Unis, saires pour Payer ses soldats. Il reste Les alliés entendent mieux coopérer un grouPe restreint de 21 PaYs mem- pourtant < 29 Reuue de Presse-Press Reoiew-Berheaoka Çøpê- Riaista Stampø-Dentro de Ia Prensø-Basin Özeti f¡rtcrn¡tion¡l ñtu llork @irncø JANUARY L9,2OI5 Wbsterrì-style malls sprouting up in lran lEHRAN With sanctions limiting POULTF'Y lr investment, retail centers T emerge as a safe choice 'æ-+-' BYTHOMAS ERDBRINK The low rumble of powerful engines re- verberated against the high-rises of Za- feranieh, an upmarket neighborhood, as Porsches and Mercedes lined up to enter the multistory parking lot of a fancy new shopping mall, the Pallacl;- um, the latest addition to Tehrafs shop' pmg scene, Iran may be tacing a dangerous eco' nomic abyss, with an empty treasury, historically low oil prices and the con- tinuing damage of Western economic sanctions, but one indicator is going roof: DeveloPers'have through the Shopping in the Palladium mall ln northern Tehran, "We cäter to what people des¡re to dol broken ground on a record 400 shopping they shop," said the mall's owner' malls across the country, 65 in Tehran spendlng money, buylng stuff and eqioying themselves as alone. In part, the malls are a lagging indica' piety, Commercials, once banned on opened its doors near Tehran's Mehra' tor, a t€stament to a not so distant past state television and billboards, are now when Iran was raking in record oil allowed, but onlyfor lranian products. represent a departure profits, earning more than $700 billion in The new malls past the last decade. Awash ill money, with a from all this. Customers cah stroll relatively strong currency, Iranians de- Nike and Massimo Dutti stores, order Western, in line witlt the tastes and life' ground veloped a taste for luxury setting off a frqshly baked baguettes in the styles oftheir target middle- and upper- boom in construction projects to host level supermarket or work out at the class customers. new shopping exPeriences. penthouse gym overlooking the city and "It is just such a Pleasant exPeri But the mall-building boom also re- its majestic Alborz mountain range. ence," said Fatemeh Gholipour as she flects other factors, as cbnstruction and "ïl/e cater to what people desire to recently pushed her cart through the investment companies affiliated with do: spending money, buymg stuff and long and well-stocked aisles of the Palla' the Revolutionary Guards Corps and enjoying themselves as they shop," said dium's supermarket, "They have ev- Hassan just the police have led the waY. the owner of the Palladium, Raf- erything under one roof. It is like "Under sanctions, with nowhere else tari, who described himself as a sho- the malls I have seen in Dubai and Tl¡r- paholic. famous to invest, building shopping malls is the The scion of a family for key. I feel modern shoPPing here." only lucrative business in Iran," said its kebab restaurants, Mr. Rafta¡i led a For urban Iranians, manY of whom Jamshid Edalatian, an economist. "The business expansion into the construc- have seen their income dwindle during tion of luxury apartments buildings. years of sanctions, the malls are a con- Guards, the police and other institutions During his trips abroad, he said, he lirmation,of their growing influence. are the ones who have rrroney, so it is lo- would always wonder why shopping in Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the gical foÉ them to invest in what makes a Iran was so boring. public spaces' us- profit." state has dominated "So I decided to build my own shop- the morals police and state Together with banks, wealthY indi- ing murals, ping cente¡" he said, stressing that his media to emphasize what officials say viduals, powerful foundations' tax'ex- mall is completely privately owned. He are unchangeable revolutionary values. empt organizations that are supposed to is now selling the mall's 250 shops one ln private, though, Iranians have moved care for the poor, Iran's security forces by one, reportedly at prices of about on, embracing satellite TV and the In- are building malts with Western-sound- $330 a square meter. "We have 1,000 ternet, widening their world views and ing names such as Rose, Mega MalI and parking spaces, and my only mistake their lives to those of peoplê Plaza. Their bright neon letters comparing Atlas has been that I haven't built more," Mr. Europe and other contrast to the revolu- in Tlrrkey, Malaysia, stand in sharp Raftari said. painted on murals in popular holiday destinations. tionary slogans Malls comparable to the Palladium persPective, the glitzY surrounding neighborhoods, labeling From that are mushrooming across the city, Ac- shopping malls stand out as middle- consumerism a Western illness and ta- cording to an industry website, Iran- class outposts in the dtate-controlled boo under Iran's rigid ideologY, mall,ir,65 malls and entertainment cen- economy, indications of lranian's in- Not so long ago, shopPing in revolu- ter are currently being developed itt the creasing desire to join the modern tionary Iran was a dull experience, with not just for the rich. Around capital, and world, experts say. hole-in-the-wall stores offering the Tehran's southern bus terminal, one of are just so many electronics and furniture' "Nowadays, there same clothes, the poorer areas of the city, three malls urbanized, middle-class people in Shopping was considered a necessary are under construction. Tehra¡r who aspire Western life- evil meant to support a life of religious just to The colossal Mega Mall has styles," said Kazem Alireza, a history 30 Reaue de Pr esse-P r ess Reoieut-Berhevoka Çap ê- Riaista Stampa-Dentro de ln Prensa-Basin Ôzeti researcher working for the Parliament, the consumers' every whim are the added taxes from, them, currently at 8 "Their needs are met by developers same ones charged with enforcing pub- percent, Iic adherence to puritanical Islamic "Tfy to get taxes from four million in- "Nowadays, there are just so strictures on dress a¡rd behavior. A busi- dividual shops in our country," he said. many urbanized, middle-class ness magazine, Tejarat-e Farda, report- "The more centralizedl the better." ed last year that the lranian police have In the Palladium, a couple dropped aepire people in Tehran who their own construction arm, the Saze their child off at a playground in Book- to Western lifestyles j' Paydar Gharn, which is currently build- land, and then went off to browse the ing the Rose mall in WeÞt Tehran. shelves. Smiting attendants rushed to Under the "useful links" section, the customers Electronic City, who offer them consumerism, just like police webbite provides a connection to help at tablets and iPhones lay on tables the Western patterns of urbanization the construction company. A bank affil- where for all to test. and changing lifestyles. Shopping malls iated to the so-called police cooperation changing our make people happy, at least for now foundation, the Ghavar.rin Bank, and "Thjs mall is not only shopping culture, it's also a place where they are satisfied with them." the Mehregan Investment Company are The boom in shopping malls is just the driving forces behind the Mega people are nice to each other' Most simple economics, insiders say. "Basic- Mall, the magazine wrote. people you see here are smiling and not ally a group of l0 to 20 very wealthy in- Mr. Edalati4n, the economist and a stressed out as they are elsewhere in dividuals and state institutions are member of the Tehran Chamber of Com- this city," said Mobin Cheraghi, who building all the malls," said one chief ex- merce, pointed out that there is very was recently promoted to assistant to ecutive of a design company that serves little land left for massive Shopping Mr. Raftari, "It shows that lranians can the shopping centers, who asked not to malls in a densely populated city like have a Western lifestYle." ¡e namid bãcause of a fear of loslng Tehran. "Those are often owned by business. "They have moved from state foundations," he said. housing projects to malls. It's just very He also noted that the state prefers profitable." the shopping malls to the chaotic Many of the institutions catering to bazaars, as it is easier to colleqt value lntcnution¡l :\etr llork @inrcø JANUARY 19,2OI5 Sunnis in lraq wait for reforlrls, and word on loved ones BAGHDAD BYTIMARANGO Under her black chador, Awatif al-Azawy clutched a few things for her imprisoned husband: a can of 7Up, two falafel sand- wiches and a tube of skin cream' But even as she stood in a garden out- side Baghdad:s main iudicial complex, off limits to the relatives of the accused, she knew she was unlikely to see him' "I just like to spend my time here be- cause I feel closer to my husbandt" she said. "tf I 'd feel guiltY." On any women gath- er here in rs abouttheir men, some of lvhom have been jailed for years, "The lraqi ArmY took mY son in March of 2014," Tâwfika Abbas said' Abu Zaid with a picturepf his brother, who was arrested in October, He later found hls body "Until now, I donlt know where he is. in a Baghdad hospltal. He said his son had been sentenced to death after being tortured. Zero information." Another woman, Entisa¡ Gannos' ment to help them take over large ex- ance on confidential informants rather cried for her four sons: one jailed since panses of lraq. Mr. Abadi's ability to rec- than forensic evidence, and the exclu- 2006, another since 2010, and the other oncile witlt the Sunnis will ultimately sion of former Baath Party members - two since 2011, all without court hear- hinge on reforming the justice system' mostly Sunnis - from public life. "It is the most important thing Abadi Mr. .Abadi took office in September can do to re-enfranchise the Sunni pop' il¡ith a mandate to be a more inclusive ulation," said Erin Evers, the Iraq re' teáder, and he has promised judicial re- searcher for Human Rights Watch' forms, including ordering officers to In seeking reforms, Mr. Abadi is fac- carry out arrests only wittr a judicial inal justice system' Well-documented ing notjust the bitter sectarian legacy of warrant, andjudges to speed the release abusés of the system, including long de' hii predecessoç Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, of defendants who have already been tentions without trial and confessions ob' but also a troubled vestige of the Amer- declared innocent but still sit in prison. by torture, are the primary griev- tained ican occupation. At the core of the griev- So far, on that issue, Mr. Abadi's of the country's Sunniminority. ance ances ofthe Sunni community are prac- promises have been largely unfulfilled. are high, given the success The stakes tices adopted by the United States after That reflects both deeply entrenched State jihadists have had in that Islamic the invasion in 2003: arbitrary arrests in problems, including a reliance on secret outrage at the govern- exploiting Sunni the name of counterterrorism, the reli- informers and confessions rather than 3l Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaoka Çøpê-Riaista Stampø-Dentro de Ia Prensa-Basin Özeti forensic evidence, and the fact that tal. He said his son had been sentenced out finding her son. many of the armed groups on the gov- to death after being tortured and con- Inside the judici4ry's headquarters, ernment'S side, such as Shiite.militias, fessing to setting off a car bomb, and he Judge Abdul Sattar al-Bayraktar, ajudi- ' continue to cairy out arbitrary arrests hopes the case will be reviewed. ciary spokesmân, admitted that torture and other abuses and. are largely be- "There are thousands of stories simil- was a problem, but largely dismissed yond Mr. Abadi's reach. ar to mine," he said. the grievances of the women outside' "We know arrests are continuing un- The resentments of the Sunni commu- Referring to their stories of nighttime claims til now, and we know torture is continu- nity have been largely shaped by the ac- raids, he said: "So an old woman ing," said Ayad Allawi, a vice president tions and decisions of American officials her son was sleeping and he was arrest- who is overseeing the new govern- more than a decade ago. ed. Yes, he was sleePing, but what was ment's reconciliation program s. "We blame theAmerican administra- he doing before he was sleePing. Late last year, for example, when mili' tion for everything that has happened," Murders? Assassinations?" garden tias pushed the Islamic State out of Jurf- said Sheikh Abu Salem, a Sunni tribal Ms. Azawy waited in the until her al-Sakr southwest of Baghdad, hundreds leaSer from Madaen, who said count- late afternoon before learning that of local men were summarily detained. less members of his tribe had been ar- "We don't know where theY are," said rested over the years. Overhauling the justice sYstem Many secret informers who were once Sheikh Qassim al-Jqnabi, atribal leader is "the most important thing area, who added that basic on the payroll of the Antericans noïv are from that "a Abadi can do to re.enfranchise right of a democratic society is to know employed by lraqi officials. All too often, judicial where your son iswhen he is arrested"' senior officials admit, the inform- the Sunni population." provide The scope of the problem is not Pre- ers unreliâble information that cisely known, but officials and activists still becomes the basis for convictions. agreed that there were likely tens of A man in Diyala Provincé who works husband's court appeaiance had-been thousands of Sunni men languishing in as an informant and spoke on the condi- delayed until February. She wasn't al- jails, never seen tlte inside of a tion of anonymity because of the secret lowed to give him the sandwiches or having job, courtroom. Many were put there solely nature of his said that after the soda or ointment, which she said he 2011, he had con- on the word of a secret informer, as Ms. Americans left in the authorities needed for a skin condition Azawy said was the case with her hus- would often fail to follow up tip-based tracted in prison. arrests with investigations. "I would Even so, she temains hoPeful that to band; others because they confessed say 70 percent of secret informers things will change. Before, when Mr, tortured. crimes alter being provide false information," he said. Maliki would appear on television, she proved innocentmust pay Even those At lhe garden, some of the women say would change the channel, or turn off to actually walk out the door bribes - they do not know where their men are the TV. "But with Abadi it's different"' anywhere from to $50,000, said $2,000 being held or, in some cases, even ifthey she said, "We utant to hear what he has al-Awosy, defense lawYer Shahlaa a are alive. Nearly two years ago, àmid a to say." who represents detained Sunnis and "Abadi is much better than Maliki"' who herself has been arrested on terror- series ofprison breaks carried out bythe she added. "We atre all optimistic'" ism charges. lslamic State, the government stopped familY, seems, has a allowing families to visit prisoners. Every Sunni it o shY co ntr ibutedrepof.nB "Until today, we don't know where he Omar a'l-J ow story about detentions. and emploYees olThe A man who gave his name as Abu is or what happened," said Attia Abdul- JromBaghitad, ew Yorþ Times rom Anb ør and D iy alo south of lah, who last saw her 40-year-old son, N f Zaid, who lives in Madaen, provinces. Baghdad, said that his biother was ar- Ammar, in July, when he was suddenly rested in Octobe¡ after Mr. Abadi took taken away in a midnight raid on their office, and that after a painful search, he house. She hired a lawye¡ who she said had found his body in a Baghdad hospi- ran off with $20,000 of her money ¡with- @ Syrie: l8 morts dans Combrt¡.ntrc Kurdo¡ ct pro-As.d Gn Syric des combats inédits "rjRQLrt o Kobåni H¿15¿leh entre Kurdes et armée a o Srnlåt o Beyrouth, 18 janvier 2015 (AFP) Alep o Råhl.r AU tlolils 18 PERSOilNES ont pórl dan3 dcc combatr sana prócódent opporant les forces kurde3 aux troupe! du róglme syr¡on à Hacsaka, dans o pays guerre, de3 D¿r u lstu I'est du on a rapportó dlmanche I'Oblerveto¡re syrlon SYIIE drolts de I'Homme (OSDH). Les combats entre ces deux camps sont rares depuls le clébut du conflit en Syrie il y a près de quatre ans, sulout après la décision de l'armée de se retirer des zones kurdes de I'est et du nord du pays. LlEA¡r poursuivaient Les affrontements, qui ont édaté samedi matin à Hassaka, se a 06rl dimanche et ont coûté la vie à "huit membrcs des Unités de protection du peu- I¡AK ple kurde (YPG, la princlpale milice kurde) et des Assayesh (forces de sécurité quelque sup€rflcie, tandis que les kurdes), ainsi qu'à neuf combattants du rÉgime, à la fois des soldats et des mili- kurdes et mixtes de Ia ville, soit 30% de sa Hassaka. ciens", selon IOSDH. forces du Égime ont la main sur les secteurs à majorité arabe de D'autres parties de la ville ont enfin été déclarées zones d'exclusion par les deux parailleurs été luée dans ces affront€ments, précise I'ONG qu¡ s'atr Une civile à camps. puie sur un vaste réseau d'infomaleurs, de militants et de sources médicales. Hassaka, capitale prov¡nciale de quelque 200.000 habitants, est restée rclative- par de soldats Les combats ont débuté après la capture les YPG d'une dizaine ment calme, malgré les tentatives du groupe jihad¡ste Etat islamique (El) de pris accusés d'avoir lê contrÕle de secteurs d'une zone dém¡litarisée. s'emparer de certains secteurs. Combattants kurdes et forces du régime Depu¡s un accord condu øî 2014, les forcês kurdes contrÕlent les quartiers s'étaíent alors alllés pour rcpousser les assalllants. 32 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiant-Berheaoka Çapê-Riaista Stømpa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti 23 janvier 2015 L'endigllement de l'État islamique - reste la seule stratégte d'une coalition divisée Kobané: Depuls septembre Mont SlnJar: Barrage Mossoul l 2014, forte iésistance des , reprls en décembre 2014 de Mossoul: 2'ville du pays ADRIEN JAULMES I (ÐAtlriert.lauh¡res Kurdes appuyés par les frappes i par les pechmergas repris tÒujours tenue de la coalltlon contre Daech ' kurdes le 17 août 2014 par Daech COir¿\¿fNCÉn dans la confusion et I'im- llil[iill,: provisation, la guerre contre l'État isla- a mique s'annonce longue et difficile, Après six mois de bombardements, le a proto-État djihadiste ne s'est pas disloqué cornme celui des talibans en 2001, L'in- tervention de la coalition internationale a ) permis d'u'rêter l'avance des islamistes en lrak, et quelques territoires conquis Der leur ont été repris, corrune le balrage de Mossotil ou le uront Sinjal. Mais la plupart des régions sunnites d'Irak restent sous le contrôle de l'Etat islamique, qui atteift presque les portes de Bagdad. La situation a s'est en revanche détériorée su le front ._syrien, Loin áe reculer, l'État islamique a Ì^ les six demiers mois consolidé 'sonþendant I emprise sul les provinces qu'il occú- Trebll a. a pait déjà dans I'est, tout en étendant son Karbala territoire vers l'ottest, en direction lr)Rl¡ì l{lE IRAK d'Alep, de Harna et de Damas. Près de la A8A iJ IË -a moitié de Ia Syrie et ur tiers de I'Irak sont Sli{lUOil F. sous la corlpe de la nouvelle désormais iìs atteignent Abou Ghraib, et appro- entité qui s'étale comme une tache de Obama finit par ordonner chent de Bagdad. I'envoi de sangsur lacarte du Moyen-Orient, duTi- troupes juin, Le rezzott s'est transformé en guerre en Irak Ie 30 Deux a¡rs et gre jusqu'à I'Oronte . demi après éclair, et le Moyen-Orient yient de letu départ en décem- La surprise stratégique créée par I'Etat bre 2011, les soldats américains co¡u¡aitre le plus grand coup de théâtre sont de islamique en juin 2014 n'a pas encore été retour, avec de son histoire contemporaine depuis 800 hommes chargés de surmontée. Partis du territoi¡e dont ils protéger I'aér'oport et I'ambassade I'offensÍve israélienne de la guerie des arné- s'étaient emparéb dans l'est de la Syrie à ricaine à Bagdad, ainsi que le consulat Six-Jou¡s. Le 29 juin, les djihadistes célè- la faveur de Ia guerre civile, les djihadis- américain à Erbil, mais pas brent leu¡ victoire en aruronçant la créa- ne sont offi- tes ont prìs tout le monde de cows en << tion d'r¡n norrveau califat, quatre-vingt- ciellement en mission rle com- lançant lew offensive vers I'Irak. L'ir- bot >>. Les djihadistes, dix ans après son abolition par Atatü,rk. eux, le sont. Ils ruption des colorures de camionnettes continuent offensive L'EIIL devient l'État islamique, et son lew et s'emparent chargées de combattants au dlapeau de plusieurs villes, dont qui chef, Abou Baqr al-Baghdadi, se procla- Sinjar, leu noir sul la route de Mossoul restera l'une ouvre me cnlife. Tont aussi symboliquement est la route d'Erbil, la capitale du des plus grandes faillites contemporaine Krudistan. positions proclamée la fin de la frontière entre la Le 7 aott, les des des services de renseigrrement. La dé- pechmergas, les combattants Syrie et l'Irak,'tracée en 191ó par Sykes et kurdes, bandade de l'almée irakienne, dominée s'efïondrent. tombe, les Picot. En quelques semaines, la carte clu Qaraqosh et dji- par les chütes aupouvoir à Bagdad, équi- hadistes entreprennent l'épuration Moyen-Orient a été radicalement boule- pée et entlainée à grands frais par les confessionnelle territoires versée. Les djihadistes ont entrepris par des conquis. Américains, mais rninée par la corrup- La minorité yazidie ìes armes et la terreru de redessiner les est massacrée, les tion et détestée par Ia population dans les femmes frontières du Moyen-Orient, réduites en esclavage et les régions sunnites, est presque aussi tota- ch¡étiens bhassés. Le moncle entier est comme frappé de Lei survivants s'en- le, Des unités entières se volatilisent ou ftdent et se.réfugient stupeu devalt Ia vitesse et I'arnpleur de au sommet du mont prennent la ftrite. Les soldats prisonniers Sinjar, oìr, sans eau l'événement. La réponse tarde à arriver. ni vivres, ils sont as- par centaines par les par se font massacrer Barack Obama, élu en 2008 pour mettre siégés les djihadistes. djihadistes. Des vidéos macabres servent Obama se décide finalement à fin à la guerre en Irak, tergiverse. Il a re- agir. Il à terroriser d'avance les adversaires res- autorise pour la première ./røp= tiré les troupes américaines de ce pays en fois des tants. Mossoul, la detxième ville d'Irak, pes aériennes ciblées 2011 et refusé à Ia dernière minute d'in- pour protéger les tombe 10 juin. Les combattants de solda.ts améríccins >>, ,< le tervenir contre Bachar el-Assad en 2013. et annonce uneJ- islamique en lrak et au Levant, son > I'Etat Il ne veut pas se retrouver embarqué lort humanitoire pour aider les milliers nom de l'époque, continuent leur ava¡r- de dans une nouvelle aventure miÌitaire au civils i¡akiens pris au piège sur.la ce. Ils prennent le barrage de Mossoul, montagne. Moyen-Orient. Mais le temps presse, et Mais I'Irak reste le seul cadre les Ies bonsculent combattants kurdés, les choix sont lùirités. Les djihadistes de son action. Il ne mentionne pas Ia Sy- pechmergas, et menacent Kirkouk. Au menacent Bagdad et son aéroport. Rien rie, ni n'évoque une stratégiè globale sud, s'emparent de Samarra. ils Tikrit, n'indique que l'année iraliienne puisse contre I'Etat islamique. Il promet en re Depuis I'ouest oir ils ont repris Faloudja, les arrêter. vanche qu'il ne laissera pas les États- 33 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaoka Çapê- Riaistø Stampa-Dentro de la Prensø-Bøsin Ozeti Unis entrer: dans une nouvelle güerre: ou à les écraser avec une voitw'e ou ò, les dent turc Erdogan est la chute de Bachar << Les ttoupes améncaines ne tetou¡-neront précipiter danslevide ou ìtles étrangler ou el-Assad plus que celle de l'État islani- ,r, pas combath'e enlrak. >> ùles enrpoisonner que, et la Turquie se méfie presque plus Le 8,aott, les premiers bombarde- Les premiers bombartleménts améri- des Kurdes que des djihadistes. Si elle ne ments américains co¡nmencent en lrak. cains õontre des cibles de l'État islami- bombarde pas I'Etat islamique, elle en Les frappes visent d'ábord à stopper que en Syrie ont finâlement lieu le profite pour lancer quelques raids sw 23 septembre. L'Arabie saoudite et les I'avance des djihadistes contre le Krudis- son territoile contre un autre mouve- aråbes rmis se joignent.cette fois tan. Des bombardements et des largages Érni¡ats ment ku¡de, le PKK. d'aide humanitaire tentent ensuite de aux opérations. Raqqa, la capitale des L'arme aérienne atteint aussi ses limi: que faire lever Ie siège du rnont Sinjar, et djihadistes est bombardée, ainsi des tes : les listes de cibles s'épuisent et I'effi- rafüheries et des installations pétrolières aident à reprendre le barrage de Mossoul. cacité des bonrbardements décroit à me- Le 19 aott, I'Etat islamique frappe le qui :Ílimentent leurs finances, ainsi que sure que I'erutemi prend des mesures de d'autres mouvernents djilradistes liés à monde d'horreu¡ en rendant Public dispersion et de camouflage. l,e mañque Jabhat al-Nosra et Khorasan. l'égorgement fiImé de James Foley, jow- al-Qaida, dè troupes au sol devient évident. Les que naliste américain retenu en otage depuis Les Américains assruent rien n'est Kurdes sont pratiquement les seuls à se évidemment coordonné avec le régime deux ans. << (ln groupe comme I'EIIL n'Q battre directement contre les djihadis- de el-Assad, que les membres de pas saplace auXXIe sièclerr, déclare Oba- Bacha¡ tes, mais leurs combattants n'agissent ma le lendemain. Mais une dizaine de la coalition veulent aussi renverser. Mais que sur leuÍs territoires. L'a¡mée ira- jows plus tard, le président américain les bombardements en Syrie se concen- kienne est ailssi inefficace que pléthori- admet : < Ne mettotæ pasla chanue avant trent rapidement début octobre vers que. En Syrie, l'État et I'a¡méè ïestent les bæufs: nous n'cvons pas encore de Kobané. Cette petite ville syrienne à ma- ceux durégime de Bachar, autre adver- stratégie >> contre I'Etat islamique. jorité kurde, collée à la frontière turque saire de la coalition, allié de I'Iral, et Le 2 septembre, un autre otage, Steven devient Ie principaì lien d'affrontement presque aussi préoccupant pour les régi- Sotloff est égorgé à son tôur par les djiha- entre I'Etat islamique et la coalition in- mes arabes sunnites que l'État islamique. distes. Obama annonce I'envoi de quel- ternationale. Au sol, les seuìs combat- Les programmes d'entraînement et ques }roupes supplémentaires en Irak, tants sont des Kurdes des milices de dé- d'équipement de <, rebelles modé¡és >> portant à I 200 le nornbre de soldats fense populaire YPG. Les combats font syriens, pierre angulaire de la stratégie << ní Bachar, ni djihadistes >, se révèlent américains. Et annonce qu'il a trouvé rage dans la ville. Les bombaldements au rnieux inefficaces, au pire contre- une stratégie. << Nofre objectif est clair ,r, sont intenses. Les Américains parachu- productifs quand les rebelles font défec- dit le président américain le 10 septem- tent des annes aux Kurdes. Après des se- bon. tion ponr rejoindre les djihadistes. bre, <. Norr.c allons brßer, et Íinø'lement maines d'incertihrde, Kobané tient détruire I'Etat islomíque en Irak et ou Le- L'État islamique est arrêté dans sa pro- vdnf >. Les quatre volets de sa stratégie gression, mais il tient toujoru's des posi- Obama porte en novembre tions dans la ville, polûtant collée à la sont: une campagne aérienne systéma- le nombre de soldats tique contre I'Etat islamique, un soutien frontière Íuque. accru aux forces qui le combattent au La bataille de Kobané met au jour l'at- américains en Irak à 3000 sol, des mesures antiterroristes potu titude plus qu'unbiguë de la Turquie. empêcher les attaques de l'État islami- Membre dé I'Otan, elle possède une porte en novembre le nombre que et la livraison d'aide humanitaire frontière commune avec le territoire Obama de soldats américains en Irak à 3 000, es- auri populations déplacées par les djiha- par et l'une des contrôlé I'État islamique, sentiellement pour lenter de mieux distes. Le 19 septembre, les premières plus puissantes armées du Moyen- coordonner les bombardements avec les frappes françaises sur I'Irak conunen- Orient. Potutant, elle sert aussi de base troupes irakiennes. Au même moment, cent, les premières d'un pays occidet'rtaì et zone cle tra¡sit aux djihadis- arrière de le calife autoproclamé al-Baghdadi an- tes, indispensable à tout mouvernent i¡- autre que les États-Unis. L'État islami- nonce, quant à lui, dans un eruegistre- sur¡ectiomrel. Le pétrole vendu par que entend porter'le djÍhad en Occident, ment sonore que < lc croiso;de est un l'État islamique transite par la Turquie; et lance un appel à ses partisans à tuer échecendepitàesaférocité >>, et appelle à et les djihadistes blessés sont soignés des infidèlei, << ùleur écraser lq tête avec attaquer I'A¡abie saoudite, le plus grand dans ses hôpitaux. La priorité du prési- unrocher ou ùles égorger øtec iln couteau et le plus riche Etat arabe, en même temps que celui qui contrôle les lieux saints de La Mecque et de Médine, Le 5 janvier, une première attaque est lan- cée contre la grande clôture érigée le long de sa frontière nord par le royaume saoudien, face à des djihadistes qu'il a longtemps financés. La stratégie d'endiguement mise en place par les Occidentaux a été la pre- mière réaction à la tempête régionale soulevée par l'État islamique. Sl ele a réussi à stopper I'expansion des djiha- distes en Irak, elle fonctiorure beaucoup moi¡s bien en Syrie, oÌr les Occideritaux n'ont que des adversaires, les Kurdes ex- ceptés. Plus nombreux qu'aucun groupe extrériliste avant eux, bien armés, pos- séda¡rt un territofue et dotés d'une idéo- lo$e traversant les foontières, les djiha- distes représentent un casse-tête struég.ique. lls bénéficient aussí large- ment des divisions de leu¡s ennemis et de lèur réticence à s'engager au sol, tout conune des contrâdictions et des arríè- Une explosion de la ville re-pensées des gouvernements d'une syrlenne.de Kobané, lors d'un rald aérlen ré$onravagée par la grande guerre en- contre I'Etat islamique, le 17 novembre tre chütes et su¡imites. dernier. osvrAN oRSAL/REliTERs I 34 Reaue de Presse-Press Rcuiew-Berheuokn Çøpê- Rioista Stømpø-Dentro de ln Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti frlllontc MARDI2T IANVIER 2015 Syrie : l'Occident cherche une issue avec le régime La lutte contre I'EI et l'impasse de Ia rébellion modérée entraînent une inflexion de langage envers Damas ðom- A l'Elysée, on reconnaît que le La question d'un éventuel Y Y ne rentarrve mort- r Jlors anors président Hollande et son entou- promis avec le régime soulève née ? La convocation questions. en serait I I rage proche s'interrogent depuis bien des Quel à r¡ne soluüon que I I oar la Russie d'une plusieurs semaines sur une évo- I'impact sur la coalition alors sur la Sy- \-/ äonférence poürnFott lution du positionnement fran- ìe départ du président syrien est rie, du z6 au z9 ianvier, Moscou, f çais. En clair, comment ¡unorcer une priorité pour des Piliers tels suscite des attentes plus que me- desåéments que la Turquie et lArabie surées. D'abord parce que la Rus- un dialogue avec des cadres du ré- du régtne saoudite ? |usqu'où peut allerl'en- principal al- gime dans le cadre d'une démar- sie est, avec I'Iran, le tente avec l'Iran alors que les Occi- che soutenueparune coalition de lié du régime de BacharAl-Assad. derrgtsontD dentaux, Américains en tête, ten- pays, notamment la Russie, qui Ensuite, parce que les partici- I¡I,RETfI FAEIU¡ un accord avec donnerait une plus large légiti- tent d'arracher pants annoncés à cette rencontre ministre Téhéran sur son programme représentent qu'un spectre mité à ce type de cheminement. ne des affaires étrangères nucléaire ? très limité de l'échiquier politi- Le lien entre la Syrie et le nu- Entontö ¡vcc l'lr¡n que syrien. cléaire iranien a touiours été ré- ' Une posture dictée par deux évo- L'initiative russe a été accueillie cusé par, les Occidentaux. Et ríen avec prudence par les chancelle- dres du régime àune coalition do- lutions sur le terrain. D'abord" les n'atteste, à ce stade,qu'un< giand minée parlbpposition, s'est subs- forces de lbpposition modéréé, ries occidentales qui se sont tou- deal t (un compromis sur le nu- de cloche en pointe au moment otr une in- tefois gardées de latorpiller, faute titué un son Plus cléaire en échange d'un lâchage à nuancé. Désormais, Ca- tervention occidentale était envi- de solution de rechange face Poursuit de Bachar) soit sur la table. Pour Grand, tt on envoie des sí- sagée, sont auiourd'hui margina- une guere syrienne qui entre mille Washington, les temporalités des pour dire que I'on lisées. Ensuite, il est difficile de bientôt dans sa cinquième année gnaux Peuttrou- deux dossiers ne sont simple- une solution avec les piliers du concilier un discours sur le refus et dont lbnde de choc déstabilise ver rrientpas comparables. Un accord ré:gime et pas contre eux D. de négocier avec M. Assad alors tout le Moyen-Orient. potentiel avec l'lrân s'inscrit dans Une évolution dans que les frappes aériennes menées t Force est de constater quetout PercePtible le cadre des deux a¡s qui restent les récentes intewentÍons de I¿u- parles Etats-Unis, dans le cadre de le monde a échoué r, lâche un di- du second mandât de M. Obama rent Fabius, le chef de la diPloma- la coalition intemationale, contre plomate européen de haut rang, alors qu'il a déià fait v¡lqir que la qui ne cesse de met- les positions de l'EI en Syrie, pous- en évoquant l'échec des deux mé- tie française, Iutte contfe l'EI's'étendrait au- tre en garde contre un effondre- sent, de facto, à une forme de coo- diations internationales à Ge- delà. r llEtat en SYrie pérationavecle régime de Damas. nève, en 2or2 et zor4 ainsi que ment total de Pour crrr,¡ó pnnrs'(À wÀsHINcroN) I'intervention militaire avortée éviter un scénario à l'irakienne. Mais cette stratégie expose jour ¡r w¡s-¡iticnnl Rrols, contre la Syrie, à la fin de ltté < Nous ne voulons Pas de Bachar aussi au grand les divergen- AVBC TACQUES TOILOROU zor3, après l'usage d'armes chimi- AlAssad, quÍ a contribué àIa moft ces entre les pays de la coalition, à ques parle régime Assad contre sa de plus de zoo ooo personnes, iI ne commencer par la France, qui ei- population. peut être I'avenìr de son PeuPle >, time que la priorité donnée à la Face à cette impasse, une cer- a-t-il insisté sur France z, le r9 ian- lutte militaire contre l'EI fragilise taine inflexion rhétorique vis-à- vier, en rappelant Ia Position dé- la perspective d'une sortie de vis du régime Assad est percepti- fendue de longue date par la crise en renforçant, de fait, le pou- ble des deux côtés de lAtlantique, France.,En revanche, a-t-il pour- voir syrien. c Si on arrÍve, d'íci l8 dont la po¡tée est néanmoins su- ou z4 mois, à une situation où les suivi, < nous a ídons à une solution iette à caution. ¡< liidée selon la- politÍque où des éléments du ré' forces de l'EI ont été réduites mais quelle I'effondrement du régime gime demeureront, appelons un avec une opposition qui aura ex- est inéIuctable est désotmais bat- chat un chat n. plosé entre-temps, iI ne resterq que Bachør, transi- tue en brèche r, relève Camille La demière fois que le président alors et toute Grand, directeur de Ia Fondation de Etats-Unis a évoqué pour sa tion politìque sera illusoire t, in- pour la recherche stratégique. ]us- part publiquement M. Assad, siste une source française proche qu'à présent, les Occidentaux ont c'était deux mois plus tôt, le du dossier. Ies toujours invoqué la feuille de 16 novembre, au sommet du Gzo Dans l'immédiat, inflexions route édictée à Genève, qui stipule de Brisbane. Dans des termes de langage à Iégard dAssad peu- que toute négociation doit abou- presque similaires, il avait écarté vent être interprétées comme des consente' signaux avant tout destinés aux tir à la.formation Par r explicitement << toute forme d'al' ment mutuel r d'un gouverne- IÍance r avec un homme qui a Russes et aux lraniens, les prÍnci- .< paux parrains de Damas. Mais ment de transition, doté des perdu r< touteformedelégitimíté t d'abord aux lraniens, note un di- pleini pouvoirs exécutifs >, ce qui vis-à-vis de son peuple. Le zo ian- suppose que M. Assad n'y joue vieB dans son discours sur l'état plomate impliqué dans le dossier. aucunrôle. de l'Union, Barack Obama s'est t tlran a plus d'influence en Syrie que Mais à ce discours, qui sous-en- contenté de mentionnerl'aide ap- les Russes, et I'lran a plus d'in- tendait que la finalité du proces- portée < à lbpposition modérée t fluence en Irøþ que les Améri- sus politique visait à rallier des ca- contre l'Etat islamique (EI). caÍns r¡, dit-il. 35 Reoue de Presse-Press Reuísw-Berheaoka Çapê- Riaistø Stampø-Dentro de lø Prensa-Basin Ozeti lrrtem¡tion¡l ñtu !lork @irucø JANUARY2O,2OIS ternational players that have fina¡rced warring parties, they are willing to ex- plore compromise with other Syrians. West shifts tactics Western diplomats who had long calied for Mr; Assad's immediate resig- nation now say that while he must not inclefinitely control key institutions like the military, a more gradual transition Syrian rnay in be conflict worth considering. One Western diplomat at the United Nations said that while a "post-Assad proposals chal- Tlre face serious phase" must eventually come, "the ex- BEIRUT, LEBANON lenges: The Islamic State, not seen as act timing of that, we can discuss," as palt of any talks, controls half of Syria's long as the solution does not "cement telritory, though much of that is empty Facing military stalemate, his position in power." desêr't. Many of America's allies in the Washington backs efforts Syrian opposition reject the plans, and \ryestern leaders now openly talk ;a gradual transition there is Iittle indication that Mr. Assad about allowing some current officials to foi or his ¡nain allies, Russia and Iran, feel remain to prevent Syria from disinteg- any need to-make substantial compro- rating, like Iraq and Libya. BYANNEBARNARD rnises. The American-backed FTee Syli- "The political solution will of course AND SOMINI SENGUPTA ar Almy is on the ropes in northern Syr'- include some elements of the regime be- ia, once its stronghold, and insurgents cause we don't want to see the pillars of American support for a pair of new dip- disagree qmong themselvès over mili- the state fall apart. We would end up initiatives in Syria underscores lomatic tary and.political strategy. with a situation like lraq," the French shifting views of how to end the civil the Still, Secretary of State John Kerry foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, told a war there and the West's quiet retreat declared on Wednesday that the United French l'adio station on Monday. from its demand thatthe country's pres' States welcomed both initiatives. He At the time, such statements ident, Bashar al-Assad, step down im- $ame made no call for Mr, Assad's resigna- have reinforced the idea that the West mediately. tion, a notable omission from Mr. Kerry, has decided to abandon the opposition The Obama administration still main- who has typically insisted on it in public and tolerate Mi'. Assad, an article of tains that a lasting political solution re' remarks. Instead, he spoke'of Mr. Assad faith now among ordinary anti-Assad quires Mr. Assad's exit. But facing mili- as a leader who ueeded'to change his Syrians and rank-and-file insurgents. well-armed jihadists and tary stalemate, policies. The view that the United States sup- the world's worst humanitarian crisis, "It is time for President Assad, the ports Mr. Assad is spreading even the United States is going along with in- Assacl regime, to put their people first among the groups receiving direct ternational diplomatic efforts that eould and to think about the consequences of American financing, groups deemed to more gradual change in Syria' lead their actions, which are attracting more moderate enough to receive arms.and shift comes along with other That and more terrorists to Syria, basically work with a United States-run opera- America¡i actions that Mr. Assad's sup- because of their efforts to remove As- tions center in Tbrkey. porters andopponents aliketake as proof sad," Mr. Keiry said. Tarek Fares, a secular Syrian Army that Washinglon buys his contention that On 'Ihursday in Geneva, Staffan de defector who long fought with the loose- alternative to his rule is extremism the Mistura; the United Nations envoy for knit nationalist groups known as the and chaos. American warPlanes now the crisis in Syria, also signaled atactic- Free Syrian Army, but who has lately bomb the Islamic State group's militants al shift, saying that "new factors" such quit fighting, joked bitterly aboutAmer- inside Syria, sharing skies with Syrian as the growth of the Islamie State, also ican policy one recent night in Antakya, jets. assure Mr' Assad, A¡nerican officials Tbrkey. through Iraqi intermediaries, that Syr- is how the Americans talk," he ia's military is not their target' The "The political solution will of "This said. "They say, 'ïVe have a red line, we United States still trains and equips Syr- course include some elements will support you, we will arm you.' They but rtow mainly to fight ian insurgents, of the regime because we do nothing, and then after four years the Islamic State, not the government. don't want to see the pillars of they tqll you Assad is the best option." States and other Now, the United The United Nations freeze proposal Western countries have publicly wel- the state fall apart." tries to improve on efforts over the last comed two new initiatives one from - 18 months inside Syria, where the gov- the United Nations and one from Russia called ISIS or ISIL, must l¡e taken into ernment and insurgents háve reached that postpone anY revival of the - account. He said there was no point in Iocal cease-fire'deals to restore basic United States-backed Geneva frame' trying to organize a third round of services and aid delivery most re- work, called for a wholesale which Geneva talks before building unam- cently on Thursday in the Waer- neigh- trairsfer of power to a "transitional gov- biguous support from both the Syrian borhood in the city of Homs. erning body." The last Geneva talks government and its opponents for some But those cease-fires have never had failed a ye¿¡r ago amid vehement dis- kind of political process." the imprimatur of international bodies, agreement over whether that bodY "Syrian The urgent seaÏch for a political solu- and often breakdown. With afew excep- could include Mr. Assad. tion, Mr. de Mistura said, must "bear in tions they have amounted to insur- One of the new concePts is a United ¡nind" not only the Geneva framework, gents' surrender to government Nations proposal to "freeze" the fight- a 'rbut also the neecl to adjust aspirations strategy of siege and starvation. ing on the ground, first in the strategic without precondítions, in line with the Juliette Touma, a spokeswoman for crossroads city of Aleppo' The other is new fac[ors which,have come up in the Mr. de Mistura, said his plan would not an initiative from Russia, Mr. Assad's leality of the area, such as ISIS." resemble the failed cease-fires. Yet even most powerful'supporter, to try to spur The shifts reflect a longstanding view the modest Aleppo proposal is on shaky talks between the warring sides in Mos- among United Nations staff members in ground. While Mr. Assad has said he cow in late January. Diplomats and oth- Sylia that the West must adapt to the would consider it, Damascus has been ers briefecl on the plans say one RuSsian reality that Syrian insurgents have failed slow to set dates for furthêr talks with vision is of'r?rwer-sharing between Mr: to defeat Mr. Assad. Syrians on both sides Mr. de Mistura's team, Assad's government and some opposi- lrave said frequently in interviews that The Moscow talks are arguably in perhaps tion figures, and parliamentary they fear the growing influence offoreign worse shape. Several opposition groups precede electious that would any rnilitants, and while they mistrust all in- have alreadv refused to attend, and de- change in the presidency. 36 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çapê-Riaista Stømpø-Dentro de la Prensø-Basin Ozeti spite Mr. Kerry's lemarks, they say the threaten Mr. Assad. Even a new pro- bring the parties to the table should be United States has not pressured them to granl to train them to fight the Islamic considered constructive, another West- go. State will not fielcl fighters until May. ern diplomat said, "You can't say to the That leavçs American policy ambigu- Critics argue that Wâshington is Russians, 'Go to hell,'" ous, offering only modest verbal sup- simply trying to disengage and offload port to the new mediation efforts while the Syria problem to Mr. Assad's allies, continuing to linance some Syrian in- Russia and Iran, even at the cost of em- surgents - yet not enough to seriously powering them, Still, any attempt to lntcn¡¡tioual:\ctu llork @irucø JANUARy 20, 20ts Iranian general among dead in Israeli BEIRUT, LEBANON airstrike in Syria BYANNE BARNARD that Iranian troops are directly involved had Mughniyeh,the sonof Imad Mughni An Iranian general was among the dead on the battlefield. yeh, a top Heabollah rnilitary comnrarid- of gen- in au Israeli airstrike that also killecl sev- A cleliberate killing an Iranian er assassinated in Damascus ill 200g in eral Hezbollah fighters in southern Syr- eral would represent an escalation in an attack that Hezbollalr attributes to Is- ia over the.weekend, the official lranian the hostility between Israel and lran. rael. A senior Hezbollah commander was news media anuounced on Monday. It remained unclear on Monday also said to have bee¡r killed. The announcement compounded the whether Israel had deliberately targeted Israelha iciallyon tension and.unpredictability in the re- individuals in two vehicles that wer€ the str:ike. 'Ben-Re- gion stei'nming from the strike, which fired on by an Israeli helicopter on Sun- uven, a re general, placecl Israel in a direct battlefield coll- day. The Israelinews media, citing anon- saiclinac interna- frontation on Syriau soil with its long- ymous intelligence officials, said that the tional journalists that the presence of time enemies Iran and Hezbollah, fighters targeted had been planning an such a high-ranking Iranian figure 'Ihe death of the general, Mohammad attack on Israel from Syria - which alongside Hezbollah commanders liear Ali Allahclacli, also added to the evi- would also represent an escalation, the Golan Heights area suggested that clence of Iran's deep military involve- Up to now, Israel, Iran, Hezbollah and they may have been ',planning an oper- nrent in Syria's civil war, others, including the United States, have ation against Israel on a high level.', General Allahdadi's death was an- engaged in delicate maneuvering in Syr- "It's a significant point because be- nounced on the website of Iran's elite i4 with each intervening according to its fore, when Hezbollah retaliates, some- Revolutionary Guards and by news me- or^/n interests while largely avoiding di- times we knew that Iran tried to push to dia affiliated with Hezbollah and the lra- rect confrontation or retaliation. a high level of retaliation and Hezbollah niart government. AIso killed in Sunday's strike was Ji- tried to prevent it," General Ben-Rèuven '.[he Iranian announcement said that said, "Now it's cornmon interests be- he had been inspecting the region of tween Hezbollah and Iran to retaliate,', near disputed Golan Quneitra, the He and other Israeli analysts said Heights, which is occupied by Israel. they continued to believe that Hezbol- The announcement also said the gen- lah wants to avoid a serious engage- elal had been advisiirg Syrians on how nìent witt¡ Israel l¡ecar_lse it is so heavily terrorism, which is how Damas- to fight committed in Syha. Still, Israel's securi- cus charàcterizes its battle against au ty cabinet was to meet Ttr'esday morn- insurgency that began nearly four years ing to discuss concerns aboutescalation ago with peaceful protests for political in the north, the Israeli newspapêr reforms, It now includes fighters from Haaretz reported. the Islamic State and the QaedaJinked Nusra Front, Mohcmmad. Gho,nne m coiltr ibute d r e - Iran's government has long said it is portingfrom Beirut, antl Jodi Rudoren advising ancl training Syrian loyalist lromJerusalem, forces, and Iran's proxy Hezbollah has BILAL HUSSEIN/ÀSSOCIATED PRESS openly declared that it is fighting in Syr- Hezbollah flghters on Monday carried the ia. Syrian insurgents have long insisted coffin of a flghter killed in the airstrlke. Offensive à "grande échelle" des forces kurdes d contre I'El dans le nord de l'lrak lVashington, 22 janvler 2015 (AFP) Elles ont notamment r€pris des villages tenus jusqu'â pÉsent par des jihadistes de I'El, selon une souræ kurde. Les Kurdes affirment également avoir coupé LA COALITIOI{ CONTRE le gfoupe Etat lslamique (E!) a lnteneilló ses une route stratégique entre Mossoul et Tal Afar, plus à I'ouest. frappes prèr de Mocsoul dans le nord de l'lrak, ont indlqué leudl les mili- Les frappes de la coalition ont touché entre autre des bât¡ments, des véhicules ta¡r€s amérlcalnr, alors que les forces kurdes mènent une offenr¡ve tor- blindés, des amements lourds et des véhicules piégés. restre dang la róglon. La coalition a également mené une dizaine de frapp€s en Syrie, concenlrée sur- Les avions et drones de la coalition de pays menée par les Etrats-Unis ont mené tout autour de Kobané, près de la frontière turque (neuf frappes). Une autre 21 frappes dans le nord de I'lrak mercredi, dont 16 près de Mossoul, deux près frappe a visé un entrcpÖt d'armement à Raqqa (nord). de une près de K¡rkouk, et deux autres à TalAfar, selon le bilan quotidien Sinþr, La coal¡lion mène des frappes aériennes en lrak depu¡s début août et en Syrie diffusé par le commandement militaire amér¡cain dans rég¡on. la depuis fin septembre. Elle estime avoir stoppé l'avancée de I'El en lrak, mais les Les forces kurdes avaient annoncé mercredi avoir lancé une "off€ns¡ve à gønde jihadistes conseruent pour l'¡nstiant I'essentiel de leurs positions. échelle" contre I'organisation El, avec le soutien de raids aériens de la coal¡tion. 37 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheookn Çapê-Rioistø Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti January 2l,2Ol5 Tensions, exchange of fire in Hasakah between regime and YPG forces rudaw.net - 21 January 2015 The displacement exceeded 70 A portrait of percent and the people were hea- Høfez Assøil Syria - The mili- ding towards the cities of II'ASAKAH, at ø Syrian Iløry commander of the Syrian Qamishli, Amuda, and ørmy base Army in the city of Hasakah, Maj. Darbassiyah, while the road bet- tøken by Gen. Mohammed Khaddour, has ween Qamishli and Hasakah is still Kutilish been trying for more than a month fight- cut off. Some fleeing civilians ers after to remove all the checkpoints of the went on foot and others by cars that intense Kurdish Peoples Protection Units fight- went on dirt roads and others ing. Photo: (YPG) and push them out of the through Derbassiyah into Amuda YPG, city. and Qamishl, the source said. Some sources have told Sources said that the elders of sect, at the checkpoint. Monday, including the Rudaw that the YPG and its secu- Alawite Qamishli the Arab tribes had offered their the negotia- president General rity forces have refused the "After failure of of the services to Kaddour in a meeting, demands of the Syrian arrny com- tions between the Syrian regime Intelligence in Syria, Ali and there are reports of 700 volun- mander, who has succeeded in and the YPG for the release of the Mamlouk, the Assistant Regional teers from the sons of the tribes in removing the checkpoints of the 20 detainees held by the Kurdish Secretary of the Baath Party, Hilal the neighborhood of al-Nashwa Arab National Defense Forces in forces, Syrian regime artillery Hilal, the Governor of Hasakah joining the Syrian Arabic army bombed village of a and the city. the Mufti, nor- Mohammed Za'al Ali against the YPG forces. a Party Sources say that Khaddour has thern Hasakah district with Secretary of the Baath There are also attempts by the one source said. Khalaf tired of the situation in Hasakah, Kurdish majority," branch in Hasakah, Islamic State (ISIS) to launch an bombing was direct and Muhasham. They had met with the where there is more than authority "The attack on the neighborhood of al- secu- and truce was on the ground. More than once, hit the center of the Kurdish YPG leadership a Nashwa and reports of airstrikes by parties 10 Khaddour has warned in front of rity building in the neighborhood," declared among the at Syrian warplanes against ISIS he said, adding that led to Kurdish pm last night. his followers that he would resign militants in the same neighbo- regime the consequences of if Hasakah continued to be ruled forces atùacking a Syrian Among rhood. by two authorities, referring to roadblock at the northem entrance the clashes was the seizure of seve- "The number of victims follo- and and outposts YPG control of some neighbo- to Hasakah. ral checkpoints wing the clashes between the YPG eyewitnesses, by YGP forces. rhoods in the city. According to and the Syrian government army in at part, A YPG-controlled neighbo- one soldier and a captain were For its the Syrian Arab al-Hasakah reached eight dead rhood was recently bombed by that checkpoint. army captured neighborhoods and among the YPG and a larger num- government subse- sites the north and northeast of Syrian forces in Hasakah, indica- "The has in ber among the Syrian Arabic quently neighbo- the city, and the forces pulled ting that tensions were coming to a bombed Kurdish YPG Army," a witness said. "People al- out of some other places. head. rhoods by focusing on the have also witnessed seven bodies but there the Some sources have confirmed Mushirfah neighborhood, Sources reported that of members from the government that existing tensions in the city were no direct hits to the headquar- Syrian Arab army on Tuesday was army in addition to five civilians." city were heightened after the Arabic ters of the YPG and the Kurdish building fortifications in the In the Brak Hill area, sources another source center and bringing tanks the National Defense Forces of the security forces," to said that, "ISIS has sent a large Syrian regime confiscated four said. Khashman checkpoint and reinfor- number of hghters from Brak Hill neighbo- cing its forces. cars loaded with gas cylinders that Other Kurdish-held military to the Shaddadah region on rhoods the city also were bom- "There is a large exodus from belonged to the Kurdish authorities in Hasakah's outskirts, while fi ghters bed, regime neighborhoods of at a checþoint. As a result, the including by Syrian the Kurdish from Shaddadah have advanced to warplanes, the source added. Salehiyah, al- Dahiyah, Tel YPG arrested more than 20 mem- Mufti, the hill in an exchange of and al-Talayih," bers of the National Defense, Sources told Rudaw that seve- Hajar, Khashman positions."r a source said. among them a captain from the ral officials had arrived in Military staff will be sent to Baghdad and Arbil, in the Kurdish region of Iraq, for a training mission expected to last about three months. That will French to send come on top of more than 3,000 U.S. advisers to be deployed in the region. 40 troops to train "We will advise them on how to prepare operations, how to synchronize efforts against the enemy, how to manage aerial and artillery support Iraqi, Kurdish forces and how to monitor the tactical situation," said the spokesman, Colonel Gilles Jaron. PARIS 22, 2015 Reuters "We're not in a frame of mind where we will be confronting the enemy -fanuary - directly," he added. FRANCE WILL send some 40 hoops to Iraq in coming days and weeks Overall some 800 French troops are involved in support roles in the to train Iraqi and Kurdish forces combating Islamic State fighters, a Westem coalition against Islamic State in addition to nine Rafale war jets, military spokesman said on Thursday, adding to a growing number of six Mirage jets, a refueling plane and a navy patrol plane deployed in the Westem coalition troops on the ground. Gulf region. o 38 Reuue de Presse-Press Reuiew-Berheaokn Çapê-Riaista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti After Kobafi, where is lslam¡c State's next target? The besieged strategic Kurdish town of Hasakah, swollen by an influx of refugees and barrel-bombed by Syrian regime forces, is coming under fire from the lslamic State. Metln Gurcan January 21,2015 www.al-monitor.com I n a newspaper interview in November 2013, Salih Muslim, the co-chair- I man of the Kurdish Democratic Union Pafi of Syria (PYD) had predic- ted: "The situation in Hasakah is sensitive. lf pushed, it could lead to Kurdish-Arab clashes." News reports from the northeast Syria town of Hasakah, which we don't usually hear much about, proved Muslim's warnings were on the mark. Clashes that erupted in Hasakah on Jan. 1 7 between the PYD's military wing, the People's Defense Units (YPG) and National Defense Forces, an auxiliary of Syrian President Bashar al- Assad's army, couldn't be halted and inflicted casualties on both sides. Reports coming from south of Hasakah say the lslamic State (lS) is mas- sing forces for an offensive to capture Hasakah while coming under coalition air force attacks in the same area. A glance at the map of Syria is enough to understand the strategic value Kurdish People's Prctection Units (WG) members orgønize a of Hasakah. Above all, Hasakah dom¡nates the roads between lS- controlled Mosul and Raqqa. lt is the southern access to Jazeera can- lunerøl fot members saiil to høoe beet killeil during clashes ton of the Kurdish Rojava region. with forces IoyøI to Syian Presiilent Bashu al-Assail in Søid) It ¡s also the last bastion of the Assad regime in that area. The latest developments in Hasakah show that the town. which had been generally calm in the 4-yearold civil war, is now the focus of the power struggle h¡t Qamishli, seen as the capital of Kurdish Rojava. More heavy fighting between Kurds, Arabs and lS. Kurds live north of the Khabur River that in Hasakah center and in its periphery seems inevitable in the coming divides Hasakah, while mostly Arabs live to the south of it. The town is days. already divided demographically. What is escaping attention ¡s that tens of thousands of Syrians of different religious and ethnic origins escaping How do parties explain the eruption of clashes at Hasakah? Atter a pro- from the war have increased the population of the town to 400,000. longed cease{ire w¡th the YPG, suddenly Assad's forces stepped up the brutality by killing many civilians in Hasakah, particularly by airdropped ln the summer of 2014 Hasakah appeared as a true no-man's-land and barrel bombs. Pro-Assad forces that made a deal w¡th lS in northern lS, despite its reinforcements, could not capture ¡t. Coalition air attacks Syria want to bring Hasakah under their joint control with lS, then move that sought to sever the links between lS forces in Syria and lraq dimini- toward Qamishli and split the Kurdish Jazeera canton. To achieve that shed the effectiveness of lS in the region. That meant a new balance of goal, the Assad regime was even using illegal cluster bombs, the YPG power in mixed town of Arab-Kurd Hasakah between the YPG and pro- reported. Assad militias. The new balance shows the YPG in charge in predomi- nantly Kurdish north Hasakah, pro-Assad militias controlling the town /\ ssad forces alleged that the PYD cooperated with coalition forces center and its south while lS prevails in a small portion of ¡ts southwest. fland has long sold out the Assad regime. On the political front, the PYD has succeeded in having itself invited, despite opposition by Jabhat first clashes between the Kurdish YPG and pro-Assad militias Jhe al-Nusra and the Damascus regime, to the Syrian Forces Conference caught many off guard, as these two forces were believed to be I planned to be held in Russia. ln short, the PYD has betrayed Damascus observing an undeclared nonaggression pact. by violating their agreement. A brief news report on the night of Jan. 17 said at least three people were What are the positions of other relevant parties? While lS appears to be killed and many others wounded by blasts in Hasakah's Salihiye, Miftiye satisfied with the clashes, the Syrian opposition thinks that it may be a and Tel Hacer neighborhoods. setup between the PYD and Assad regime on the eve of the Russia Reports followed of militia mortars firing on the Kurdish part of the town meeting. Opposition leader Abdulaziz Halife sa¡d: "The regime, by clas- and banel bombs dropped by Syrian army helicopters. The YPG said h¡ng with ¡ts partner YPG before the Moscow meeting, wants to create Syrian army helicopters had attacked Hasakah's cattle market with bar- the impression that the Kurds are actually a part of the opposition and rel bombs, killing 65 people. thus shake the unity of the opposition." After Syrian planes attacked a YPG convoy moving from Qamishli to ln a nutshell, it is the lS that is delighted with the Hasakah clashes while Hasakah on Jan. 18, the YPG responded by attacking a pro-Assad mili- Kurds, the Assad regime and the Syrian opposition accuse each other. tia post in Tel Hacer that afternoon and took 30 militiamen prisoners. Further escalation of Hasakah clashes can lead to a new and massive Kurdish-affiliated Ara News reported that on Monday night Syrian Gen. wave of displacement after housing tens of thousands of Syrians esca- Ali Memluk convened a meeting of YPG commanders and Arab sheikhs ping from the war The question now is whether Hasakah will be a new of the town and secured az4-hout cease-fire. Jan. 19 was a quiet day. Mosul or Kobani. Field reports say the YPG has taken over many official buildings in Of course, this vital question has no meaning for those trying to survive Hasakah and that it is in full control of northern Hasakah and is advan- the war in Hasakah. Should the clashes escalate, they will have no other cing to the town center after receiving reinforcements from Serekani and option then but to take to the roads again for yet another uncertain future Qamishli. A local source told Al-Monitor that the real a¡m of lS was to as another city in Syria goes feral. a capture Hasakah and that is why it was still bringing reinforcements to Metin Gurcan served in Afghanistan, Kazakhslan, Kyrgyzstan and lraq as a its south but dispersing them under persistent coalition air attacks. Our Turkish military adviser between 2002-2008. Resigned from the mil¡tary, he is source said lS has issued an ultimatum for the town to sunender by Jan now a research lellow on secuilly policies for an Ankara-based think thank. 24 ot be hit with heavy weapons. This source says that pro-Assad mili- Gurcan is currently writing his PhD d¡sseñat¡on on changes in the Turkish military published tias actually want to have lS control the town. over the last decade. He has been exlensively in Turkish and loreign academic journals and has a book fofthcoming in December 2015 titled 'What Field developments indicate a trend for the clashes in north Syr¡a to shift wentwronsinAf shanistan?:understandins"*å:?:ii;ig::"Jri,r:::#::r1 from Kobani to Hasakâh. lS has no problems moving around troops and materiel in this area. Mosul is not far from Hasakah, tempting lS to easily 39 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çøpê-Rioistø Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti January 20,2015 "We expect to export 550,000 bpd through Kurdistan Region Iraqi official: KRG to receive full pipelines and it is vital for our economy," Chalabi said. "The agreement asks the KRG to export share of budget for first time 250,000 bpd (from Kurdish oil- fields) under the condition that the By Aso Fishagi, 20/ll20l5 Iraqi Oil Report news website this expenses through direct oil Iraqi government receives the rudaw.nefl - week. exports, after the then Iraqi prime revenues," he added. l¿st month, the Iraqi cabinet minister Nouri al-Maliki withheld The oil is exported via a pipe- ErnnU,. Kurdistan Region - approved a $102.5 billion budget the KRG's share of the budget, line network that connects the .U./Despite falling oil prices that for 2015, based on a projected oil practically through the whole of Kurdistan Region to the Turkish have severely hit Iraqi revenues, price of $60 a barrel and a projec- 20t4. port of Ceyhan. the autonomous Kurdistan ted deficit of $19.1 billion. But oil Baghdad and Erbil agreed in Iraqi Oil Minister Adil Abdut Regional Government (KRG) will prices have dropped from around November to resolve differences, Mehdi predicted on Monday that receive its full l? percent of the $100 last year to less than $50 thls signing a deal that restored the oil prices would rise agaln in the budget, the head of the Iraqi parlia- month. budget payments to the KRG. second half of 2015, warning that ment's oil committee said. According to the Iraqi consti- Under the agreement, the "they will not return to 2014 "Erbil will receive 17 percent tution, the KRG has a right to 17 KRG will facilitate the export of levels." of the national budget in reality per cent of total Iraqi revenues, 300,000 oil barrels per day (bpd) Baghdad has agreed to export and not just in theory, and this although Kurdish officials say from Kirkuk's oil fields, in addi- 375,000 bpd to Turkey until April, order will remain even in the they have received less in the past. tion to 250,000 from KRG- boosting that volume 550O00 bpd future," Ahmad Chalabi told the Erbil struggled to finance its controlled oil wells. thereafter. r hrfry-S¡fl¡l¡ January 2lr2015 ASHARQ AL-AWSAT Peshmerga seeking greater independence from Baghdad: commander Peshmerga leaderchip contlnue "uniflcation" process, have formed 14 active brigades so far Dalshad Abdullah, 21 January 2015 haqi Kurdish www.aawsat.net Peshmergø fíghters monitor the areø !rbil, Asharq Al-Awsat-Kurdish their forces moving towards lrom /ront LPeshmerga are - line posítìon in greater independence from the central govern- I Bøshiqa, ø tozon 73 ment Baghdad, Peshmerga Ministry Secretary- ) l\- General Lt. Gen. Jabbar Yawar said earlier this .l v kilometres north- week. , þ. east of Mosul on ln comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, Yawar Ær f August 76,2074. said: "We are continuing to organ¡ze, train, 'Y'à k* (AFPlAhmødAl- equip, arm and uniff Peshmerga forces ¡n Çf, -.n '" .:' Rubaye) order for them to be the ofücial force [of the lf"t Kurdistan Regionl." , lt'L ,åE¡ "This is in line with Article 121 of the lraq¡ constitution that grents the Kurdistan Region example, which consists of more than 3,000 Peshmerga forces advanced to take the right to possess regional guardians and the officers and soldiers requires more than six control of the region of Kirkuk, historically part Peshmerga are our regional guardians. Our months, because afrer unification the new bri- of Kurdistan, following lSls's takeover of large experience is clear. Peshmerga forces were gade needs to receive arms, carry out training parts of Al-Anbar and Nineveh province, inclu- able to protect the Kurdistan Region and exercises and implement a number of adminis- ding lraq's second city Mosul. The Kurdish confront and defeat terrorism, liberating a trative processes," the Peshmerga Ministry advance succeeded in stemm¡ng the lSlS number of areas," he added. Secretary-General said. advance with Peshmerga forces subsequently Article 121 of the lraqi constitution clearly He claimed that Peshmerga leadership liberating a number of lSlS-held territory to states that "the regional government shall be have managed to form a total of 14 infantry bri- locel and international acclaim. Peshmerga responsible for all the administrative require- gades as pert of this military "unification" pro- forces are now preparing, in coordination with ments of the region, particularly the establish- cess. lraqi military forces, for a major ofiens¡ve to ment and organization of the internal security However, Yawar complained that a t¡ght retake Mosul and other lSlS-held areas after forces for the region such as police, security m¡litary budget, particularly following a lack of receiving arms and training from Baghdad and forces and guards of the region." support from Baghdad, has hindered the international partners Kurdish Peshmerga forces have played an Peshmerge's military reform process. He cal- Local media on Wednesday reported thet increasingly prominent role in the f¡ght egainst led for more support for the Kurdish Kurdish Peshmerga forces took launched a lslamic State of lraq and Syria (lSlS) fighters Peshmerga forces from Baghdad and the US- major offensive against lSlS forces west of who have taken control of large parts of the led anti-lSlS international coalition. Wednesday to assist lreqi military troops in country, ofren facing little resistance from cen- "The Region has sufficient fighters to fight efforts to retake the city. Peshmerga forces tral government forces. lSlS, but we don't have enough arms and reportedly took control of the villages of Tel "The process of unif,ing and organizing ammunition. We need more weepons, closer Reem, Tel Khidir and Jamred as pert of Peshmerge forces does not have a deadline military coordination, more training of Wednesday's essault, firing on lSlS positions because unifying any forces is a technically [Peshmerga] forces and air support," Yawar in the region with their heavy ertillery. a d¡fficult task. Unifying a s¡ngle brigade, for told Asharq Al-Awsat 40 Reaue de Presse-Press Reuiew-Berheaokn Çøpê- Riuista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti January 2l,2Ol5 assertions that the British govern- By GARYKENT zllllz0ls ment's hands are legally tied on rudaw.net recognising the Anfal. Britain could emulate governments that politically recognised other geno stark starting point the fhe of cides. Kurds are generously hel- I influential and bipartisan ping refugees, it says, but the strain Foreign Affairs Committee's long- could disastrously destabilise awaited report on the Kurdistan Kurdistan and international bodies Region is that the future of Iraq as a must bolster the KRG's humanita- nation state is in question as never rian efforts. It also questions the before. It judges that the clock is British government's refusal to ticking on whether Iraq can be stit- recognise the PYD in Syria. ched back into a functioning whole. The report is richer in analysis In essence, the 30000 word and detail than I convey briefly blockbuster report says: a centrali- sed Iraq has gone, a looser federa- In my view, independence requires cised and divided Peshmerga, party tion is better, and the Brits can (( at least Baghdad's acquiescence to militias, insufficient media free- The priority quietly help mend fences but must ensure good neighbourly relations dom, and police violence. the get their diplomatic act together. for time and prevent lraqi revanchism sou- The report says that the Daish The priority for the time being is being is defeat- ring relations for decades. crisis has deferred domestic diffe- defeating Daish but Kurdish inde- Britain's priority in any case, it rences but an increasingly sophisti- ing Daish but pendence is a medium-term possi- stresses. should be deepening an cated electorate, including a better bility. Britain should work with the Kurdish inde- already strong and trusting partner- educated and more travelled young Kurds, who are on the same side as ship with what it calls a genuine urban middle class, probably won't pendence is a the west and ahead of many in the Kurdish democracy, albeit an allow new politics to be postponed Middle East but who should medium-term imperfect and still developing one, indefinitely. It encourages equita- embrace major intemal reform. possibility. >> and a beacon of tolerance and bly sharing the harvest of a gro- The report recognises rational moderation in a region of rising wing economy. It recognises the fears of the unpredictable conse- extremism and instability. historic reasons for a 'Blg Tent' of here. While it says as it frnds on quences of independence but also The report candidly descibes all parties in government but controversial intemal questions, it that the Kurds, who tried to make Kurdistan's society as often tradi- regrets the lack of an Opposition. is passionate in urging bigger and Iraq lvork but got Maliki's disas- tional, conservative and patriar- But it adds that any shortco- better connections on the basis of trous sectarian autocracy, are ratio- chal. Its shortcomings include a mings are of a lesser order of mag- shared values and hard economics. nal in seeking increased self- tendency to dynastic political rule, nitude than other British partners. It is a far cry from the days when govemance or even independence. regional and tribal voting rather Furthermore, Kurdistan's values British policy-makers trotted out The report, which praises PM than informed policy choice, new are broadly those of Britain, which tired reasons why Kurds must stay Abadi's promising start, supports a wealth accruing to a politically is fortunate that the relatively in Iraq, whatever. Independence is looser Iraqi federation because connected elite, patronage as an moderate, pragmatic, stable, demo- for the Kurds to decide but they highly centralised rule under a instrument of political polver, cratic, secular and reflexlvely pro- may now reasonably expect some 'strongman' in Baghdad has not public sector inefficiency, a politi- Western KRG wishes to be its ally. slack from a major power, which worked and never will. It enters Britain should respond positively was the 'midwife of modern lraq'. important caveats about indepen- to the KRG's invitation to be its The report breaks the British taboo dence. Much depends on energy partner of choice on trade, educa- on Kurdish independence and self-sufficiency, which is more dif- tion, cultural exchange, defence firmly puts Anglo-Kurdish links on ficult given falling oil prices. The is currently paused and intelligence matters or the the radar. In March, the British internal southern border needs but if it returns KRG may feel compelled to dee- government will reply to this land- fixing by finalising the status ofthe once Daish is pen links with powers who may mark report, which should be sei- disputed territories. It notes the not share British values. zed with enthusiasm. r opposition of Turkey and Iran to defeated or The report itemises British independence. actions to deepen lts diplomatic The full report is at Independence is cunently pau- presence, tackle visa problems, http ://www.parlia ment.uk/facom sed but if it retums once Daish ls and advance direct flights. It backs * Gary Kent is the director of All defeated or degraded the UK and the supply of heavy weapons but Party Parliamentary Group its partners should stand ready to any expfes- linked to clear evidence of (APPG). He writes this column help ensure that any clear expres- cleaf Peshmerga reform. It stresses UK for Rudaw in a personal capacity. sion of will for independence on sion of will for mentoring in developing public The address for the all-party group reasonable terms is accepted and independence, >> sector reform and a human rights is appgkurdistan@ gmailrcom respected. Independence should be culture. with the consent of the rest of Iraq. The report disputes ministerial 4',1 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaieut-Berheaoka Çapê-Rit:ista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti francetvinfo lllll 27 JA¡TVIER 2OI5 Anciens marines, Kurdes suédois... Qui sont les Occidentaux qui combattent I'EI en S¡rrie ? Des combattants venus d'Amérique ou d'Europe rejoignent les forces kurdes qui combattent à Kobani les iihadistes de I'Etât islamique. Une poignée d'hommes et de femmes très médiatiques. Par Marie-AdéIaïde Scigacz francetvinfo.fr 27 ianvrer 2015 ls sont d'anciens marines, d'ex-soldats de I'armée britannique, diri- lgent des entreprises de sécurité ou étaient infirmiers en Suède, en Allemagne ou en France... Depuis le mois d'octobre 2014, des Occidentaux ont choisi de rejoindre le Kurdistan syrien pour combat- tre I'Etat islamique. Une dizaine, des centaines peut-être, en comptant les membres de la diaspora kurde. Un nombre sans commune mesure avec celui des jeunes qui, venus des mêmes pays, sont tentés par le jihad. Pourtant, leurs histoires interpellent Celle de Dean Parker, le surfeur américain qui plaque tout pour rejoindre les Unités de protection du rotrnral À mo¡.i Ph¡ro. lirnt ¡nç LL m? Vd'iìi peuple (YPG), les forces kurdes qui défendent depuis des mois la ville Capture d'écran de la page Facebook des "Lions du Rojava", syrienne de Kobani, objet portrait dans lime (en anglais) mardi d'un des conrbattants qui luttent contre I'organisation Etat janvier. 20 Celles des Anglais famie Read, fames Hughes ou encore de islamique au Kurdistan syrien. (THE LIONS OF ROIAVA / jeune par la Silhan Ozcelilç cueillis à leur retour à Londres les services FACEBOOK) de renseignemenL Quel est le rôle exact de ces renforts inattendus ? LES "LIONS DU ROJAVA", UNEVITRINE INTERNATIONALE qu'aux Etats-Unis et en Europe, l'organisation figure sur Ia liste des Matson se présente comme le premier Américain parti com- fordan organisations terroristes. Mettre en avant des Occidentoux, øu moment Kurdistan syrien, appelé Rojava en battre I'Etat islamique au où Washington et Poris acceptent notamment de leur livrer des armes, kurde. Depuis qu'il a été blessé au comba! cet ancien de I'armée amé- cela relève de l'opération de communicatrbn, analyse-t-il pour francetv ricaine sert sur le front des réseaux sociaux. "recrute", explique-t-il ll info. L'YPG communique très bien, comme on I'a vu avec la mise en aux médias qui le sollicitent "Je suis contacté par des vétérans venus avant des femmes combottontes." d'Europe de l'Est, d'Europe occidentale, du Canada, des Etats-Unis, d'Australie, de partout", lançait-il en octobre sur CNN (en anglois). A Selon le spécialiste, la lutte des Kurdes de Syrie contre I'Etat islamique "ll personne l'époque, la page des "Lions du Rojava", comme se surnomment eux- a donné lieu à une situation historique : y a deux ans, ne mêmes ces combattants, vient d'apparaître sur Facebook. La pre- parlait d'eux, ils ont d'ailleurs été longtemps dívísés en une multitude de mière photo mise en ligne monte Matson lui-même, kalachnikov à la mouvements. Et aujourd'hui, ils sont vus comme les seuls à affronter I'EI puisqu'ils plus main, collier de munitions autour du cou. Cet homme armé, photogé- au sol, sur le terrain." En d'autres termes, n'affrontent nique de surcroît incarne dès lors le combattant occidental, un de forces étatiques, mais une mouvance terroriste, les Kurdes ont modèle, un "héros" qui attire les internautes, émus par le massacre I'opportunité de rallier à leur cause des combattants de toutes les des Yézidis ou mus par leur volonté d'en découdre avec les terro- nationalités, et de toucher I'opinion publique. ristes. UNE AIDE TOUTE RELATIVE SUR LE TERRAIN La page doit permettre aux aspirants combattants venus d'Occident Ce ralliement ne passe pas nécessairement par les moyens humains. d'entrer en contact avec "leurs frères et sæurs" sur le terrain. A ceux Le PYG n'a effectivement jamais demandé aux Occidentaux de rejoin- (nombreux) qui demandent en anglais "comment vous rejoindre en dre ses rangs, explique le chercheur. '?os même ceux de Ia Syrie ?",I'administrateur anonyme répond : "Envoyez vos questions en diaspora." Kendal Nezan confirme : "Lorsque l'on a grandi dans les fau- message privé." bourgs de Stockholm ou de Cologne, on n'est pas d'une grande aide sur Mois après mois, photo après photo, le site dresse I'inventaire : un Ie ïront, alors qu'il y a déjà des combattants sur place qui connaíssent joue probøblement plutôt Autrichien, des Américains (dont un certain "Kennedy Americo'), des les lieux et défendent leurs terres. Cette oide Britanniques, des Allemands, un trio de "bikers" hollandais, une sur Ie morol des combattants", explique-t-il. Ce qu'ils veulent "ce sont Canadienne, un ancien candidat de téléréalité américain ( "Je suis un des armes, des médicaments", ajoute-t-il. vrai redneck moi ! Un vrai redneck.r" dans l'introduction de "Seul et Le témoignage de Dean Parker, le surfeur américain mentionné plus tout nu", une sorte de "Koh Lanta" naturiste), etc. Brei, un étonnant haut le confirme : "Je n'ai jamols combottu. Et à vous tous qui voulez casting qui ne mobilise toutefois qu'une quinzaine de personnes, rela- venir, restez chez vous, en sécurité. (...) Un, díx ou vingt combattants ne tivise le chef du comité de défense des forces kurdes de Syrie, Ahmad feront pas la différence maintenant." D'ailleurs, impossible de savoir Sheikh Hassan, cité par Time. combien sont partis. "C'est une présence symbolique", relève Kendal Nezan, directeur de LE CAS PARTICULIER DE LA DIASPORA I'lnstitut kurde de Paris, contacté par francetv info. Pour I'YPG (bras Citée par le magazine américain Foreign Poliry, Susanne Güven, direc- armé du parti PYD, né en Syrie et proche du parti kurde PKK), "il s'agit fice de I'Association nationale des Kurdes de Suède, estime à quelques de prouver qu'eux aussi disposenl comme I'Etat islamique, d'une aide centaines le nombre de Kurdes qui ont quitté le pays pour la Syrie. Une venue du monde entier dans cette guerre qui est un enjeu global". cinquantaine de Kurdes allemands seraient également partis, relate Der UN PUISSANT OUTIL DE COMMUNICATION Spiegel. Quant aux Français, "il y en a certainement, mais ils sont peu Ces quelques combattants ékangers représentent aussi un intérêt nombreux", estime le directeur de I'lnstitutkurde de Paris. Début octo- bre, Le Parisien révélait la disparition inquiétante de deux adolescents stratégique pour les combattants kurdes. "Pour Ie PKK, c'est une façon d'être intégré dans le jeu mondial", explique Karim Pakzad, cher- kurdes de banlieue parisienne, soupçonnés d'être partis pour le Rojava, cheur à I'lnstitut de relations internationales et stratégiques (lris), mais aucune donnée ne permet de confirmer le nombre de départs. spécialiste, entre autres, des questions kurdes. "ll faut roppeler Karim Pakzad sait qu'il y en a quelques-uns, pour en avoir D 42 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çnpê-Riaista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensø-Bøsin Ozeti Þ rencontré à leur retour. "Là-bas, ils font un peu de tout, en fonction dent au Kurdistan turc pour se battre contre Ia Turquie, de leurs compétences, poursuit-il. IIs s'occupent des réfugiés, des bles- poursuit Karim Pakzad. Désormais, depuis I'ottaque de Kobani, íls vont sés, qssurent Ie ravitaillement ou combattent, pour certains. Par oil- en Syrie. Voilà ce qui a changé." Et d'aiouter que leur séjour est relative- Ieurs, même s'¡/s sont infirmiers, ils sont armés. Tout Ie monde ment court : "Environ six mois, puis ils reviennent. Comme le font les gens I'esf." Contrairement aux Occidentaux non-kurdes, ils ne se conten- de l'EL Enfin, souf qu'eux ne rentrent pas ovec les intentions terroristes tent pas de combattre I'EI, mais défendent la cause politique kurde des jihadistes, bien sûr", prend-t-il soin de préciser. I ("dans Ia tête de chaque Kurde, il y a Ie rêve d'un Etot'). "Ce n'est pas nouveou. Depuis les années 1980, Ies militants du PKK en Europe se ren- 28 JANVIER 2OI5 La partie orientale de Kobané tibérée par leä forces kurdes totalement détruite^ 20 Minutes avec AFP I'AFP. constaté les journalistes de I'AFP tées par l'équipe de I'AFP, large- 28 2015 Ruines et bâtiments éventrés lors d'une brève visite. ment désertées de tout habitant. Dans la partie orientale de la A plusieurs carrefours de la Depuis le début de l'offensive J a ville syrienne de Kobané, ville, les rues désormais entière- ville, des groupes de combat- jihadiste sur Kobané et sa région I-¡libérée lundi par les forces ment contrôlées par les miliciens tants kurdes en tenues mi-mili- à la mi-septembre, quelque kurdes après plus de quatre kurdes ne sont plus qu'un amas taire, mi-civile, ont salué la pré- 200.000 civils syriens, en grande mois de combats acharnés contre de ruines et de bâtiments éven- sence des journalistes par des majorité des Kurdes, ont tra- les djihadistes de l'organisation trés. Les dégâts ont été moins rafales de Kalachnikov tirées versé la frontière pour se réfu- Etat islamique (EI), a subi de très sérieux dans les quartiers ouest dans le ciel et en faisant le "V" de gier en Turquie, à quelques kilo- importants dégâts, ont constaté de Kobané, où quelques rares la victoire. Le calme régnait dans mètres de là. r mercredi des journalistes de civils ont étê apercus, ont toutes les parties de la ville visi- La guerre contre Daech o Zones et principales villes contrôlées par Daech (au 26 janvier 2015) Reprise par les Kurdes, I rìfrirì!. Daech a dû quitter la ville n'est plus la zone qu'il contrôlait contrôlée Daech dans cette région. Un combøttant kurile dans les décombres à Kobané le 27 jønoier 2014. - AFP Fronts de Daech contre... Zones et principales villes contrôlées par... les Kurdes irakiens All¡és :États-Unis, France, Roy,-Uni, Kurdes syriens C) les Kurdes irakiens les Kurdes syriens O les Kurdes syriens Alliés : Kurdes irakiens O les rebelles syriens Plus ile 4 mois dwant, les øflrontements ont eu lieu les rebelles syriens (Al Nosra, ASL) O les forces rue par rue, møison pm maison. Comme à Stalingrøil, Alliés :Turquie, Qatar, Arabie S¿oudite, États-Unis gouvernementa les une bataille de Ia Seconde Guere mondiale qui a au le pouvoir syrien s'øff'ronter les Nøzis et I'Armée rcuge, Iaissønt der- Alliés : Russie, lran, Hezbollah, pouvoir irakien rière eux une z¡ille déaøstée. Photo : BULENT KILIC I AFP le pouvoir irakien Alliés : lran, États-Un¡s, Roy.-Uni, Russie, pouvoir syrien Sottrces: Syria ancl lraq onw.rrd War map, nréclias @ 43 Reaue de Presse-Press Reoieut-Berheaoka Çapê-Rioista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti P nseoc¡aæa Preee Islamic State kitls 30 Kurds in surprise attack in North lraq January 11,2015 / By Sinan Salaheddin, The Associated Prrss Islamic State group's offensive saw it seize a wide swath of lraq. Kurdish fighters from Iraq also have deployed in small numbers to help Syrian Kurds BAGHDAD / Islamic State group fighters attempting to retake a town battle the group's fighters in the Syrian border town of Kobani. northern held by peshmerga forres have at least in lraq Kurdish killed Gwer sits near Irbil, the Kurdish regional capital. Retaking it would allow 3() Kurds, an military spokesman said Sunday. Iraqi lslamic State group fighters a new base to potentially launch assaults targeting The battle for the town of Gwer demonstrates the Islamic State grcup's ability the city. airstrikes to still launch offensives in lraq, despite a monthslong campaign of Earlier this month, peshmerga fighters also retook small villages around the by a coalition. while an alliance of troops, U.S.-led And kaqi Kurdish fighters militant-held town of Sinja¡ opening a conidor to help hundreds of Yazidi and Sunni and Shiitte militiamen have made some gains, their advance families atop nearby Mount Sinjar. remains tenuous at best. The Islamic State group, which has declared a self-styled caliphate, holds The fighting began Saturday as the extremists approached Gwer, just outside about a third of Iraq and neighboring Syria. of the northern city of Mosul, which the Islamic State group controls, said On Sunday, the U.S. said a siatement its coalition had canied out Halgurd Hekmat, a spokesman for kaqi Kurdish forces in Irbil. Hekmat said military in l0 airstrikes on the Islamic State group in Syria nine of them around he had no information about casualties suffered by the Islamic State gnoup. - Kobani and nine strikes in Iraq. o Backed by U.S.-led airstrikes, Kurdish forces retook Gwer in August after the - Iraq produces record 4 million barrels per day of crude in January 18, 2015 - By Ahmed Rasheed (Reuters) IRAQ PRODUCED a ¡ecord of around 4 million bamels per day (Þpd) of crrrde oil in December, Oil Miníster Adel Abdel Mehdi armourræd on Sunday. "It is the first time Iraq has achieved this," AMel Mehdi told a press confe- rence alongside Tirrkish Energr Minister Taner Yildiz. Abdel Mehdi also revealed plans to export B75,ooo bpd for the first three months of zor5 from around the northem city of Kirkuk and the Kurdistan region. He said those fields would increase production to 6oo,ooo bpd as of April. The previous monthly record for Iraqi production was 3.56 million bpd in 1979, according to an official from Iraq's State Oil Marketing baqi Oil minister Ailel Abdel Mehili (R) speøks durìng a neuts Organization. conþrence uith Turkish Energy Minister Tanet Yildiz in Baghilød, 78,2015. Photo: Reuters AMel Mehdi told reporters that Iraq had set the level of exports for Iraq's fønuary northern and Kurdish oilfields for the first three months of zor5 after the meeting with Yildiz. Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan in earþ December after years of acrimony "We have agreed to keep the level ofexports at gT5,ooo bpd for the first between the two sides over oil rights. three months of the year, and as of þril we will increase exports to Under the deal, the sides agreed to ship 3oo,ooo bpd of oil from Kirkuk 6oo,ooo bpd," AMel Mehdi said. and z5o,ooo bpd from Kurdistan via the Kurds' pipeline network The oil from Iraq's north is exported via a pipeline network from the Baghdad and the Kurdish region were prompted to set aside their diffe- Kurdistan region to the Turkish Mediterranean port ofCeyhan. rences by the jihadist group Islamic State's seizure of territory across large The arrangement is the result of an interim deal reached betrveen sections of northern Iraq. o Victoire des Kurdes à Kobané: Erdogan ne Yeut pas d'un Kurdistan en Syrie Ankara,27 janvier 2015 (AFP) "Une telle enlité serait source de gros ennuis à l'avenir'', a-t-il ajoutê. Les foræs kudes ont prcclamé lundi avoir chassé les combattanb du goupe Etat LE PRÉSDENT IS|AMO-CONSERVATEUR turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a épété son islamique (El) de la ville syrienne de Kobané, à quelques kilomètres de la frontière tuque, opposition à l'émeryence en Syde d'une zone kude aúonome identique à celle exis- au terme de plus de quate mois de æmbab acharnés. tant en lnk, apês la victoiæ annoncée des forces kudes sur les jihadistes dans la Mardi, des milliers de Kudes, turæ ou syriens, se sont rassemblés à l'extérieur de la ville bataille de Kobané. frontalièrc tuque de Suruç, à quelques kilomètrcs de Kobané, pour célébrcr la rcprise de pas (de (...), "Nous ne voulors répétition) de la situation en lrak une Syrie du nord après la ville, a constaté un photognaphe de I'AFP. l'lrak du nord, nous ne pouvons pas I'accepter", a dit M, Erdogan, cité mardi par le quotidi- Les foræs de séørité tuques ont fait usage de gaz lacrymogènes et de canons à eau con- en Hüniyet, à des joumalistes dans I'avion qui le ramenait d'Afrique de I'Est, tre certains grouæs de manifestanß qui se dirþeaient vers la fronlière, toujours fermée + 44 Reaue de Presse-Press Rersiew-Berheaokn Çapê-Riaista Stømpa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti + par les autorités turques mardi en milieu d'aprcs-midi. coaliüon, ne favorise l'autonomie de la pafie kurde de la Syrie, La Turquie a jusquelà catégoriquement refusé de participer à la coal¡tion milita¡re intema- Lon de son échange avec la presse, M. Edogan a une nouvelle fois défendu I'idée d'une tionale menée par les Etats-Unis conte les jihadistes en lrak et Syñe, soucieuse de ne pas "zone d'exclusion aérienne" et d'une "zone de séørité" le long de la frontièrc turco-syrienne renforcer le camp des Kudes de Syrie. et æpété sa priorité, la chute du rÉgime du président Bachar al-Assad. Depuis le bataille de Kobané mi-septembre, les autorités turques n'ont autorisé qu'au "Notre objectif æt le régime (de Damas). Avec le rfuime acûel, rien ne peut continuer en compte{outte les passages de leur pays vers la Syrie. Syrie", a-t-il dit, reprochant aux Etab-Unis de ne pæ "viser dircctement le regime". -'FAIRE TOMBER LE RÉGME'- "On ne peut pas aboutir ainsi à une solution, ll se prcduina en Syrie exactement ce qui s'est produit en lrak", a insisté M. Erdogan. Le chef de I'Etat turc avait qualifié de 'tenoñste" le principal parti kude de Syde (PYD), à la pointe du combat contrc l'El, au même titre que le mouvement frère du Parti des travailleurs Mardi devant des élus locaux Éunis à Ankara, le chef de l'Etat a reproché à la coalition sæ qui du Kudistan (PKK), qui mène depuis 1984 la guérilla sur le sol turc. bombardements massiß sur Kobané, faisant remarquer que "læ 200,000 habitanß I'ont quitté et qui sont (éfugiás) en Turquie n'ont plus de ville pour se logef . 'On danse pour Præsé par ses allies d'intervenir, le rfuime islameconservaleur dAnkara a finalement fait célébrer la victoire mais qui va reconstruire Kobané ?", a-t-il demandé, un geste en autorisant le passage par son territoire d'un contirgent symbolique de combat- tanb kurdes irakiens, les peshmeqas, pour aider à défendre Kobané. La défaite de l'El à Kobané a pmvoqué un mouvement de liesse dans le sud+sl furc, peu- plé majoritairement de Kudes. Dæ milliers de penonnes sont desænduæ dans les rues La Turquie redoute que la victoire des Kudes, avec le soutien des frappes aériennes de la des nombreuses villæ pour fêter la victoire. a 29 JANVIER 2015 7su17.be ,:t?:;!"å",i:' : Quelque 350 villages autour de I e groupe Etat islamique (El) Lcontrôle toujours 350 villages Kobané toujours aux mains de I'El dans les elentours de la ville kurde syrienne de Kobané, libérée cette teurs sur le tenain. dant plus de quatre mois, a trans- semaine, a estimé une ONG, qui a "Dix-neuf membres de I'El ont formé cette ville située à la fron- fait état de 22 djihadistes tués jeudi été tués dans les combats contre tière syro-turque en véritable dans les combats. les Unités de protect¡on du peuple champ de ruines. Kobané est aux Selon le directeur de (YPG, milice kurde) dans les col- trois-quarts détruite, selon des I'Observatoire syrien des droits de lines autour de Manaz, à I'ouest de journalistes de I'AFP qui ont pu y I'Homme (OSDH) Rami Abdel Kobané", a affirmé à I'AFP M. entrer. Rahmane, les forces kurdes qui Abdel Rahmane. 'Trois autres sont L'offensive djihadiste lancée ont annoncé lundi avoir chassé les morts dans des villages à I'est de m¡-septembre dans la région a djihadistes de Kobané ont égale- Kobané", a-t-il ajouté. poussé quelque 200.000 Syriens, ment libéré c¡nq villages cette "Un civil a également trouvé la pour I'essent¡el des Kurdes, à trou- semaine mais "350 autres restent mort jeudi lors des bombarde- ver refuge en Turquie, dont la fron- sous le contrôle de l'E|". ments efiectués per I'El sur la cam- Syrie était loin d'être terminé tière reste Ërmée malgré la fin de Jeudi, les combats ont Íait 22 pagne à I'ouest de Kobané", a dit la bataille. Les combats ont fait morts du côté djihadiste, selon M. Abdel Rahmane, qui a affirmé UN CHAMP DE RUINES plus de 1.800 morts, dont plus de I'ONG basée en Grande Bretagne, que le combat contre le groupe La victoire des forces kurdes 1.000 djihadistes, selon I'OSDH. o qui d¡spose d'un réseau d'informa- jihadiste dans cette région de la sur I'El à Kobané, assiégée pen- o 6¡ù1i¡1il 26 JANVIER 2015 AngeHna JoHe visite un camp de réfugiés yézidis (AP/Le Matin) 26 janvier 2015 ¡ 'actrice américaine, ambassadrice de bonne volonté du HCR, déplore Lrle manque de financement alloué aux personnes chassées de chez elles. 45 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaoka Çapê- Riaista Stampø-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti gu¡rr( JA|{UARY 22,2015 Mosul residents describe 'hell' of Isis occupation as Kurdish fishters close in Growing speculation that lraqi troops may be gearing up for attack on city controlled by Islamic State since June Fazel Hawramyin lrbil The Guardian, zz January zor5 Tzurdish fighters backed by coalition air pesh- l\.trik". häe seized large swaths of terri- Kurdish tory from Islamic State fighters in northern metga fighters Iraq, including a road used by Isis to supply near Mosul the key city of Mosul. Kurdish pesh- In a major offensive launched on mergø fighters Wednesday, the peshmerga have fought on the outskirts their way to within rz miles of the city cen- of Mosul. tre and cut off a road that connects Mosul to Photogaph: Tal Afar and Sinjar. Reuters In recent days the Kurds have retaken a r85 sq mile area of Sinjar province, west of Mosul, putting Isis on the back foot and tightening the noose around the city. he was weary of life under Isis but saw no to make a Ìiving for his wife and four chil- There is growing speculation that Iraqi way out. "If you want to leave Mosul you dren. government troops may be gearing up for an need three people to guarantee that you will He said Isis had introduced price caps attack on Mosul, which jihadist fighters come back after five days. If you don't and he could charge Isis fighters and imams have occupied since June when they advan- return, you put their lives at risk." only a fraction of the cost of a journey. "In ced rapidly across Iraq's north. The shopkeeper said many militants kil- my taxi I can only listen to Zohor radio Until this week, Islamist militants were led or injured fighting in Sinjar had been which broadcasts Daesh statements, the able to transfer goods, petrol and military brought back to Mosul. "I have been forced latest of which stated that able men had to equipment from eastern Syria into Mosul, to give blood three times," he added. enlist for jihad against the coalition," he Iraq's second city and the biggest urban cen- I ¡th American and Iraqi planes targeting said. tre under their control. The Kurds have now Y^ Y fuel tankers on the road into Isis- While the uncompromising interpreta- shut off the city from three sides. They also controlled areas, and Kurdish authorities tion of Islam imposed by Isis targets eve- now control several key villages and inter- cracking down on oil smuggling to and from ryone in the city and other areas under the sections. their region, fuel is in short supply. The price group's control, the restrictions on women "I don't think anyone would envy the is so high that some residents have resorted are particularly suffocating and many are situation the people of Mosul are in," to cutting down trees and burning the wood too scared to leave their homes. Masrour Barzani, the head of Kurdistan's to cook and keep warm. '"They have withheld all freedoms from regional security council, said on The cost of cooking oil is double elsew- us," said a 37-year-old woman who asked to Wednesday. '"The terror of Isis is too much here in Iraq, spurring residents to revive be referred to as Umm Omar. "When we go for anyone to handle." long outdated methods of cooking, joining out, ifour clothes are not appropriate we are Barzani predicted that Mosul would together in groups of three or four to buy taken to Omar Abdul Aziz mosque to soon be "liberated", and he said recent wood-burning mud ovens to bake bread. repent." Kurdish advances had significantly reduced Electricity and gas are scarce and rubbish Iìtamilies fear that their daughters will be Isis's freedom of movement. seldom collected. lJ forcibly wed to tsis fighters] and so send women the shopping for them. ¡r1n Thursday residents said conditions in Where there are no alternatives, resi- elderly to do l¡.-f Mosul had dramatically worsened. Once dents have no choice but to accept higher Tariq, the student, said life for young known as a cradle of multiculturalism in prices. Muhanad, a zg-year-old taxi driver, people had become particularþ oppressive. Iraq, Mosul has turned into a city where exe- said he often queued up for five or six hours They were not allowed to listen to music and cutions and stonings are carried out on a to receive zo litres of petrol, also costing if anyone was found to be in a romantic rela- regular basis and residents are deprived of twice as much as in the rest of Iraq. "The tionship outside marriage, they were stoned basic rights and services. queue stretches through the streets for three to death supervised by an Isis emir named Few people dare talk to the media, and to five kilometres," said Muhanad, who has Abu Zahra. those who do speak only on condition of Around ro days ago a woman was sto- anon¡nnity, fearing reprisals against them- ned to death for having extramarital affair selves and their families. Only a trickle of and Isis executed two men for "homosexual information comes out of Mosul besides acts" by throwing them off the roof of a buil- Isis's own slick propaganda. ding. A resident of Mosul who now lives out- Civilians inside the city - from taxi dri- side the city identified the building as belon- vers to housewives, students to shopkeepers ging to a state-run national insurance com- - paint a gloomy picture of life there. "All I pany in central Mosul. Isis posted photos of can say is that life under Daesh [Isis] is hell, these executions, together with images of not heaven as they claim," said Tariq, who two thieves who were publicþ shot. used to study at a technical institute before Unlike most people the Guardian spoke Isis took over. "We can't study and we don't to, who asked that their identitybe protec- strikes near Mosul sfükes tørget- know what the future holds for us." Air Air ted, Tariq said he did not fear the conse- A shopkeeper near Nabi Yunus mosque, ing Isis militants north of Mosul. quences if his name was published. "Death which was destroyed by Isis last July, said Phot o graph : Anadolu I G etty lmøges is better than this life," he said. I 46 Reoue de P r e s s e -P r e s s Reaiew -B erhea okn Çap ê - Ria is tø Stampa-Dentro de lø Prensa-Basin Ozeti January ?3,2015 Kurdish war, but they pledged to assist the Iraqi army in the effort. Peshmerga guns target Mosul The Wall Street Journal repor- ted Friday that preparations are underway for a coalition of U.S. center, surrounding villages and Iraqi forces to retake Mosul from ISIS, and that the assault rudaw.net 231U2015 could come by the spring or early summer. ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Meanwhile, Kurdistan Region Peshmerga forces captured several President Massoud Barzani, who is villages around Mosul on Friday the general commander of the and shelled the city center for the Peshmerga forces, received a dele- first time, as an expected assault to gation from the Patriotic Union of liberate the city from the Islamic Kurdistan (PUK) on the western State (ISIS) appeared to be gaining Tigris front. momentum. According to a statement from Sarbast Tirwanshi, Peshmerga the presidency, they discussed the commander of the Tikel-Mawaran latest military developments of the front, told Rudaw that Kurdish Peshmerga on the western Tigris forces targeted three ISIS bases in Peshtnetga guns haoe been targeting Mosul and surrouniling aillages. front, and emphasized on the unity the villages of Khorbasat and of Kurdish forces. "The PUK delegation highly Baibogh with mortars. ISIS due to their close proximity to artillery on the ground. appreciated Peshmerga For the first time, the the mi litants' military stronghold of Iraqi officials had earlier said the advances and Barzani's role," the Peshmerga managed to shell the Kaske. that the Mosul operation might be statement said. The visitors also center of Mosul, after aiming their On Wednesday, the Peshmerga launched in spring. They heavy, expressed their condolences for guns on villages near the city from forces launched a major offensive multipronged attacks on ISIS soldiers who have lost lives in the the early morning hours. against ISIS west of Mosul to assist appear to indicate the preliminary war. Meanwhile Commander Jamal Iraqi troops in their effort to retake parts of the may already be under- "The current situation of the Iminiki, chief of staff of Peshmerga the city from the radical group. way. recent liberated areas and the figh- forces, told Rudaw that the villages Iraqi and coalition fighter jets Kurdish leaders have said that ting fronts were discussed," the of Qadisia and Shidokha were cap- led that fight by bombing ISIS their forces would not get involved presidential statement said. r tured Friday by Kurdish troops. positions, while the Peshmerga in the liberation of Mosul, as they They are strategically important to pounded the militants with heavy want to avoid igniting an Arab- January 25r2015 By Christine Pelisek, 0f /25l20r5 www.people.com fhe world is failing in its effort to address the refugee crisis in I Iraq and Syria, Angelina folie said Sunday. "We are being tested here, as an international communit¡ and so far - for all the immense efforts and good intentions - the international com- munity is failing," the Unbroken director and Special Envoy for the tIN Refugee Agency said at a press conference at a Kurdish refugee camp in northern Iraq this weekend. The camp was built for tens ofthousands of refugees who fled their way to move forward," she said. "It is not enough to defend our values at homes in Mosul, which was invaded by the Islamic State, also known as home we have to defend them here, in the camps and in the informal set- ISIS and ISIL. tlements across the Middle East, and the ruined towns of Iraq and Syria." "Since I was last here in Iraq another two million people have been for- During the trip, Jolie also met with families living in makeshift homes ced from their homes," she said. "The brutality ofthe conflict and the speed and took a tour of the area. and scale of the displacement has shocked the world and help has come but "The people I met today need to know that we will be with them giving not nearly enough." them the support they need to survive for every day they remain displa- folie, 39, appealed to world leaders and asked them to find common ced," she said. "And above all they need to know one day they will be able ground and move forward. to go home and that there will be an end to this suffering." <) "It is past time for leaders on all sides to find a common ground and a 47 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiero-Berheaokn Çøpê-Riaista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensø-Basin Ozeti Øíe January 25,?Ã15 Londonts Major: The Kurdst cause is ours - let's help them fight the barbarians Meeting the refugees from Isil tenor makes one wish that Britain could do more for them By Boris Johnson z5 Jan zor5 www.telegraph.co.uk 1'am standing on the muddy floor of an old Icement factory in northern Iraq and trying to console a widow. It's not easy to find the words. She has come from Mosul, like hun- dreds of other families in the expanding refu- gee camp that surrounds us, and she has lost her husband to the maniacs. We call them Isil; they call them Da'ish - and of all the human scourges that have ever afflicted this planet, they are among the most repellent. Isil are also cunning and well organised, and The Møyor of Lonilon Boris fohnson in They took against her husband because he very hard to defeat. In less than a year, they Kutilistan Region, høq. Photo: ì-ímages was a Shabak, an adherent of an ancient and have turned much of Iraq into a shambles. syncretic religion that has something in com- Theyhave caused about million people to 7.6 Kurds believe they killed zoo of the terrorists mon with the Yazidis - the worshippers of flee their homes anyone of a different reli- - and blew up 17 of their suicide-bomb trucks the peacock god whose sufferings we saw on gion, anyone who refuses to bow, anyone and when I look at the mobile-phone foo- our screens last year. They asked him to who won't pay the tithes, anyone who objects - tage ofthe explosions, the taþ seems plausi- ¡enounce his faith, and to become a Sunni to their programme of slaughter and rape. I ble. Muslim. He refused. They took him away talk to a Shi'ite muezzin from a Mosul and shot him, as they have murdered so mosque, and as we sit on the floor of his tiny The UK is pledged to help these Peshmerga, many others like the poor Japanese bivouac, he alternately weeps and rants as he - and we can certainly be proud of what is hostage this weekend - with the hideous describes the failings of tlre Iraqi army. They being accomplished. The RAF has launched gloating arrogance of their movement. Now have done notling to protect him. Iraq as a dozens of sorties, dropping Paveway and she lives with her seven grimy children in a countryis no good, he says and as far as he - Hellfire munitions on the Isil insurgents, hessian tent, with no money and no hope; no is concerned, Mosul should be handed over often with success. I went up in the hills, food, no heat, no protection save what she to the Kurds. gets from the Kurdish government. about 3o miles from the front, to watch men and women from the British Army giving r¡hat is a superficially surprising thing for tuition in the basics of warfare. There on I don't know why people say that Isil is I him to say, when you consider that the rolling green terrain looking a bit like a medieval. The Middle fues were enlightened Kurds are Sunni, and that there aren't that - shooting party in northern Spain the in comparison. These people are barbarians. many Kurds in Mosul. But it reflects the rea- - weather-beaten Peshmerga were learning to You only have to look at the footage of those lity: that there is only one military force that advance in formation, to avoid ambush, to young men, laughing over their murders, is really trying to defeat Isil on the ground. take out wounded comrades. There is no joking about the women they propose to Only one set of soldiers have their hearts in doubt that the Kurds are grateful for what we enslave or abuse. They are sick, they are the fight. Their name means -The Men Who are doing, and especially for help with their revolting - and it is a serious moral reproach Face Death". They are the Peshmerga, the r.5 million refugees. to our society that any young person growing Kurdish irregular fighters who are beginning up in Britain, and attended by all the pam- after a shaþ start to achieve great - - ut it is important not to exaggerate our pering of the welfare state, could consider things. Only the previous evening there had D) LDmilitary contribution. We have given going off to join them. been a battle on the banks of the Tigris. The I them 4o heavy machineguns and half a mil- <.+, "* lion rounds, and we have a total of 75 troops deployed, with very strict rules of engage- ment. We are not even teaching them such essentials as how to remove an improvised I (,' explosive device. I look at these Kurds and ,1 the scale of the challenge theyface - Mosul is I still occupied by Isil and I cannot help { - l wondering if we could do more. Those anti- tank weapons that worked so well the other night: they came from Germany. Couldn't we I send some more? Of course I understand the anxieties of the I UK Government: the strong and justifiable I aversion to sending British ground troops to a j t the frontline. Then there is the basic uncer- I .J F .\ É ê tainty about how any more weapons 48 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaieza-Berheaokn Çøpê-Riaista Stømpa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti F might ultimately be used, and against think of another conflict where righteous- Now is exactly the time, when things are whom. It may be that the future for Iraq is a ness coincides so overwhelmingly with the tough, for us to step up our support: encour- more federal structure, with even more British interest. In a miserable region, aging more trade, and more direct flighs autonomy for Kurdistan - but no one wants Kurdistan is an oasis of democracy, tole- from London to Erbil, and above all to to see a violent break-up; no one wants a dis- rance, prosperity, openness and relative gen- spread the news to British business that integration of relations between Baghdad der equality. Since John Major's r99r no-fly Kurdistan is reaþ different, and in some and Erbil, the Kurdish capital. zones, the Kurds have been vehemently pro- ways better. And we should consider intensi- West, and particularþ pro-British. With the fring our military support. In a struggle ¡ ll these political questions are important sixth-biggest notional oil reserves in the against savagery that washes up on our lland delicate, but they strike me as funda- world, Kurdistan is a huge opportunity - and shores, their cause is our cause. mentally questions for another day. The already has the most successful Jaguar I¿nd aaa immediate task is to help the Kurds defeat Rover showroom in the Middle East. the forces ofdarkness and hate. It is hard to muAlT7nMANI January 27,2015 Turkey won't accept lraq-style Kurdish rule in Syfia, says ErdoÕan Prcsidmt Recep Tøyyip Erdoian. (Photo: DIIA) TODAY'S ZAMAN / ISTANBUL Kobani is so strategic for Washington, and January 27,2015, he replied that if the lslamic State in lraq and the Levant (lSlL) take the town, it would equip moderate Syrian forces on Turkish furkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo$an say it defeated collation powers. soil, but disagreements on other issues I has ruled out any possibility of accepting "There is no settled public there; remain. Turkey's calls for a no-fly-zone and an autonomous Kurdish government in nor- 200,000 people crossed into our side security zone in northern Syria and the top- thern Syria similar to the one in northern lraq, [Turkey]. There are fighters. We told lthe pling of Assad's regime have received the saying a government like this would cause USl, 'Don't drop these bombs, you are cold shoulder from the US, which currently major problems in the future. making a mistake.' Unfortunately, despite has no appetite for a war against Assad, ln his remarks to reporters on his way this conversation, they dropped whatever saying a no-fly zone aga¡nst Syria's air force back to Turkey after an African tour, was necessary and half of [the weapons] rs a no-go. Erdolan criticized the United States' policy were seized by Daesh [another name used on Syria, which doesnt involve toppling to refer lSlLl. So who feeds Daesh?" ERDOõAN: WHO WILL REBU¡LD Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Erdolan asked. KOBANI? "[The US] doesn't want to make moves He stressed that the weapons dropped Erdolan has slammed the Us-led coali- that target the [Syrian] regime. lt says [top- by the US-led coalition and seized by lSlL tion for destroying Kobani via bombard- pling the governmentl is not among its tar- are heavy artillery and that the weapons ments targeting lSlL attacks in and around gets. lf it doesn't take place, there won't be may create problems in the future. the city, asking "Who will rebuild it now?" any solution. What would happen? The "Aleppo is of major ¡mportance to us. "Who will rebuild the places that you same thing that happened in lraq will hap- The [Syrian] regime bombs Aleppo. There have bombed? No one is considering what pen. We don't want a new lraq. What is this? arc 1.2 million people there. There is history will happen in the future. Will 200,000 refu- Northern lraq... [We don't want] a northern culture and civilization in that city. lt ¡s a gees return, or if they do where will they Syria to appear! lt is not possible for us to really big destruction. I hope the Americans live?" said Erdo$an. accept this," Erdo$an said revise their opinions and find the right stra- ln the meantime, when asked if the US "l know the burden on Turkey is heavy tegy," Erdolan added. is satisfied with Turkey in terms of coopera- We have to keep our stance [firm] on this ln his remarks, Erdolan also ruled out ting against lSlL with regards to Kobani, US issue. Otherwise, after a northern lraq, there any change on Turkey's Syria policy. "Our State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki would be a northern Syria. These forma- policy toward Syria is obvious. We never said Turkey has made significant contribu- tions will cause big problems in the future," think to make changes on it. Our target is tions in the fight against the terrorist group. he concluded. the [Syrian] regime. [The situation] doesnt "We have been very closely engaged f rdogan also pointed to the three Kurdish work with the Assad regime. Syrian opposi- with Turkey, as you know. I don't have the l-autonomous administrations formed by tion forces have also stated this many times. number of trips that General Allen and Syrian Kurds in January 2014, and once I said this to Biden and to Obama. Three Ambassador McGurk have taken there and more scolded the US for only placing impor- things needs to take place: one, a no-fly the number of times they've engaged with tance on Kobani. zone; two, a security zone; and three, trai- our Turkish partners They have contributed "There is also this perspective - Afrin, ning and equipping [opposition forces]," in every line of effort, so we certainly feel Kobani, Qamisli -- this arrangement in this Erdolan added. good about our ongoing cooperation, which strip is also meaningful. Because we are tel- The anti-lSlL US-led coalition hopes to use is not just about one area but is about this ling them: Why don't you turn toward I Turkey's incirlik Air Base for operations entire effort to defeat lSlL," Psaki said in a Aleppo? They don't pay any attention to against lSlL militants - however, Turkey daily press briefing on Monday. Aleppo," Erdo$an complained. wants a comprehensive strategy before it will aaa The president reported that he had give stronger support to the campaign. asked US President Barack Obama why Turkey and the US have agreed to train and 49 Reuue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaoka Çøpê-Riaista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti t I 3() janvier 2015 I Ð:( I I I L'Etat islamique positions kurdes à Kirliou nes tuées www.lexpress,ch 30 janvier 2015 25 personnes ont été tuées dans des attaques en lrak vendredi. Six d'entre elles ont trouvé la mort près de la ville multi-communautaire de Kirkouk, dans une attaque menée par I'Etat islamique et repoussée par les forces kurdes. L'offensive lancée par I'EI contre Kirkouk dans le nord de I'lrak a "été déjouée" par les forces kurdes, appuyées par des frappes aériennes de la coalition internationale emmenée par les Etats-Unis, a affirmé le gouverneur provincial Najm Eldine Karim. L'assaut du groupe djihadiste "visait des infrastructures pétrolières et gazières (...) Les peshmergas et I'Etat islamique se sont aftontés vendredi matin à et a été mené depuis trois directions con- Kirkouk. 6 personnes ont trouvé la mort dans les attaques. duisant à la ville de Kirkouk (...)". Ces infrastructures sont vitales pour l'lrak qui table dans son budget2075 sur I'export Le comité de sécurité de la province de autres blessés lorsque le kamikaze s'est fait de 300'000 barils de pétrole par jour Kirkouk avait annoncé un couvre-feu à par- exploser, selon le brigadier général Barzan depuis cette riche province pétrolifère. tir de 10h00 (08h00 en Suisse) qui a été Ali. Général kurde abattu ìevé pìus tard dans la journée, selon la D'autres violences ont touché une ville au Le général de brigade Shirko Rauf et cinq police. nord de Bagdad, où sept personnes ont été autres peshmergas (combattants kurdes) Forces de sécurité ciblées tuées et 31 blessées dans trois attentats à la ont été tués et 46 personnes blessées dans Les djihadistes avaient touché le centre de voiture piégée et lors d'affrontements cette attaque d'envergure au sud et à la ville en faisant exploser une voiture entre I'EI et les forces de sécurité à l'ouest l'ouest de Kirkouk, selon le responsable de piégée près du quartier général des forces de la ville, ont indiqué des responsables de police. Le bilan définitif dans les rangs des de sécurité. Cinq personnes ont été la police. forces kurdes pourrait toutefois s'alourdir. blessées, selon un colonel de police et un Dans la capitale Bagdad, cinq personnes Des responsables ont affirmé que les dji- médecin. sont décédées dans une explosion sur un des responsables. Un double hadistes avaient perdu des dizaines de A falawla, un secteur récemment repris aux marché, selon combattants dans cet assaut mais ces affir- djihadistes dans la province de Diyala, au attentat a visé le quartier de Bab el Charki mations ne pouvaient être confirmées de sud de Kirkouk un attentat suicide a visé et les djihadistes ont bombardé des sites manière indépendante. des peshmergas. Sept ont été tués et sept des peshmergas kurdes dans quatre régions au sud-ouest de la ville. o Gerné de cadavres dans Kobané détruite, d un -snlper" kurde expose ses exploits Kobané (Syrie),30 janvier 2015 (AFP) kurde d'odgine iranienne, fué de 25 ans, n'est pas avare de détails sur ses faib d'ames. Dans un furc parfait, appris du temps où il faisa¡t de la contrcbande enûe la Tuquie et I'lran, qu'il "CELUI-LA, JE UA TUÉ d'une balle dans la tête alols essayait de s'entuir. Les il raconte comment le téléphone portable d'un de ses ennemis, un jihadiste turc originaire plus pas autres, c'álait facile. lls n'anivaient à coudr vite". Au milieu des ruines de de Manisa (ouest), s'est mis à sonner quelques heurcs aprÈs sa mort. Au bout du fil, sa peine jihadiles. Kobané à libéróe, Musa trône fièrement devant ses victimes famille qui cherchait déses¡Éément de ses nouvellæ. groupe (El) gisent Neuf combatlanb du Etat islamique alþnés au bord d'une rue du hameau "Nous leur avons dit que leur fils était ici, mais qu'il éta¡t mort', dit Musa. "lls nous ont sup- quelquæ de Khamlici, à kilomètres au sud du cente de la ville. plié de ænserver le corps pour pouvoir au moins l'enterrcr au pays, en Turquie. C'æt pour A des journalistes de I'AFP qui ont pu entrcr dam Kobané, Musa afürme læ avoir abattus cette raison qu'ils sont encore ici". qu'ils aux demièrcs heurcs de la bataille, alors battaient en retraite face aux miliciens kuÊ Et d'ajouter que, d'habitude, les corps des jihadistes tués sonl rapidement brûlés pour protections peuple (YPG). des des Unités de du empêcher la propagation des maladiæ, plus quafe Les combattanb kurdes ont repris le contóle de la ville lundi, au terme de de lnstallé en Rojava, la rfrion à majodté kurde de la Syrie, depuis tmis ans, Musa a reþint le qui mois de combab achamés ont fait selon les observateurs, au moins 1.800 tués, dont front de Kobané dès le début de l'ofiensive jihadiste. Quatre mois de combab inintenom- près '1.200 jihadistes. de dans les seuls rangs pus, jour et nuit, faæ à un ennemi rcdoutable, pÉci- "Je les ai eus à 400 m de distance', se souvient-il en exhibant fèrement le fusil de . "PAS UNE GUERRE IIORÍIIALE". sion Kanas, de fabdcation russe, dont il ne se sépae jamais. "lls s'apprétaient à s'enfuir à "Ce n'était pas une guerTe normale", soufrle le Kurde. "DarF une gueÍe, il y a une découvert pour rejoindre leurs camarades, ils n'ont pas Éussi"... þune morale, une culture et même dæ rfulæ. Mais Daesh (l'acrcnyme arabe du groupe El) + Un bonnet vissé sur la tête, le visage mangé par une êpaisse baröe noire, le combattant 50 Retsue de Presse-Press Reaieto-Berheaokn Çøpê-Riaista Stømpa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basín Ozeti * ne respecte aucune de ces r{¡les', poursuitil, "eux, ils avaient tous en tête l'idee de Autour de lui, le silence et la désolalion Ègnent en maîfes absolus. Encadrés d'immeubles moudr en marlyrs pour aller au paradis", rasés, les rues sont jonchées de gnavab, encombrées de véhicules peforés. Au loin, quelques æups de feu ou tis d'obus daquent encorc, spnadiquæ. Musa n'en dira pas plus. ll est l'tìeure de retoumer vers le centre de Kobané, plus sûr. Au- delà des faubouqs, læ jihadistes ódent encoæ. Un autæ combattant a rejoint Musa. ll témoþne de l'âprcté des combab, de la moüvation de ses ennemis. "On les tuait mais ils revenaient chaque fois plus nombeux", se souvient A I'entrée sud de la ville, dæ combathntes du YPG montent la garde et tentent de se Dijwan Gever, 20 ans à peire. Mais il en est sûr, la victoirc est aquise, définitivement. "Les réchaufier autour d'un bræero. La pluie froide tombe sur les bâtimenb évenbés. Leur villages autour seront bientôt libéés", pronostiqu+t-il. chef(fe), tout sourirc, salue les þumalistes. Dans son treillis kaki, elle se recoiffe rapide- ment discrète æquetterie apÈs le fnacas des armes. Dijwan æt moins afirmatif quand on lui parle d'un etour rapide des 200.000 habitanb de la région, en grande maþrité des Kurdes, quiontfui pour la Turquie voisine. "lls vont revenir, Musa lui demande de raænter "sa" bataille mais elle rcfuse obstinément. "J'ai du tavail'. un jour", se contente-t-il de répondre. Alons, sars se fairc prier, son compagnon d'armes continue à évoquer la sienne, "La gueíe Musa le sait lui aussi. Le nettoyage et la rcconstuclion vont prcndrc du temp. Des obus a été tÈs dure mais nous avons gagné conte un ennemi hors du æmmun, qui n'a cessé de mortiers non explosés gisent encoæ dam les rues. "Ca va veni/, pomet-il, "il nous faut de decapiter les civils et læ combathnb-. encore un peu de temps pour retrouver nos esprib après bnt de mois de guene".o 29 JANVIER 2015 en face de Kobané, pour dissua- der les éventuels candidats au "Nous avons eu la vie sauve, retour. "Nous ne laissons ren- ¡ trer aucun réfugié jusqu'à nou- vel ordre", a indiqué un respon- mais nous avons tout perdu" sable de ì'agence gouverne- mentale turque chargée des situations d' urgence (Afad). Les iihadistes sont Mardi, les forces de I'ordre partis, mais Kobané turques ont fait usage de gaz lacrymogènes et de canons à ne retrouvera pas ses eau pour repousser des habitants de sitôt. groupes de manifestants qui s'approchaient de la frontière, à la faveur d'un rassemblement OLI/ AFP lBurak AKINCI de plusieurs milliers de Kurdes 29 ianvier 2015 célébrant la victoire. lorientleiour.com La situation côté syrien est encore très instable, plaide-t-on côté turc. Des combats ont été "NOUS VOULONS TOUS signalés mercredi dans les vil- rentrer. Mais rentrer où ?" lages autour de Kobané, où les Comme pour cette femme en avions de la coalition ont pleurs, la fin de la bataille de encore bombardé des cibles Kobané a ravivé les rêves de jihadistes. retour des Syriens réfugiés en Son nourrisson d'à peine 15 Turquie. Mais les combats y ont Pour nombre des habitants de Kobané contraints à I'exode, jours sur les bras, Stera causé de tels dégâts qu'ils ne I'euphorie suscitée lundi par la victoire des forces kurdes Hussein, 29 ans, garde un très sont pas près de se concrétiser. sur les iihadistes a été de courte durée. Très vite, les pre- mauvais souvenir des condi- Pour nombre de ses habi- miers témoignages ont franchi la frontière et révélé I'am- tions de sa fuite précipitée en tants contraints à I'exode, I'eu- pleur des destructions subies par la ville syrienne pendant Turquie I'automne dernier. phorie suscitée lundi par la vic- "C'était atroce. Le YPG nous toire des forces kurdes sur les pendant jours que jihadistes a dit des a été de courte durée. nous ne risquions rien, qu'ils Très vite, les premiers témoi- menées sur des cibles jihadistes "Notre patrie est notre bien assuraient notre sécurité. Et gnages ont franchi la frontière par les avions de la coalition le plus cher. Mais dans les puis d'un seul coup, ils nous ont et révélé I'ampleur des destruc- internationale conduite par les conditions actuelles, un retour demandé de partir dans ì'heure, tions subies par Kobané pen- Etats-Unis. est tout simplement impossible sans rien pouvoir prendre avec dant quatre mois et demi d'af- Pour M. Kemri, pas question à envisager", dit-elle, en répri- nous", enrage la jeune femme, frontements d'une intensité pour I'instant de regagner la mant un sanglot. "on a eu la vie sauve, mais nous que certains ont comparé à Syrie, donc, fusque-là hébergé avons tout perdu". celle du siège de la ville russe de dans le confort spartiate d'un "Nous avons tout perdu" Alors, même si les Turcs lui Stalingrad, pendant la Seconde pensionnat de Suruç, le profes- "Franchement, je serais ouvraient grand la frontière, guerre mondiale. seur de mathématiques s'ap- contente si nous pouvions ren- même si les miliciens kurdes lui "Toutes les maisons ont été prête à emménager avec sa trer dans un délai d'un an. Mais assuraient que la sécurité était détruites par les combats entre famille dans le camp de toile de je suis optimiste en disant cela restaurée côté syrien, Stera le YPG (la milice kurde à la 35 000 places tout juste ouvert car il va falloir tout recons- assure qu'elle y réfléchira à pointe des combatsJ et Daech par les autorités turques aux truire", pronostique-t-elle en deux fois avant de se risquer à (le groupe Etat islamique)", abords de la ville. déplorant sa condition de traverser la frontière dans I'au- déplore Ahmad Kemri, 60 ans, L'une de ses voisines de "nomade". tre sens. "fe ne sais plus si je le proviseur d'un des lycées de chambre, Cemile Hasan, 36 ans, Pour l'heure, la frontière dois faire confiance au YPG", réfugié en Turquie. "Et n'est guère plus optimiste sur entre la Turquie et la Syrie reste la ville s'interroge-t-elle, "ils nous ont les raids aériens ont encore ses perspectives de retour au fermée à double tour. La gen- trompés une fois et on a failli le dévastation", pays, quatre mois après sa fuite darmerie et I'armée turques rajouté à la payer de notre vie", ajoute-t-il, en évoquant les précipitée devant I'offensive patrouillent autour du poste- nombreuses frappes aériennes des combattants de l'EI. frontière de Mursiþinar, juste ooo 51 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çøpê- Riaistø Stømpa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti l:icrl I 30 janvier 2015 rejoindre le mouvement de con- . ", li .f rì lSnrce Lrvcrnrr testation. Conscient de son avan- ¡1, lr li ¡'1;í l,,l I ¡l tage, le PYD se comporte avec les mises en garde du régime comme les Israéliens en Palestine et à Gaza avec les avertissements des Entre le régtme s)trien et Américains : ils les entendent mais n'en font qu'à leur tête. Ainsi, en dépit des menaces le PYD, I'heure n'est pas agitées par le général Ali Mamlouk, dépêché à Hassaké pour y ramener le calme, les encore au divorce Forces de Protection populaires (YPG) ont fait disparaître, le zg Ignace Leverrier janvier, I'effigie géante de Bachar syrie.blog. lemonde.fr al-Assad qui ornait - si I'on peut ç ( go janvier zors I dire... - le rond-point situé à I'en- !l ?. I trée nord de la cité. Ajoutant le ll à ìa profanation, ils ont badi- A u lendemain de la rencontre ¡ défi geonné aux couleurs de leur parti f\consultative parrainée par les , L monument et le nom de la Russes, qui a vu des représen- le ville... tants du régime syrien et du Parti de I'Union démocratique (PYD, Autre signe que le régime syrien ex-PKK) siéger à la même table, il dispose encore réserves de s'avère que Ìe point de non-retour de patience n'a pas été franchi et que le à l'égard de cet allié tur- affrontements n'ont divorce attendu entre le pouvoir bulent, les jamais conduit les forces syrien et le parti de Mohammed Rencontre consultatizte de Moscou régulières à user, contre la ville, Saleh Mouslim n'a toujours pas des bombardements aériens et été prononcé. Mettant un terme à des lâchers d'explosif une période de tension, peut-être de barils devenus au fil des temps, partout liée à I'approche de la réunion où ailleurs en S1rie, une sanction les deux parties devaient se situer que banale. dans des camps opposés, elles aussi meurtrière Cette longanimité est d'autant ont en effet signé à Hassaké, plus remarquable et significative jeudi z9 janvier, un accord qu'aujourd'hui, janvier, d'échange de prisonniers. Il 3o un hélicoptère a largué un engin de devrait permettre aux dizaines de ce type sur campement de combattants et de civils arrêtés un bédouins, dans la région de Kafr de part et d'autre de regagner les Zita, Hama, tuant rangs de leurs unités ou de at nord de personnes, deux retrouver leurs foyers. Uncørnp de bédouíns botnbardé àKqfv EZítø cinq dont femmes et deux enfants, et des police, la place, en Irak et en Occident, il ne dizaines de bêtes de leur trou- Cet accord n'est que I'un des élé- I'exception de la de sécurité intérieure et des agents figure toujours pas sur la liste des peau. ments du cessez-le-feu destiné à de la circulation. "ennemis" du régime de Damas. ramener le calme dans la ville. Il que, ses velléités Plus près de Hassaké, I'aviation prévoit également, sous les aus- Il est vrai si que, et commis, ro jours pices d'un "Conseil de paix Ce développement confirme d'autonomie inquiètent irritent syrienne avait pour le régime en place, I'heure par moment pouvoir syrien, plus tôt, un véritable massacre, civile", la levée de tous les postes le pas encore venue de elles présentent un gros avantage seul coup sous ses de contrôle militaires installés n'est solder tuant d'un comptes. des rela- elles préoccupent moins bombes civils - tous arabes - dans les différents quartiers et le les En dépit : au 75 tions établies par le PYD avec des autant I'ennemi le plus résolu de dans un marché au Mtail du vil- retrait des forces de sécurité, à parties hostiles au pouvoir en Bachar al-Assad dans la région, le lage d'al-Khansa. Les lieux sont gouvernement du Parti Justice et contrôlés par I'Etat islamique. Développement (AKP) d'Ahmet Mais, comme à son habitude, Dawto$u. læs Turcs craignent quand elle prétend s'en prendre à en effet plus que tout l'établisse- lui, I'armée régulière avait con- ment d'un "Kurdistan" syrien à centré ses coups sur des inno- leur frontière sud, qui plus est cents, premières victimes du dirigé par un avatar du parti groupe terroriste. d'Abdollah öcalan. Il ne s'agissait ni d'un hasard, ni Malgré les provocations auxquels d'une erreur de cible. Il était ils se livrent, il n'est donc pas urgent en effet, dans les circon- encore temps, pour les respons- stances de I'heure, de faire com- ables sydens, de mettre au pas le prendre aux Kurdes du PYD à parti et les milices auxquels ils quoi ils s'exposeraient eux- ont naguère concédé la surveil- mêmes en continuant à mordre la lance de la Jazireh et la neutrali- main qui les avait si longtemps sation de ses habitants - arabes, nourris. r L'entrée noil de Hassaké (aoant et øprès) kurdes ou assyriens - tentés de 52 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çøpê- Riaista Stampa-Dentro de lø Prensa-Basin Özeti firtcn¡tio¡¡¡l l\ctu !lork @inrcø FRI DAY, JAN UARY 23, 2OI5 With oil prices slumping, Iran's leader Iraq asks West for arms asks West's brigades more 20,000 troops LONDON - than so that Iraq can conduct a major coun-- teroffensive this year'. youth to Baghdad seeks loans American officials said last year that to buy weapons for fight the goal was to wrest control of Mosul, Fallujah and lraq's major roads from study Islam against Islamic State the Islamic State by the end of 2015. Iraqi forces, they would, would also TEI{RAN move of bor- BY MICHAEL R. GORDON to re-establish control its derwith Syriabythen. BYTHOMAS ERDBRINK Battered by a sharp declir¡e in world oil But on Thursday, Mr. Hammondindi- prices, Iraq is askingWestern nations to cated that the military campaign In a ra¡e effort to reach out lo the West, provide weapons for its fight againstthe against the Islamic State, also known as Iran's súpreme leader has releasqd a let- Islamic State on credit until Baghdad is ISIS or ISIL, could take twice as long. ter to youngsters in the United States and in a better position to pay. "This isn't going to be done in three Europe imploringthem to learn about Is- Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi of months or six months. It's going to take lam from original sources and not, as he Iraq said here Thursday that oil exports a year, two years to push ISIL back out said in a later Tlvitter message, have it accounted for 85 percent of his nation's of lraq, but we are doing the things that "introduced to you by prejudices." budget and that the precipitous drop in need to be done in order to turn the The Iranian leader; Ayatollah Ali prices had bêen "disastrous for us." tide," Mr. Hammond told Sky News. Khamenei, says on Tlvitter and in the "Deferred payment" for arms pur- Mr. Abadi had called on Western na- letter, published on his website, that he chases, Mr. Abadi said, "is ohe solution, tions to expand and accelerate their ef- does not "insist that you accept my or and our coalition partners have been fort to train and equip Iraq forces before any particular reading of Islam," but very receptive of that." coming to the meeting in London, and wants to address young people after the Mr. Abadi spoke at a joint news con- attacks in Pa¡is by militants who said ference with Secretary of State John they acted in the name of Islam. Kerry and Philip Hammond, the British "The recent events in France and foreign secretary, following an interna- similar ones in some other Western tional meeting on combating militants countries have convinced me to directly from the Islamic State. More than 20 co- talk to you about them," Ayatollah alition members participated in tlre Khamenei writes in the letter and pro- meeting, which was held amid signs moted on Tlr¡itter, which is blocked in that the effort to push the Islamic State Iran, under the hashtag #Letter4U. out of Iraq has been slow to pick up "I don't insist that you accept my or steam. any particular reading of # Islam but not American officials insist' that they to allow Islam to be introduced to you by prejudices. ha,ve halted Islamic State's momentum, ¡ STEFANWERMUTH/REUTERS #Lþtter4u a claim President Obama echoed in his Prlme Minister Abadi of lraq met Thurs- Khamenei.ir (@khamenei-ir) State ol the Union Address. Mr. Kerry day with American and Britlsh offlcials. January 21,2015" sought to reinforce that assertion by In the letteç Ayatollah Khamenei is saying that 50 percent of the Islamic clearly concerned about how the at- State's leadership and thousands of its on Thursday he expressed satisfaction tacks may have been used by some in fighters had been killed. Much otthe oil that his argument had been heard. the West to tarnish tlte image of Islam. part process and gas infrastructure the Islamic State "I asked for more support," he said. That is of a that he says uses to finance its operations has been "My call did not no unnoticed." The Iraqi started after the disintegration of the destroyed by American and allied air leader saidthe United States had rushed Soviet Union and is part of a greater strikes, he added. a shipment of arms to lraq, apparently conspiracy to sow discoid. "This is a But the task of expelling the Islamic without expectation of payinent. preplanned challenge between Islam State militants f¡om Mosul, Fallujah and Mr. Kerry and Mr. Hammond de- and you," he writes, a 2O-year-long ef- other urban areas. they have seized in scribed the conference here as more of fort "to place this great religion in the Iraq remains extraordinarily challenging an opportunity to coordinate existing seat of a horritying enemy." for Iraq's beleaguered military, evenwitl plans and identify needs that would be He says the 1üest has begun to see the support from American airstrikes. the subject of further deliberations by error of its ways, but awfully late in the An lraqi plan to create national guard experts from coalition nations. game, units made up of Sunni tribal fighters in "We are decided there are things we "The histories of the United States the northern and western parts of the can do more of," said Mr. Kerry who and Europe are ashamed of slavery, em- country has stalled in Baghdad. A stop- noted that this included measures to cut barrassed by the colonial period and gap effort to enlist the support of Sunni off financing to tlre Islamic State and chagrined at the oppression of people of tribes in western lraq has yielded only help counter its propaganda campaign color and non-Christians,l' he writes. about 1,000 fighters. to recruit more followers, "Your researchers and historians are The United States and its partners "We can do bétter with respect to the deeply ashamed of the bloodsheds also hope to train an additional 12 Iraqi supplies and other things," he added. wrought in the name of religion between the Catholics and Protestants or i4 the name of nationality and ethnicity during the First and Second World Wars." The point, Ayatollah Khamenei says, 53 Reaue de Presse-Press Reoiew-Berheuokø Çnpê- Rivista Stampa-Dentro de ln Prensa-Bøsin Ôzeti is not to teach a history lesson but to he wishes to raise with young people: er than the media?" question why the public in the West is "Hence, my first request is: Study and "Tfy and find answers yourself," he awakening to issues in the distant pàst research the incentives behind this adds. "The future of your nations and '' but not to current problems.' ' widespread tarnishing of the image of countries will be in your hands; and also In that regard, he asks, "Why is it that Islam." I find that the sense of quest for truth is attempts are made to prevent public Read the Quran, he advises, "Have more vigorous and attentive in your awareness regarding an important is- you studied the teachings ofthe Prophet hearts." sue such as the treatment of Islamic cul- of Islam and his humane, ethical doc- ture and thought?" trines? Have you ever received the This leads him to the central matter message of Islam from any sources oth- lntcn¡.rtion¡l Ñtu llork @irucø TUESDAY, JAN UARY 2 7, 2ot5 Turkey's politics of fatigue stratcgy, standinsharpoppo- This reaction speaks to one ofT\¡r- Elif Shafak pursuirrg sition, while othet's key's greatest obstacles: how the past ho¡tiliþ or¡cr engage in self-crit- shapes the future. A sense of victim- icism."Itwasn'tthe hood plagues society, and there is a "6rooró-i*. support for more constant cycle of retribution that cre- LoNDoil Before a recent interview in Pluralistic and demo- ates new victims. was to in Paris Istanbul, I talking thejournalist cratic developments . .. where we rÀ¡ent After the horrible shootings politics. After about 15 about Ti¡rkish wrong. It was failing to see that the at the magazinê Charlie Heb¡lt¡, and minutes, she looked down and lowered A.K.P.'s boundaries would turn out to amid a rise in both IslamoPobia and her voice, as though confiding a secret: be so narrow," wrote the Ti¡rkish au- r-nti-Westernism, T[rkey could have is so to be T\¡rkish some- "It tiring thor and sociologist OYa BaYdar. stood as aunifyingvoice, amodern, times," "Those who used to say that the A.K.P. democratic, pluralistic Muslim country That mental exhaustion is caused for was only.pretending to be democratic with a strong secularist tradition. But part politics. President Re- the most by and would eventually replace military that is not the prevailing mood. cep Tâyyip Erdogan and his leading despotism with a civilian one ... have Mr. Erdogan blamed the West for the cadres have chosen a diVisive strategy, been proved right." killings. 'As Muslims we have never pursuing hostility over compromise and Today, liberals are viewed with scorn taken part in terrorist massacres," he politics over a culture of co- a of duality by the anti-A.K.P. camp for being too said. "Behind these lie racism, hate the most trivial or aÞ existence. Even soft and naive. "In.the end, wer'en't speec.h and Islamophobia. Games are questions provoke de- surd can heated they, as were some left-wing intellectu- being.playeö with the Islamic world in public - bate: "Would laughing als in the 1950s and 1960s in the Soviet we need to be aware of this." endanger aTlrrkish woman's mod- Union, the'useful idiots' of the A'K.P. Those who ariticize the government esty?" "Should Tbrkish Airlines female and Erdogan?" wrote Ariane Bonzon, a are accused ofnot being patriotic, or attendanfs be allowed to wear red flight French journalist who covers TUrkey worse, as being pawns of Western Iipstick, and if not, which color might be andthe Middle East. powers trying to destroy Türkey. The permissible?" "Should patriotic citizens Among TtrrkeY's nonconservative latestvictims include Miss Tùrkey of consume ayran (ayogurt drink) instead women at least half of the 48 percent 2ü)6, Merve Buyuksarac, who was ofraki?" "Are all female drivers dfred - who did not vote for Mrj Erdogari in the questioned for insulting President Er- ça¡s voting for the opposition party?" election there is a growing con- dogan on her Instagram account; and The unbearable fatigue is particu- Iast - cern about the A.K.P.'s meddling in their Sedef Kabas, ajournalist and anchorwo- larly sharp among liberal intellectuals private lives. In the past, sexist state- man,who was held by the Police for and women. The liberals do not repre- ments from male politicianswere re- tweeting about a cover-up of a govern- sent huge numbers of Tùrks, but tàey garded as spontaneous outbursts' ment corruption scandal. One of the are an important measure against Today, they are seen as part of a system- country's most popular actors, Tamer which tlte Justice and Development atic and sinister ideological campaign to Karadagti, said,'Artists, businessmen Party's political trajectory can be women to traditional gender ,. . we are all scared," tracked. When the party first came to confine roles. After the minister of health, The fatigue lingers. The gap between power in 2002, liberals supported it. Muezzinoglu, visited the first Ttrrkey and the \lVest widens. If as A.K.P., the party's initials in T\rrkish, Mehmet baby born in 2015, he said, "Mothers T\rrks we cannot find a way to embrace was pro-reform and frro-European should not put any career otherthan the ideals of free society, open debate, Union. It was expected to promote civil motherhood at the center of their lives." pluralistic culture and gender equality, liberties, a heartening idea after three The backlash was immediate. Tl¡rk- it won't be just a failure of democracy, military taþovers since 1960, each ish women have heard top government it will also be a failure of imagination worse than the prèvious one. But as the officials weigh in on subjects like abor- and will. party swerved toward authoritarian- tion, cesarean-section deliveries, con- ism, liberals were cast adrift. traception and style of dress. "I am fed EL|F SHAFAK is awríter whose boohs in- At a New Year's dinner in Istanbul, I up with all these sexist comments, con' clude the novels'¿The Architect's Ap- listened to my morose liberal friends: stantly telling us women how to live our prentice" and "The Forty Rules of Love;' "There are two ways left for anyone lives," Ayse Arman lvrote in the news- who doesn't sympathize with the A.K.P. paper Hurriyet, Protests were organ- today: Either we are going to become ized around the country. \lVhen I talked foolishly apolitical, or we'll get to be bit- about the need for an indePendent terlypolitical. And if women's movement and a new narrat- heoident Y ive of sisterhood to bridge political di- Erdogan I vides, some conservative head'scarvetl ha¡chosen t women said it would be hard to work with feminists since theit interests had a " divisir¡e g e been ignored in the Past. 54 Reaue de P r esse-P r ess Reaiezo -B erheaokn Çap ê - Riaista Stampa-Dentro de lø Prensa-Basin Ozeti Too soon to sav'mission omplished' in Kobañi: LJ.s. official - (Reuters) - .Jt+:g-'v-.?Zr.-2.-0.1.9..:.Iy-.-r.s.'l:y-.'!f i"-*gllg*.. WASHINGTON - Kurdish fighters'expulsion of Islamic State forces from the Syrian town of Kobani helped stop the momentum of the Islamist group but is not a significant tuming point in the overall cam- paign, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday. The setback for Islamic State in the war-ravaged town near the Turkish border did not mean "anyone is declaring mission accomplished" in the international campaign against the group. that has taken over parts of Syria and Iraq, the official said. U.S. air strikes in liaison with Kurdish ground troops and Iraqi Kurd reinforcements allowed in from Turkey tipped the battle the Kurds' way, and the Islamic State's appetite for the fight had been undermined by heavy death tolls. "About 90 percent of the town has been retaken and ISIL, whether on Kutilish ciztiliøns gøther in the Syian Kuùlish city of Qamishli øs order or the fact that they are just breaking ranks, are withdrawing from they wøoe Kutdish flags in celebrutìon øfter it uas reporteil thøt the town," the official told reporters, employing a frequently used acro- Kurilish forces took control ofthe Sytiøn town ofKobøní lanuøry nym for the al Qaeda offshoot. 27, 2075. REUTERS I D elil S o ule iman "The entire notion of this organization that is on the march and the inevi- table expansion and inevitable momentum has been halted at Kobani," Chechnya, Canada, Australia and Belgium made up the majority of mili- added the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. tants fighting for the city, which became a focal point in the campaign in "The number of foreign fighters killed in Kobani is hugely significant," northem Syria. the official said, adding it was "in the four figures." By November they were struggling to hold the town. The militants had launched an assault on Kobani in September using CRITICAL DECISIONS heavy weapons seized in Iraq and forcing tens of thousands of people Two critical actions in late September appear to have prevented Kobani the Turkey. over border into from falling completely - a U.S. airdrop of arms to the Kurdish defenders The official said some of Islamic State's best foreign fighters from and an agreement by Turkey to let Iraqi Kurdish reinforcements cross the border. "Had we not done those two things, Kobani would've been gone, and you would've seen another massacre," the official said. The official said the biggest advances on the battlefield came once a land corridor opened from Turkey to Kobani allowing supplies to reach Kurdish fighters, backed by U.S. air strikes. Also addressing Kobani on Tuesday, Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said: "I think the air strikes helped a lot. It hel- ped when we had ... a reliable partner on the ground in there who could help us fine-tune those strikes." Over the past six weeks Westem foreign fighters stationed at Raqqa, the movement's stronghold in Syria, had refused to fight in Kobani after many of their colleagues were killed, the State Department official said.o January 29,2015 towns and villages along a critical junction that connects the town of Tal Afar to the city As lraqi Kurds of Mosul - two of the IS group's b¡ggest strongholds in Iraq, The artery which even- tually leads to Syria, has been a vital supply Gain G round From ts, line for militants transport¡ng weapons, goods and people across the lawless lraq- Syria border. The Kurdish fighters struggled for Local Sunn¡s Are Wary months to inch ahead, backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes. On Tuesday, at least four ESKI MOSUL, Iraq - ran 29, 2015 Locals have swiftly shaken off the imposed airstrikes hit IS posit¡ons near Esk¡ Mosul, a By VMAN SALAMA Assoc¡ated Press Islamic lifestyle - but as Sunnis, from the village of up to about 9,000 residents some same ethnic group as the militants, many 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Mosul. ll n unarmed Sunni Arab man walked along are nonetheless bracing for treatment as col- Kurdish Brig. Gen. Bahjat Taymes, who É\a road ¡n a patch of northern lraq newly laborators, led the peshmerga operat¡on to retake the liberated from Islamic State extremists, hol- For their part, the Kurdish peshmerga Tal Afar-Mosul junction, said seizing ¡t was ding a white surrender flag - a signal to troops are suspicious about why the locals "crucial" because it also leads to the Mosul Kurdish fighters that he is not a mil¡tant. Cars chose to stay on when the Islamic State Dam, which Kurdish and Iraqi forces won drove by, a similar white banner flying from conquered the area in a blitz last year. An back in August w¡th the help of U.S. airs- their windows. Associated Press team travelling with the tr¡kes. As they retake terr¡tory from Islamic Kurds found the road to Mosul, a coveted Last week's uptick ¡n the airstrikes mar- State m¡litants, Iraqi Kurdish fighters have prize ¡n the battle for lraq, strewn with sus- ked the start of a new, broader effoÉ to dis- found surprising ambivalence ¡n areas they picion and fear. rupt Islamic State's supply lines ahead of an freed from the jihadis' oppressive rule. The recent Kurdish push secured several expected operation later th¡s year to Ð 55 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çøpê-Riaistn Stampø-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti + take back Mosul, U.S. military officials semi-autonomous region and claim long-d¡s- the first time in months, women and young sa id. puted territories in their bid for full indepen- girls walk the narrow dirt streets without A senior U.S. military official said military dence. having to cover their faces. Young boys wres- leaders were watching to see how Islamic The lraqi military briefly returned in tle and play soccer w¡thout fear. State militants respond as their supply and August for the battle to retake the Mosul But m¡strust lingers. commun¡cations l¡nes dry up. The official Dam, "but we haven't seen them since," said As several Kurdish fighters on Tuesday spoke on condition of anonymity because he Taymes, the Kurdish general. handed out bottled water, speak¡ng to the was not authorized to discuss the operations. The v¡llagers in Eski Mosul are grateful villagers in broken Arabic, a group of village Islamic State f¡ghters destroyed many for their Kurdish liberators, many of whom girls came up, timidly saying to the soldiers, power lines and bridges trying to slow the speak almost no Arabic. But the Sunni villa- "please don't blow up our homes." Kurdish advance but were eventually routed gers also know it will take t¡me to convince Shaimaa, a resident of Eski Mosul who from the area. In the nearby town of the newcomers they hold no allegiance to declined to give her full name out of fear for Shandoukhah, bulldozers and Kurdish troops the Islamic State, The militants left much her safety, said her brother-in-law suppofted worked feverishly this week to enforce pos¡- devastation before they fled. the Islamic State and so the Kurdish troops tions, p¡ling up dirt and sandbags as deter- Many in Esk¡ Mosul adm¡t they welcomed deemed her husband guilty by association rents against suicide bombers or shelling. the IS when the group first arrived, resentful and detained him. "Before we proceed further, we have to of what they perceive as years of neglect, Khudair, the grocer, cla¡med the pesh- secure our backs," Kurdish Col. Marwan al- d¡scriminat¡on and sectarian policies by the merga fighters confiscated some of his Mizouri told the AP. Shiite-led government in Baghdad. belong¡ngs, including a credit card machine The Kurdish f¡ghters in Eski Mosul - Turkish "We thought they were revolutionar¡es he uses for work. I for "Old Mosul," a name from the Ottoman com¡ng to help us and give us our rights," With the Islam¡c State st¡ll sporadically rule - say they plan to leave as soon as Iraqi said 30-year-old grocer, Sal¡m Khuda¡r. shells the village - the last time as recently troops return but their enthusiasm about Hard times followed. The village soon as Monday - some among the Kurds worry pressing ahead in a f¡ght for predominantly lost cooking gas and electr¡c¡ty, forcing the the villagers are t¡pping off the militants Arab territory is half-hearted. people to heat what l¡ttle food remained over about the Kurdish positions. Last June, Iraqi forces suffered a humi- open ground fires. The cows became ema- "We need them to trust us and to coope- liating defeat amid the IS group's lightning ciated and many stopped giving milk. Most rate with us," explained al-Mizouri, the advance. Their commanders disappeared, of the ¡nfants and the elderly became sickly. Kurdish colonel. He said he believes some pleas for more ammunition went unanswe- f\low, they can glimpse a better l¡fe emer- villagers are still loyal to the jihadis. "Not all red and in some cases, sold¡ers str¡pped off I Iging. Cigarettes - strictly banned under of them, but maybe 10 percent. It ¡s essen- their uniforms and ran. The Kurdish f¡ghters the Islamic State, which seized a third of both tial that we identify those people and take then filled the vacuum in northern Iraq, Iraq and neighboring Syria and imposed strict care of our backs before we continue." seeing a chance to spread out from their Sharia law - are sold and smoked freely. For Dtû 31 janvier 2015 ù -' rl ( l¡ affrrme Kerry l: Washington (AFP) crucial. Et ne vous y trompez pas, nous Sljanvier 2o1S aurons recours aux mêmes mécanismes que nous avons utilisés pour arriverjusque là (à à I 1 a prise de la ville syrienne de Kobané par Kobané) pour faire échec aux organisations / I¡les forces kurdes, qui ont réussi à en transnationales violentes et criminelles et chasser le groupe État islamique (EI) avec faire en sorte que l'État de droit profite à I'appui des raids aériens de la coalition, est tous>, a-t-il déclaré. ..cruciale', a assuré le secrétaire d'État amé- la coalition, sous l'égide des États-Unis, ricain John Kerry samedi. a procédé uà plus de 7oo frappes aériennes>r Les djihadistes 56 Reuue de Presse-Press Reuiap-Berhanoka Çøpê- Riaistn Stømpa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti I(obané , le silence après le fracas des armes Passée sous le contrôle total des forces kurdes, la ville slmrbole de la résistance à l'État islamique est en ruine. rose tendu en guerre, elle abritait environ 35 000 per- comme cet immense drap travers d'une rue. Azad le franchit porr SAMUEL FOREY' @SafnFoTGy sonnes. << I'avøis emménagé døns ce ENVOYÊ SPÉCIAI À KOBANÉ maison. Ce quarner, w ec mø quelques mois aller dans sa deuxíème ri Jamille, de ue )), explique cteau de tissu empêchàit les snipers viser. Une technique importée d'Alep, SYRG Un livre traîne par tene, dans le aux djihadistes oh des murs de draps barent parfois des quartier du Martyr Moro. Azad Ali (son ont arrivés aux rues entières. En quatre mois de com- nom a été changé), un jeune partisan portes de Kobané mi-sePtembre. bats, Il y a eu près de 1 600 morts, dont kurde syrien, s'agenouille, le prend et < À cette époque-lò', phts rien n'étaít plus d'un tnillier sont des c<¡mbattants commence à tourner les pages, lente- importont, ni ls maison ni les meubles' de l'État islamique. Près de la place de la ment. << Il appør'tenait ù motlpère. Ilpor - Les combqts se rupptochaient. II føllait Liberté, le cadavre d'un d'entte eux est te sur les poètes orøbes de la période partir. Malamille est ollée se réfugiet en resté pa¡ terre. Démantibulé, déchique- antéßtomique. >> Les pages sont gonflées Turquie..fe suis resté. le suis døtenuiout- té, desséché, à I'image de la ville. II n'y a plw de couvertu¡e. nnlßte-cítoyen, pour les canaux d'infor- d'hunidité. . L'autre maison d'Azacl se trouve en Il a été transpercé de part'en part par motíon ilu Kurdßton syrlen. I'expliquaß face d'unjardih aux arbres couverts de une balle ou un morceau de shrapnel. Le ce quí se pøssait ici >, raconte Azad, cend¡es. Cette maison aussi a été apla- livre se trouvait dans la maison d'Azad, 30 ans. Il se dirige vers son autre mai- tie, comme le reste du quartier. Seule sa juste à côté, Mais la maison n'existe son, celle oir il a grandi. Il marche sur chambre est restée debout, mlractúeu- plus. Elle a été aplatle par une frappe aé- des pierres, des parpaings, des théières, homme entre. An rienne. Seuls deux a¡bres des pelotes de lai:re, des Pots sement. Le Jeune clou. son pyjama pend encore. Dans un sac plastique, detx livres d'Abdullah Öcalan, le chef du PKK, le Parti des tra- vailleu¡s du Kurdistan' Par terre, deux bouteilles vides d'arak, I'alcool local. Une troisième bouteille rePose, à moitié pleine, près d'un matelas couvert de débris. Azad I'onvre. C'est bien de I'arak. Il sor¡¡it et cache la botrteille sous une pierre. Il est ternps de rentrer: la nuittombe. << Vive la résistance >> pas ravagée cotnme que le squelett" s¡ ls5 sn1¡rllles, cornme ter ces engins de mort qui Peuvent Toute la ville n'est Dans I'ouest de les piliers de I'escalier intériew d'une pulvériser des tnaisons entières. sur les lignes de ftont. L'endroit a été grande bâtisse à deux étages. D'un im- Azad passe devant deux Profonds Kobané, la vie reviént. par Les g'ou- meubie pend rme immense de cratères causés par des frappes aérien- épargné les destructions. Plaque partout. béton, retenue Par quelques barres nes, Avec d'autres alìi{s, ls5 Etats-Unis pes électrogènes vrombissent crient ìitue-tête des cha¡rts d'acier. Peut-être un tiers, vóire la moi- orit lancé une campagne de bombarde- Les enfants partisans : ,, VíveKobané lVivelaúsß- tié de la ville est dans cet état. Avant la meúts depuis le 23 septembre. Les dji- ,> Ils du vélo ehtre les barri- hadistes ont à plusieurs reprises été en toirce ! font Des combattants kurdes syriens mesure de s'empaiei'de laville, mettant cades, passent en trombe sur leurs pick-up. un terme définltif àlaprésence des Ku- T rl R (j II!F Poinl rl¡u,r';:;irtr Des combattants ku¡des irakiens, venus des dans la région. Deptds cette date, prêter à lgurs compatriotes plus de 80 % des frappes aériennes de la main-foite les.rues avec èoa[tion en Syrie ont été menées dans fin octobre, défilent clans lourdes, des mortiers, 57 Reuue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çapê- Riaista Stampø-Dentro de lø Prensn-Basin Ozeti mercedi28 janvier20.l5 Diyala en Irak sous la pressÍon de la coalition et de l'armée irakienne, accentuant l'impression d'une dé- faite pour les djihadistes. Les fòrces e armées irakiennes contrôlent dé- sormais totalement tous les villes, districts et cantons de cette pro- vince dans l'est de l'Irak. Grâce à ses campagnes de ftappes menées depuis août, la coalition internationale estime avoir stoppé de lavllle I'avancée de Daech en Iraþ mais les djihadistes conservent pour l'instant l'essentiel de leurs posi- tions, notamment Mossoul, la deuxième ville du pays (Iire lbntre- tien page suiuante). Érigée en véritable ville martyre, grâce à la mobilisation médiatique des Kurdes, Kobané abénéficié aussi de la mobilisation de la coalition conte Daech. Le¡ raids de l'aviation américaine - plûs de 700 frappes pendant quatre mois - ont été in- dispensablês pour affaiblir militai- rement les djihadistes. Ils'venaient en appui aux forces krdes, les Unités de protection du peuple kurde (YPG) épaulées et entràÎnées par le PKK turc, qui ont combattu au sol, avec aussi lhide de 150 peshmergas Kurdes irakiens, envoyés par Massoud BarzanÍ, venus en renfort avec de l'armement lou¡d, Cependant, hier, les autorités amé- ricaines se gardaientbien dun quel- conque triomphalisme. Prudentes, ) Lacommunautékurde l'autre côté dela frontière à Suruç, elles insistãient sur le fait que < Ko- etvillages alentour' afêté la << libération >> et dans les villes bané reste dßpr,lfle r. À Was-hington, de laville de Kobané occupée Pour le groupe islamÍque, la Prise la porte-parole du département pendant plus de quatre mois de Kobané devait lui permettre d'as- d'État Jennifer Pçaki a estimé que par les islamistes de Daech. seoir son influence sur une large < les forces anti-El contrôIent approxi- ) La communauté internationale portion de la frontière syro-turque. matíuement 7O % du terrítoire à Ko- reste prudente sur cette victoire Elle devait aussi lui assurer un accès bané et près de Kobané >. En effet, si qui ne pourrait être direct à la Turquie du président Er- Daech semble s?ne reti¡é de la ville, qu'un repli des islamistes dogan, Ce dernier s'est montré un les djihadistes occupent . . . sur d'autres régions de Syrie. allié pour les combattants de Daech . . . encore les alentours du ) Cene libération au point de les laisser aller et venir canton de Kobafié. < Iøroute est en- ne conforte ni ne gêne Iibrement dapprovisionner en armes core longue ,> avant une défaite de le régime de Bachar Al Assad. et se faire. soigner dans les hôpitaux Daech, a conclu Jennifer Psaki. de Sanliurfa, ville turque distante < Les Kurd,es, cornrne Ie régìme de d'une trentaine de kilomètres de la Bøchar Al Assad, tiennent les uilles Dans la ville turque de Suruç, si- frontière syrienne. alars que Daech tientles campagnes, tuée en face de Kobané, des cris de Kobané est l'un des trois cantons explÍque Frédéric Pichon, chercheur joie, des chants et des danses ont autonomes kurdes de la Syrie avec à I'université de Tours (L),Il est díf- ponctué I'annonce de la < libération,r le canton delazira (la moitié nord ficile d.eles enchasser car cela deman- de la ville syrienne ku¡de. Kobané " du gouvernorat de Hassakeh), et dcraít un déplaíement de troupes au libéré, félícitatíons à l'humanité, au le canton de Efrin (une autré en- sol très important. Les groupes isla- Kurd,ßtøn etaupeuple de Kobané >, clave kurde au nord-ouest d Alep), mistes en Syrie bénéficient sinon de de lundi a tweeté dans l'après-midi La þopulation de ces trois zones llappui, tout au moìns d¿ I'indifférence Polat Can, un porte-p.arole des YPG opcille autour d'un million et demi i ontfait les (Unités de protection du PeuPle de personnes, Chaque canton s'est de I'É,tat sy- ville. kurde), la milice qui défend la doté d'une structure administrative rìen dans le domaine øgricole. Ces À Paris, 300 personnes se sont élaborée, avec des commissions campøgnes nbnt rien à perdre. ; rassemblées place de la Répubìique' pour la défense, la santé, l'éduca- Rien ne permet non plus de dire déployant ur immense draPeau aux tion, le travail et les affaires so- avec certitude que la libération de couleuts kurdes sur fond de danse ciales, etc,, informellement appe- Kobané signe une défaite cuisante fiaditionnelle et fer¡x d'artifice. þrès lées < ministères >. pour Daech. Il pourrait sãgir d'un l'offensive de Daech le 16 septembre La libération de Kobané inter- repli tactique de lbrganisation isla- dernier, Kobané avait été vidée de vient au même moment que le mique. Mais bien qu'elle ait résisté sa population partie se réfugier de retrait de Daech de la province de à quatre mois de bombardements 58 Reaue de Presse-Press Reuieu¡-Berheaoka Çøpê-Riaistø Stnmpa-Dentro de ln Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti aériens íntenses, les analystes esti- ment que ce revers mafquera un La situation au 26 janvier coup de frein à son expansion, no- Õ Zones contrôlées par Daech (État islamique) tamment dans le nord syrien. < Le devoir quí nous íncombe n'est lurr¡uie 'pøs encore termíné car il nous reste La vllle a été reprise l¡an lø bataìlle de lìbératíon du reste du les Kurdes. canton de Kobané >, ont affirmé les Province Unités de protection du peuple de kurde (YPG). < Nous nous engageons La zone à poursuivre celte cømpagne etpro- occupée nxettons Ia uìctoìre. > Les autorités par Daech a été kurdes ont demandé aux 200 000 I lban civils kurdes qui avaient fui la ville et ses envi¡ons de patienter avant d'envisager de rentrer chez eux. La victoire des Kurdes à Kobané peut-elle rejaillir sur le régime sy- rien ? A priori non, estime Frédéric Gazo Pichon : < Bachør Al Asmd n'en retire aucun bénéfice, > Il rappelle que Kobané est l'une des premières ré- _Er@ gions d'oìr s'est retirée lãrmée sy- démocratique. Lø reprlse par les rienne dès le mois de mai 2011. Kurdes de Kobané vient consolider 0J Auteur de Syre : pourquoí l'Occident s'eSt < le BacharAlAssad. auait amnistié lhcquk des Kurdes. > Rien de plus, trompé, Éditions du Rocher, l8O p., ì3,50 €. dirigeønt kurde Mohammed Salëh selon lui. Muslim, président du Parti de l'union lctÈs ngnvel lahíx mercredi 28 janvier 2015 ENTRETIEN MYRIAM BENRAAD, chercheuse au Ceri et spécialiste de I'lrak << Ilhakse dirigevqsunfédæatisrrrc Â)ancé >, ) Sous la pr,ession de la coalition, les dJihadistes La reprise de la province de Diyala s'est faite avec de Daech se sont retirés de laprcvlnce l'appui des lraniens. de Dtyala à I'est de Bagdad, ce week-end. Les auEes acteurs clés sont les tribus sunnites ira- ) La coalidon prévolt wre vaste kiennes (sous le precédent gouuernement, ellcs avaíent contre-offenslve dans quelques mois. été totalement mørginalisées, NDLR). Le premier mi- nistre irakÍen Haïdar Al Abadi a appelé àune < réuo- lution tríbale >. Les sunnites sont un enjeu prépondé- Quelle est la portée du r.ecul des dJihadistes rant. Mais ils ne sont pas armés et festent danS de Daech de la prbvlnce de Diyala, l'attentisme, car ils nbnt pas l'impression que la bataille à I'est de Bagdad, en lrak ? actuelle serve pour l'instant leur revendication atto- Myriam Benraad : Ce recul est une bonne nouvelle, nomiste. mais il reste.très limité. Daech (acronyme en arabe du groupe armé État islamique) est doté d'une forte Une montée enpulssance des tribus sunnites capacité de résilience, etle mouvement islamiste est signiftenit-elle un éclâtement de I'Irak? toujours bien implanté dans la vaste province d'Al- M.B.: Llrak se dirige vers un fédéralisme avancé. Anbar, dans le centre-ouest du pays, pourtant érigée Aujourd'hui, l'État central est enclavé et ne maitrise comme objectif prioritaire pàr la coalition internatio- plus l'ensemble du territoire. Les Kurdes ont une in- nale. dépendance de fait et les sunnites comme les tribus Par ailleurs, c'est le statu quo dans le nord, et la ville réclament l'autonomÍe. La lutte contre Daech soude de Mossoul esttoujours tenue par Daech. Lintensifi- momentanément les positions, mais elle entraîne en cation des frappes aériennes de la coalition ne rem- même temps des poussées régionalistes. placera jamais le combat sur le terrain: c'est au sol que la bataille se gagne. Llarmée lnkienne est-elle désormais plus Même si les populations soumises ne supportent efficace? plus Daech, elles n'osent pas se révolter pour l'instant. M.B.: Depuis son arrivé au pouvoir en aott 20i4, Lavancée des forces anti-Daech augure d'une plus le premier ministre irakien Haidar Al Abadi a eu le vaste contre-offensive. Un plan dãttaque de grande courage politique de procéder à une purge dans l'armée ampleur sur Mossoul est prévu par la coalition pour où de nombreux Irakiens occupaient dés postes fictifs. mi-2015, Il veut aussi la professionnalise¡, mais le problème shucturel est qu'elle est sous-armée et sous-entrainée. Quelles forces luttent contre Daech? Lerreur fondamentale des États-Unis a été de dis- M.B. : La coalition internationale (Américains, soudre I'armée lors de l'invasion de I'Irak en 2003. Français, Britanniques et un certain nombre de pays Aujourd'hui, elle manque d'esprit de corps, et les mis- arabes) se coordonne sur le terraih avec les Kurdes, sions de conseils dispensés par les Américains ne les milices chiites irakiennes et l'Iran. Téhéran a fourni donnent pas de résultats probants. un appui aux Kurdes et se trouve en position de force. RECUEILLI PAR YOUNESS BOUSENNÄ 59 Reoue de Presse-Press Reaiap-Berheaokø Çapê- Riuista Stnmpa-Dentro de lø Prensø-Basin Ozeti 30 ianvier 2015 Irak: les tribus - sunnites veulent { \ i4 Ces clans luttent contre l'État islamique Alors que I'offanslve contre Daech s'lntenslfle, les clans sunnltes, lcl des combattanls de la provlnce de Dlyala, mardl, au nord-est de BÐgdad, exlgent de pafticlper davantage à la lutte lnternationale contre les dllhadlstes de liEl. aHMAD aL- tribus et des fils de (nos) protinces dans litáire à leuls voisins kurcles contre GEORGES MALBRUNOT V (ÐMalbnrn0t la libératíon des places fortes tenues par Daech. Dans leur combat, les tribus cles organisatíons terroristes,>, sunnites sont discrètement appuyées par des monarclúes du Golfe. < Des MOÏEN-ORIENT Sous la double menace AppuÍ de monarchies du Golfe des djihadistes de Daech et des mi.lirces milliers de membres des tribus ont be- soin ermés >>, chätes (voir encadré1, des tribus sunnites Ces derniers mois, les combattants tri- d'être affi¡me au Fígaro du nord et de I'ouest de I'Irak réclament baux ont joué un rôle clé, notamment un haut dirigeant de I'une de ces mo- des armes pour se défend¡e. Et si le gou- dans la province d'al-Anba¡, oìr ils ont narchies sunnites. .< Nous Sommes vemement prochüte de Bagdad rechigne pu empêcher Daech de gâgner du ter- prêts ù leut: envoyer des ínsntcrcurs à leur fou¡nir des pièces pal crainte rain. Mais les stocks de munitions à la pour les entroîner >>, ajoute-t-il. qu'ils ne les retor¡rnent contre les forces disposition des tribus s'épuisent, com- de sécwité, certains clans tribaux sont me le déplorait rééemment Rafi Abdul Reprendre Mossoul prêts à faire appel aux Américains, voire Ka¡im al-Fahdawy, le chef de la tribu Officiellement, Bagdad n'est pas oppo- à leu¡s ermemis ira¡riens. des Albotr Fahd: << Les combattolnts de sé à I'a¡mement des sunnites, mais Une délégation des tribus de la pro- notre tribtt qui se battent contre l'EI Ìt concrètement, Ies livraisons tralnent. vince d'al-Anbar vient de se. rendre Romadi jusqu'au secteur d'Habbonya En fait, le gouvernement souhaite en- aux États-Unis, oìr ils auraient obtenu, arrívent ò court ile munítiotts q cause cadrer stfictement leurs activités en selon la presse irakienne, des promes- iles øftrontements constcnts' >> Et le prévision d'une offensive de grànde ses d'armement et de restrucftlration leader local d'appeler le gouverne- envergu-re pour reprendre Mossoul, de leu¡ gouvernorat, contrôlé à 85 % ment irakien à fournir'des armes à ses << Leur inission sercit cl'assíster I'armée envi¡on par l'État islamique (Daech en hommes. Fin clécembre, profitant de la irakienne, pllttôt que d'êtreune alterno- arabe). Mais pour ne pas mécontenter venue à Bagdad du sénateur républi- tÍve, affilmait réèemment Atheel an- les autorités centrales, ce soutien amé- cain John McCain, des chefs de tribus Nujaifi, le gouverneur de la province ricain seiait fourni, via le gouverne- des provinces d'al-Anbar, Salah ad- de Ninive, Les relqtíons ne doivent pas ment de Bagdad. Celui-ci refuse en ef- Dine et Diyala lui ont carrément pré- se bsser sur des nffilicttions tnbales ou fet de se retrouver court-ciicuité, senté une liste Le gouvernement irakien ouvrlra une étalent abattus. Peu auparavant, une province de Diyala. << Nous redoutons enquête sur ce qul s'est passé lundi dizaine d'hommes étaient descendus ces vengeønces >>, afflrme au Figoro à Barouanah, un vlllage de I'est de Humvees en uniformes nolr un haut dlrlgeant du Golfe, qul soutlent du pays oir plus de 70 habltants ont et marron, ce qul'accréditerait la minorité sunnlte d'lrak. << C'est été exécutés par des miliciens chlltes leur appartenance aux mlllces chiites pourquol nous ne voulons pos d'une avec la compllclté de membres des qui combattent Daech aux côtés libérotion de Mossoul por des millces forces de sécurlté, Les survivants des forces de sécurlté. La tuerie chllte s pr o -ir oniennei oldé e s p or ont tous raconté la même hlstoire : ils est lntervenue après trols Jours les bombordements de l'avíotíon ont été emmenés par des hommes en d'offensive des mlllclens chiites et de sméricoine. Et nous sommes prêts unlforme dans un champ et contraints I'armée qul ont réussi à reprendre une ù envoyer des troupes ou sol, ,> de s'agenouiller, tandls que d'autres vingtalrie de villages à Daech dans la G,M, (AVEC REUTERS) 60 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çapê- Riaista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensø-Basin Ozeti Quinze morts en lrak, dont un général kurde d dans une attaque de I'EI Kirkouk (Irak),30 janvier 20f5 (AFP) lir de 10H00 (07H00 GMT), aþutant qu'il serait en vþueur jusqu'à nouvel ordre. A Samana (110 km au nord de Bagdad), quatre policiers sont morß et neuf ont été blessés AU MOINS 15 PERSONNES SONT MORTES dans des attaques en lnk vend¡edi, dont dans trois attentab à la voiture pi{¡ee, ont indiqué des responsables de la poliæ. six pÈs de la ville multi-communautaie de Kirkouk dans un assaut du groupe Etat Et dans la capitale, cinq peßonnes sont moles dans une explæion sur un marché aux islamique. puces, selon des rcsponsables. Un général de brigade et cinq combattanb kurdes ont été tués dans cette attaque d'enver- L'lrak fait faæ depuis juin à ure ofiensive de l'El, qui s'est emparé en quelques dizaines de gure du groupe Etat islamique (El) dans la province inakienne de Kirkouk (nod), selon un jous de vætes pans du tenitoire, face à une armée incapable de stopper sa progrcssion. responsable et un rrédecin. Au milieu du chaos, læ Kurdes irakiem ont dans un premier temps imposé leur pésence L'assaut a été lané avant l'aube au sud et à I'ouest du cheËlieu de la province, les sur des lenitoires disputes, proftant de la déroute de l'armée fájérale. jihadistes tirant avec des armes moyennes et lourdes. Les combab se poursuivaient en matinée, selon un æsponsable de police. Mais I'avancee de I'El vea le nord et la provinæ autonome du Kudistan a mis un frein aux expamions des Kurdes qui se sont nalliés aux forces fédérales pour combattre les Le général de brigade Shirko Rauf et cinq autres peshmergas (combattanb kurdes) ont été jihadistes. tués et 46 personrìes blessées, selon le responsable de poliæ. Le bilan a été confirmé par un mâlecin, Une æalitjon intemationale, emmenée par les Etab-Unis et mise en plaæ dès août, mène depuis des frappes aériennes contre les positions jihadistes en lrak. a En reaclion, le comité de sêcurité de la province de Kirkouk a annoné un couvre-feu à par- TIIE WÅII SIRXDI ,ÍX]RNÁL JANUARY 2 7 ,201s Kurdish Forces Declare Victory in Kobani Official Says Syrian Border City is 'tooo/o Cleared' of Islamic State Forces ByAyla Albayrak Jam.27, zotS grcen long flag on Mistenur Hill in Syrian ISTANBUL-U.S.-backed Kurdish Kurdistan'Kobani town can be seen forces declared victory in the battle for the for miles around. Photo: Lejournal Syrian border city of Kobani, but said they still face a daunting challenge in pushing the extremist group Islamic State from nearly refugees, mostly young volunteers, had 4oo surrounding villages. begun the tasks ofcleaning up the rubble of Officials also cautioned that much ofthe the destroyed buildings, clearing mines and city is still uninhabitable after four months unexploded bombs and removing bodies of intense warfare, offering little relief for from the streets of the cþ center. the hundreds of thousands of refugees who 'Refugees should be able to return in a fled across the border into Turkey to escape Kurdish people attenil ø celebrøtion rølly month earliest," said Khaled Barkal, vice the advancing Islamist militants. neør the Turkish-Sytian boriler in Suruc, president of Kobani's Kurdish administra- Kurdish people celebrate at a rally tion. "We need time to rebuild the city and Turkish Kutdistan, on fan.27,2075 AEP. Tuesday near the Turkish-Syrian border at some temporary shelters for people before Suruç. they can return." Alocal Syrian Kurdish militia was aided The Iraqi Kurdish fighters known as by r5o Iraqi Kurdish fighters and hundreds tion. Peshmerga, as well as a ro-member medical jihadists of airstrikes by a U.S.-led international "Currently we are clashing with team, will remain in Kobani as long as nee- coalition in the seesaw fìght that became a in the village of Helenje after securing three ded, according to the Peshmerga ministry in test of Western determination to stem the other villages on the east side of Kobani," Erbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan advance of Islamic State. Mr. Hasan said from Kobani. region. Kobani is now "roo% cleared" of With Kobani itself noì ¡ rid of Islamic An image grab taken from a video uploa- Islamic-State fighters, Idres Nassan, the State, residents who had fled the fighting ded by the Servan Minbec channel on deputyforeign minister of Kobani's Kurdish were eager to return to salvage their homes YouTube Monday shows members of the regional administration, said from the city. and businesses. On Tuesday, some families Syrian rebel fighters celebrating atop a hill He said the Kurdish forces are using began to move back or visit the city to survey in Kobane, after Kurdish and Syrian rebel momentum from the Kobani victory to damage that for months they had witnessed fìghters drove the Islamic State group from continue pushing Islamic State militants out from across the border. the Syrian border town. of the hundreds of surrounding villages. But Mr. Nassan urged patience, salng "The Peshmerga will stay as long as the Thousands of Islamic State fighters gai- many neighborhoods were uninhabitable. YPG will need them-however much time it ned control of those villages, which were He also said there weren't medical facilities, takes to clear the villages," said Peshmerga evacuated in September as residents fled for and rubble was littered with unexploded Brig. Halgord Hekmat. "But from now on, it fear of a massacre. ordnance. should be easier after the city itself was By Tuesday aftemoon, the local Syrian "The city can't handle thousands of peo- freed. Their cooperation proved successful." Kurdish militia in Kobani known as YPG had ple," he said. "There is no water, no electri- Meanwhile, Turkish military police used retaken three villages in the eastern side of city, and the buildings are destroyed, as are tear gas to try to prevent Kurds from cros- the city, according to Ismet Sheikh Hasan, all hospitals." sing the border to Kobani, according to defense minister of the regional administra- Kurdish officiaìs said groups of Kurdish Turkish press reports. a 61 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çapê-Riaista Stampa-Dentro de lø Prensa-Basin Ozeti Syrian Opposition Coalition has boycotted the meeting and refused to rec- Elurü lla www.ekurd.net ognize any leaders outside the coalition as legitimâte representatives of the NEWS IN Syrian people...rudaw.net I Ekurd.net BRIEF KI,JRDISTAI{ REGION mht PESHTIERGA MINISTRY TO FORM KURDISH NEWS IN BRIEF SHABAK FORCE lanu.ary 26,2O15 Erbil: Training has started lor a special Kurdish Shabak Peshmerga force, in a project that will hand the Shabaks responsibility for the protection of their I5O KURDISH PESHMERGA TROOPS own towns and villages. Kurdish MP in Baghdad Mulla Salim Shabak said KILLED IN DÍYAI-A that the Kurdistan Regional Govemment (KRG) has agreed to establish a Kurdish Shabak Peshmerga force. He mentioned that the force is expected 24,2075 lanuary to begin training at the Soran military base in Erbil province on February Diyala: Source within the Kurdish Peshmerga forces stated that 150 1st. The force will be 650 strong and remain under the ultimate authority of Peshmerga fighters were killed in Diyala. The source added "The security the Peshmerga Mnistry. The Íorce will protect Kurdish Shabaktowns in the operation for liberating district from the ISIL terrorists resulted in Jalawlaa disputed territories from Islamic State (IS) militants. 'nVe have asked the killing 150 Peshmerga elements." iraqinews.com I Ekurd.net KRG to form a second Shabak Peshmerga unit," added Shabak,..basnews.com PESHMERGA KILL 70 IS MILITANTS ON MAKHMUR FRONTLINE KURDISH PESHMERGA FORCES KILL 36 IS 1arurary2.5,2O75 MILITAI{TS IN SHINGAL ERBIL Islamic State (IS) militants attacks in the Sultan Abdullah area /The 27,2075 of the Makhmur frontline have been repelled by the Peshmerga. lanuary Shingal Kurdistarls Peshmerga forces killed 36 Islamic State group IS mil- ln a statement to BasNews, Peshmerga commander Mustafa Deranayi says itants Tuesday in Kurdish Yazidi district in Kurdistan Region, near the that IS insurgents launched several attacks at 9 pm on Saturday evening northem Iraqi city of Mosul, a Peshmerga commander said. "Peshmerga from the Tel Rim and Tel Sha'ir fronts around Sultan Abdullah in northem forces repelled ISIL's attack and killed 3ó militants, including Abo Omar al- Iraq. Kurdi, an IS leader,"Albay Berham Arif, Peshmerga's commander of "IS militants attacked without vehicles. In heavy clashes, Peshmerga fight- Shingal (Sinjar) district, said. Several people were also wounded in the ers killed a large number of IS militants," said Deranayi. clashes that lasted for two hours. Arif claimed that IS militants retreated Commenting on the identity of the killed insurgents, he mentioned that and even left behind bodies of their dead in the district. "\¿Ve have success- most of them were lraqi, and it looked like they were forced to participate fully thwarted ISIL's suicide attacks against Peshmerga because of our pre- in the attack "According to our information, about 70 militants were cautions," Arif added. The Peshmerga claimed to free the Syrian Kurdish killed," he added. town of IS militants Monday. Approximately 90 percent of Kobani has been BasNews has leamed that Peshmerga forces had information gamered freed from ISIL fighters, U.S. Central Command had said...aa.com.k I fiom mobile phone surveillance before IS launched their attacks. They were Ekurd.net supported by sustained shelling from coalition jets. Demayi denied rumors that Kurdish soldiers in the Iraqi Army left their bases. "Last night they were fighting with Peshmerga forces against IS insurgents," he said. KURDS HA\Æ A CONDITION TO PASS "Sultan Abdullah village is not a strategic place. Therefore, Peshmerga IRAQ'S FEDERAL BUDGET bases are not there, but rather on the high ground around the village." lamtary 27,2075 Baghdad: Kurdistan Alliance bloc conflrmed on Tuesday, refusing to vote ISI-AUIG STATE USES CHLORINE GAS on lraq's federal budget project if additional paragraphs were listed con- AGAINST PESHMERGA trary to Erbil -Baghdad oil agreement. The member of the alliance, Kawa Mohammad said that "Kurdistan Alliance bloc will insist on its demand to ?-5,2015 lamtary include the oil agreement between Baghdad and Erbil in the federal budg- ERBIL The Islamic State militants have used chlorine gas against the et project and not to add any additional paragraphs in the agreement," Peshmerga to the north of Mosul as the Kurdish forces advance in the area. adding that "any additional paragraph is a breach of the agreement and "On Friday, Peshmerga forces began to attack the villages of Qsur, Qadisya, will have a rejecting stance from voting on the budget. " Mohammed said Kasike and Shindokhan north of Mosul," Peshmerga officer Kamaran that "the oil agreement included the supervision of the National SOMO Hawrami told BasNews He continued, "IS militants responded with car company on oil exports from the region, Kirkuk and specified only in the bombs, but our forces deskoyed their vehicles with MILAN rockets before agreement which is 550 thousand barrels per day, while other production they got dose to us." Hawrami believes that these vehides were different. by region will not be supervised by SOMO company./' Muhammad "The vehide was filled with chlorine gas some Peshmerga fainted after - explained that " Kurdistan region produces more than 250 000 barrels per coming into contact with it. Our medical team was able to effectively treat day and additional quantities for domestic consumption as well as to pay them immediately." During the current operations north of Mosul, the the costs of oil-producing companies," adding that "the pursuit of some Peshmerga have neutralised 20 IS car bombs with MILAN r.ockets. The political parties to put an additional paragraph obliges the supervision of MILAN system has been instrumental in blocking the threat posed by sui- SOMO on all the region's exports is a breach to the agreement." cide bombers using vehicles packed with explosives. basnews.com shafaaq.com I Ekurd.net SYRIAN OPPOSIT¡ON LEADERS INCLUDING PREPARATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL PYI)'S SALIH TUSLIT TO MEET II{ MOSCOW BRIGADE IN SYRIAN KURDISTAN BEFORE TALKS WITH DATASCUS January 28,2015 lantary26,2O75 Qamishlo: The call by the Marxist Leninist Communist Party (MLKP)'to Moscow: Syrian opposition leaders meet in Moscow Monday for prelimi- defend the Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) revolution' has reverberated in nary talks, before they are joined by a delegation fiom Damascus later this Europe as well as in Turkey. Intemationalist revolutionaries have begun to week Salih Muslim. head of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), travel to the land of the revolution. The goal is to establish an intemational which runs three autonomous cantons in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), is also brigade to defend the revolution in all languages and spread the language in Moscow to attend today's meeting. A number of opposition leaders from of revolution throughout the world. The Syrian Kurdistan revolution not inside and outside Syria have traveled to Moscow to attend a Russia-spon- only brings news of a new life to the peoples of the Middle East, but also to sored initiative on seeking a peaceful solution for the war in Syria. Syrian the peoples of the whole world. The MLKP was the first organisation in the Foreign Minister Walid al-Mualim and Syrian ambassador to the UN Turkish revolutionary movement to respond to the revolution in Rojava. Bashar al-Jaffari are expected to join the gathering on Wednesday. The Since the beginning of the revolution there it has taken its place, even if + 62 Reoue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheztokn Çapê- Riuistø Stampø-Dentro de Ia Prensa-Basin Ozeti + only with a modest brce, both in the construction of the revolution and there are agreements have contributed to solve some of the problems in the front line...fi¡atnews.com I Ekurd.net between the fuderal govemment and the Kurdistan region." Othman added, "The next few months will reveal the extent of the possibility of the survival of the agreements and promoting and developing relations KURDS READY TO RETAKE MOSUL'S between the blocs ", expressing hope to continue cooperation between the CONTROL: FUAD HUSSEIN govemment and the parliament to solve all the problems and the outstand- ing problems." ninanews.corr I Ekurd.net |anuary 28,2015 Erbil: The drief of Kurdistan Region Presidency Ofûce Fuad Hussein said the Kurdish 6orces of Peshmerga are ready to retake the control of the Iraqi 14 PESHMERGA KILLED IN SUICIDE ATTACK second-biggest city of Mosul from the militants of the Islamic State (IS) but need moperation to defeat the jihadist group. Mosul, which sits on the edge IN JAI.AW.A of the northem lraqi region of Kurdistan, was ovemrn by the Islamic State |anuary 3Q 2015 last fune. Kurdish security forces are now dosing in on Mosul, and have |alawla: An Islamic State group IS suicide attack in Jalawla city has left 14 reached its outskirts, said Hussein. On Saturday, Kurdish troops fired rodc- Kurdish Peshmerga fighters dead. According to Amid Rukin Berizan, ets into the city. But to take Mosul, the Peshmerga need help. Mosul is most- spokesman br the Peshmerga forces in the region, a suicide assailant of ISIS ly comprised of Sunni Arabs, and is located in disputed territory that Kurds blew himself up after reaching the peshmerga groups in Abu Deraji village have also claimed as their own. To defeat the Islamic State, the Kurds must of falawla. Berizan reported that 14 peshmerga fighters lose their lives and avoid the perception of arriving as a conquering army, Hussein said. "To seven others were wounded in the suicide attack He added that a top pesh- control the Arab side of Mosul, the Kurds need a partner to do that. That merga commander is among those martyred. fir¡tnews.com I Ekurd.net needs to be an Arab frorce," Hussein told Foreign Policy in an interview. Currently, ifs envisioned Íor the Arab-dominated haqi Army to partner KURDISH PESHTERGA TANAGED TO REGAIN with the Peshmerga. Ils unclear how prepared the Iraqi Army is ftlr the mission, and Hussein himself was uncertain how efforts are proceeding to CONTROL OF KIRKUK OIL FIELD OCCUPIED BY improve the Íorce...kurdpress.ir tst-Attc STATE |anuary 31,201.5 ISI.ATIC STATE BEHEADS ONE OF THE 30 Kirkuk: A security source in Kirkuk revealed on Saturday, that Kurdish Peshmarga furces managed to regain control of al-I(habaz oil field south of PESHTERGA OFFICERS WHO WERE the province after Islamic State group IS entered it during the past few ](DNAPPED NEAR HOSUL hours. The source said that "IS militants managed to control the field, which fanuary 28,2015 is located 30 kilometers south of Kirkuk and detaining more than twenty A new, grisly beheading video from Islamic State group IS indudes a direct employees working in it." He added that Peshmarga brces went immedi- threat against US President Obama and is one of at least three new wam- ately to the field site and entered in violent clashes with IS militants and was ings from IS group, induding pledges to kill Jordanian and Japanese able to regain mntrol of it. Howevet the fate of the detained staff is still hostages if a hostage held by fordan is not fleed. In a new online video dis- unknown so far, without referring to the death toll in the ranks of IS group covered by dre Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) onTuesday, nor Peshmarga lorces in these clashes. IS militants are trying to control the three Islamic State fighters stand behind a kneeling Kurdish fighter as one areas that contains oil fields in the province to s€cure financial resources of the exbemists launches into a diatribe against the U.S. and other Westem from the sale of oil extracted from fields by smuggling it to Syria. nations. The video fades to black as one Islamic State fighter brings a knife shafaaq.com I Ekurd.net up to the unidentified Kurdish fightels throat. On Jan 25th an Islamic State militant beheaded one of the 30 Peshmerga officers who were kidnapped near Mosul at the start of the IS offensive on the city over six months ago. FORHATION OF KAKEI PESHTIERGA According to Basnews the Peshmerga officer is Hujam Surdri from REGITENT REMAINS HATPERED Bardasor village near Bardarash, â town in the south east of Duhok fanuary 31,2015 province in the Kurdistan Region. fo¡ 63 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çøpê- Riaista Stampa-Dentro de lø Prensa-Basin Ozeti + to protect these lives." He questioned the decisions that led to the Barzarú emphasized that Iraq is no longer a unified country and the war Kurdistan Region not getting any of the 1,000 Humvees or 175 Abrams against Islamic State group IS will take long. Barzani said in an interview tanks destined Íor Iraq, "I¡Ve are starting to have doubts that there might be with Reuters, "The pr.ospects for defeating IS are limited in light of the war a political decision on what sort of equipment should be given to the that is raging in Syria, the absence of the Iraqi Army as an actor on the Kurds."..basnews.com ground and the lack of gear that is ailing the Kurdish Peshmerga forces," noting tha! "The current U.S. strategy will lead to a better approach to restrict IS that will continue to th¡eaten the region and the world for years KURDISTAN PM: ABADI lS A PRAGMATIST, to come." He added, "IS controls more than 15 million people in Iraq and AL.MALIKI IS HIS B¡GGEST PROBLEM Syria," indicating that, "They are organ:ø,ed. and have the ability to recmit from all over the world, because the sLructure of this organization was 31,2015 fanuary established in a way to guarantee its safety." Iraqi news I Reuters <) Erbil: Kurdistan PM, Nechirvan Barzani described Iraqi PM Haider al- Abadi as a "pragmatic," saying that his biggest problem is Nuri al-Maliki. Kurdish PM says Lf.S.-led coalition against Islamic State faces long war ERBIL, Iraq Fri January 3o, zor5 Asked about plans touted By Samia Nakhoul, Ned Parker and Isabel Coles (Reuters) by lraqi and U.S. officiaìs for an offensive by June on Mosul, Bar¿ani said: KIIRDISH PRIME MINISTTR NECHIRVAN BARZANI warned "March definitely not. victories war against State, the glo- that despite in the Islamic June, also I doubt it". bal coalition aga.inst the group was inadequate and predicted a campaign to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul would not happen He said the "end of before the fall. September or October" was a more realistic date In an interview with Reuters late on Thursday, Barzani said there was lit- for an attack, linking an tle chance ofdefeating the Jihadi movement so long as the civil war rages offensive to Baghdad's on in Syria, Iraq's army continues to exist more on paper than on the ability to train enough ground, and Kurdish Peshmerga forces in northem Iraq remain woefully soldiers to free the mili- under-armed. tary up to move its two Current U.S. strategy, says the prime minister of the self-ruling Kurdistan best divisions north from Regional Government (KRG), will at best contain IS, a resilient and care- their current mission of protecting the capital. menace world fully structured organisation that will the region and the While he praised the impact of U.S. air strikes, he made clear, both Iraq years for to come. and the U.S.-led coalition's plans against Islamic State were not robust or The jihadi movement, which last year declared a cross-border caliphate based on a clear strategy. after seizing tracts of territory eastern Syria and west and northern in "They need a comprehensive strategy and ideas on how to deal with IS in Iraq, directly threatens the Iraqi Kurdish entity across front lines just 45 the region. There is no strategy and cooperation," he said, drawing a (So km miles) from Erbil, the bustling capital of the KRG. contrast with the jihadis' cohesion and discipline. people "This is a long war. They control more than 15 million in Iraq and "ISIS is well-trained, well-funded and can recruit as many as they want. Massoud Syria," said Barzani, 49, nephew of Kurdistan's President And they also have fighters who are ready to die." Barzani. "IS has now been contained and controlled but it is still able to carry attacks." Kurdish forces have managed to reverse Islamic State gains in the north, but the Kurdish prime minister said they needed heavier weapons to deal are organised and able recruit people from all over the world. "They to with the threat decisively. "This is not a war you can win with AK-47s and The structure ofthis organization has been set up in such a waythat it will RPGs." remain intact". To eliminate the IS threat, the priority should be to seal the Iraq-Syria last The fight-back against Islamic State launched by a U.S.led coalition border and deny the Islamist fighters freedom of movement between the year, ground reþing on air strikes with no commitment of troops, will not two countries that form the bulk of its self-proclaimed caliphate. dislodge the jihadis from strongholds such as Mosul, just Bo kn (So miles) from Erbil. "The reality is until the Syrian issue is properly resolved, destroying IS won't be an easy tasþ" he said in reference to the Syrian civil war raging "With you said. air strikes cannot destroythis organization for sure," he next door since zott. "To destroythis organization we need some special forces, not boots on the ground, but some joint military operations fighting alongside the Barzani described Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a Shi'ite, as peshmerga." "pragmatic", comparing him favourably to his predecessor Nuri al- Maliki, whose policies he blamed for alienating Sunnis by monopolizing He added: "The question is: is the polþ one of containment, or to dis- power and creating the environment that allowed Islamic State to said Batz ani at his residence in the lodge and destroy them?" luxury capi- emerge. tal. "In order to totally eradicate them, further action must be taken." But he said Abadi had limited room for manoeuwe in the shadow of a were Islamic State areas Barzani said Kurds fighting for that rightfully well-entrenched Maliki, who retains a local power base. belonged to the Kurdish region and would avoid using peshmerga figh- ters to drive Islamic State fighters from Sunni areas or retake Mosul. "The biggest problem for Abadi is Nuri al-Maliki". "As Kurds we don't want to spearhead any attack to retake Mosul. We He said Iraq, which has been ravaged by sectarian and ethnic warfare want to avoid further conflict," he said. since the zoo3 USJed invasion that toppled Iraq's Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein, does not exist as a unified country. IRAQIARMY "There is no loyalty to a country called Iraq," he said. He emphasized that the timetable for such an offensive would depend on the rebuilding of the Iraqi army, which collapsed last summer as IS "It really is important to find formula for how to live together within the conquered Mosul and raced across northern lraq. boundaries of what is called Iraq. Unless a formula is found, there will be more bloodshed and the country will remain a destabilising factor in the job. "There is no real Iraqi armythat can do the It needs time. We have to region." o be realistic," Barzani said. 64 Reuue de Presse-Press Reoiqv-Berhanokn Çapê-Riaista Stampø-Dentro de Ia Prensa-Basin Ozeti 2SJANVIER 2OI5 ilBaht l¡ zó I vamcu ARÀBIE SAOUDITE IEtat islamique a zubi son premier échec d'ampleur face aux Kwdes sur le front syrien, mais maintient ses positions r qQ¡¡.d¡rrne polu: céféùrer malgré les frappes occidentales, L€c 200000 habftero PãTJEAN-PIEPRE PERPIN mencé. Il demeure que la partie & sera difficile pour une armée épui- Glr ì est une belle victoire sée par les combats, ayant subi de / que les défenseurs de. lourdes pertes - quelque 600 tués derflbpoursebger.> Kobané ont arrachée à et environ 2 000 blessés - , et qui, ReccpTryylp Erdogrn I'issue d'un siège cle à la différence des forces jihadis- le président turc, mardi quatre mois. De surcroît haute- tes, ne peut pas compter sur des ment symbolique, puisqu'elle est réserves conséquentes. D'oh une remportée par les.forces les plus certaine absence de triompha- Washington, dontles frappes aé- exécrées par I'Etat islamique (EI), lisme chez les dirigeants kurdes' rierures expliquent pour partie Ia soit des Kurdes lai'cs, soôialisants, Sans compter que les peshmergas victoire kurde à Kobané. Mais prônant l'égalité hommes-fem' vont devoir se battre à présent en aucune offensive sérieuse ne mes. EIle résonne d'autant plus rase campagne, ce qu'ils détestent pourra être envisagée tant que fort dans la région que les guer- particulièrement' I'armée irakienne, dont Iaforma- riers kurctes sont commantlés par tion a déjà cotté 20 milliards de une... Ieanne d'Atc, Narine Afrine, SIÈGE. ..En termes de sttolégte,lanr doilars (U,6 milliards d'euros) aux pseudon¡rmedelacodirþe de contribuables américains, ne serâ YPG (les Unités de pro- pas réellement opérationnelle. tection du peuple, affi- liées au PKK). Mais si desiíhadßtesdßposantde RAFFINERIES. On verra vraiment succès militaire il y eut dans la ré- chsrs et d'équipements militaires cette armée au feu au mois de gion kurde syrienne, et si I'armée lourds [ceux qu'ils ont pris à I'ar- mars, date à laquelle une offensive i¡akienne et les milices chütes ont mée irakienne en s'emparant de d'envergure contre I'EI a été pla- pris ces derniers jours le contrôle Mossoul en juin, ndlr] , et donc nifiée par Washington et Bagdad. de la plupart des localités de la d'woírchoístunevillecommeter- D'ici là, I'organisation d'Abou province de Diyah þégion majori raim de batøille>> , souligne l'écri- Bakr al-Baghdadi apeu àcraindre. tairement sunnite à I'est de Bag- vain et humanitaire Patrice Fran- A ce jour, elle n'a d'ailleurs perdu dad), cela ne signifie pas pour ceschi, qui a suivijour après jour aucune des villes qu'elle apriseso autânt un reflux des jihadistes. Et Ie siège de la ville. même celle de Baiji, lieu d'une pas davantage qtre les deu¡ capita- Le même problème se pose pour importante raffinerie de pétrole lesdelTl -Mossoulen'IraketRa- les Kurdes d:lrak. Là encore, on qu'elle a reconquis. < 65 Rwue de Presse-Press Rwian¿-Berheooka Çapê- Riaista Stømpa-Dentro de ln Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti sent comme forces supplétives de Ia situation est différente d'un à Al-Qaeda, continuent d'ailleu¡s pas pour rassurer I'armée, n'est front à I'autre. En lrak, Washing- à progresser au détriment des les sunnites. <.N'oublionspos non ton - qui a envoyé 300 membres autres formations et de I'Armée plus, même haut respon- ajoute le des forces spéciales - et Bagdad syrienne libre, tandis que les ex- que le powaír d' attrocnon de sable, agissent de concert. En Syrie, Ba- perts.se demandent combien de e b e quc oup plus grand qu' on l' EI st char al-Assad a condamrté sans temps les forces du régime baa- pant qrc les décí- le øaite. C' est vai appel le plan américain, rendu pu- siste vont-elles encore tenir, Sans pnses sions complètement folles blic dernièrement, de former au I'lran et le Hezbollah, sans doute dansle domaine agricole mécontm- se seraient-elles effondrées. D'otr Qatar, en Arabie Saoudite et en tent les pay sans. Maß dqns les vil- Iluquie plus de 5 000 rebelles triés les raids de plw en plus fréquents le est as sq, c alme. Le s jihadistes s, lo síilcltion sur le volet pour vaincre I'EI; le des sur la frontière Ïba autorités locqles sont plutôt souples rais syrien a même précisé quÌils naise - cinq soldats ont encore été Les écoles ont avecleshabitants, seraient combattus comme les tués vendredi - alors que se pose rouver t. Tout celø pérennße I' EI. >> autres insurgés. Dans ce pays, les la question: I'EI a-t-il déjàun pied dès lors, combattre Comment, forces jihadistes, celle de I'Etat is- dans ce pays oùr la communauté dont lamobilité et les capaci- I'EI, lamique comme celle de I'organi- sunnite est élle aussi très hostile de nouveaux fronts tés à ouvrÍr sation rivale du Front al-Nusra, lié au Hezbollah?+ déroutent leu¡s adversaires? Déjà, Le P].D labataille 28 JANVIER 2OI5 po etsymbolique Tl y a seulement quatre mois, les sein du Conseil national kurde. <.Dans Le succès à Kobané rejaillit enfin sur le I combattants ku¡des syriens étaient les conseils locaux,le PYD nelaßse que PKK, dont Ie PYD est issu..Les autorités I consiclérés comme faiules et sous- très peu de place au pluralisme politique, turques le considèrent toujours corune armés, promis à une inévitable défaite olors qu'il enlaisse qux minorités reli- une 66 Retrue de P r esse-Pr ess Rcaieu) -B erheuokn Çøpê- Riaistø Stampa-Dentro de In Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti fclllontc rEUDrzelANvrER2o,s Avecles combattants kurdes, à portée de Mossoul Les peshmergas souhaitent que l'assaut contre le bastion de l'EI soit lancé par une < force à dominante arabe > REPORTAGE carcasse calcinée d'un blindé té- NAoUARAN, cHÈTKHAN (xunolsrau moigne du soutien aérien ap- porté tntxrnsl - envoyé spécial parla coalition aux combat- tants kurdes. Un four après avoir procédé à des tirs d'artillerie sur les faubourgs de Mossoul depuis cette position située à une dizaine T de kilomètres, les peshmergas best Tirouanshi inspecte ses posi- avaient dû faire face aux premiè- tions, couteau de combat et revol- res heures du iour à une ãttaque ver de parade à la ceinture. Peu de I'EI avant de reculer pourlaisser impoite son grade, Serbest est un aux avions coalisés le soin de dé- chef de guerre et c'est en maître truire les cibles les plus difficiles. qu'il règne sur Naouaran, son Depuis le zr janvier, l'étau se res- morcèau de front personnel, une serre sur Mossoul, deuxième ag- position comme on en voit tant glomération d'lrak et bastion dautres dans le nord de I'lrak, per- sunnite passée en juin zor4 sous due entre les régions contrôlées le contrôle des diihadistes. par les forces kurdes et les terri- L'attaque essuyée par les pesh- toires de l'Etat islamique (EI), dans mergas de la ligne de Naouaran ce no man's Iand désolé de terres est la conséquence de lbffensive incultes et de villages abandon- lancée la semaine demière contre nés où de nouvelles frontières se les positions de I'EI sur le front Un cornbatt¡nt kurdc, le zr ianvler, ¡u no¡d dc Mocsoul. dessinent. nord-ouest. lbccupation d'urre région majo- Awni, qui y re- Un vieux char soviétique sur- Selon un mécanisme devenu chrétiens. Selon Ali ritairement arabe oìr les pesh- présente ce parti et remplit de fait plombe le champ de bataille de la habituel dans le nord de I'Irak, mergas n'avaient pris pied. le rôle d'autorité de référence, c le veille : deuxkilomètres deteirain l'aviation de la coalition avait iamais Environné de villages sunnites ra- qui sépare les Kurdes des Ara- ouvert quÍ séparent les lignes kur- alors lâché un tapis de bombes Jossé sés par les frappes aériennes du bes sþst creusé et il seratrès dfficile des d'une petite localité vidée de sur les positions ennemies si- mois d'août, Ie barrage de Mos- combler ¡. EntreNaraouan et ses habitants. En contrebas, la tuées au sud du barrage de Mos- dele soul est un avant-poste en terri- Cheikhan, se trouvent plusieurs soul et de son lac artificiel, per- toirehostile pourles Kurdes. Situé villages arabes sunnites dont cer- mettant aux peshmergas d'avan- à proximité des turbines, Babnit, ont été désertés par leur po- cér sur douze kilomètres et de tains une ancienne villégiature bal- rr des prehdre le contrôle de I'inter- pulation. Nous nous méfions tES DATES néairè, sert de quartier général qu¡ sont resfét admet section de Keske, empêchant habitants aux forces déployees dans la ré- ainsi toute communication di- M. Awni, nous limitons leurs dépla' gion. Plus en aval duTigre, s'égrè- recte entre Mossoul, Tel Afar cements et s'ils peuvent venir shP' nent les localités arabes dont les provisionner en nourrÍture à - une autre citadelle.de l'EI - et la JUIN 2014 Kurdes ont récemment pris le nos servíces de sécurité ville de Siniar. En coupant les li- CheÍkhan, contrôle. La méfiance règne entre Ies suweillent de très près. ,t ilocsoul, la deuxième vi[[e gnes de ravitaillement de I'EI, la les peshmergas et ceux des habi- d'lrak, bordée de champs prise de Keske facilite la libération Sous ìa guerre contre l'Etat isla- tants qui y sont restés. pétroliers, tombée, le 10 juin, de Sinjaa symbole de la reculade mique se cache une autre guerre, Dans un discours enveloppé de aux mains de l'Etat islamique en kurde du mois d'août, et pour les une guerre dtt voisinage, évidente toumures iréniques qui laissent lrak et au Levant. peshmergas, il n'est pas question surle terrain. Dans les environs de malgré tout entrevoir une cer- d'allerplus loin. Mossoul comme ailleurs, ses taine hostilité, un officier des ren- champs de bataille se trouvent seignements militaires kurdes AOÛT Fo¡ió êntro Kufde¡ ct Arabcs dans des zones de peuplement basé à Babnit s'explique inNous 8a¡ack Obama autorise, le < Mossoul dépend du gouveme- mélangé, irriguées de vieilles hai- respectons les Arabes, en tant que 7 août, des frappes américaines ment íraþien, eIIe doit être libérée nes recuites, oir les fronts se trans- peshmergas nous protégeons Ie contre les djihadistes de I'Etat par une de préfé- forment en frontière à ì'avantage force fédérale, peuple sans distinctíon, mais nous islamique (El), au mgment où rence à domínante arabe sunnite, des puissants et font refluer les savonsbien queles gens quivivent ces derniers progressent vers Er- pas parles lútdes r, déclare le gé- populations vers des ensembles ici ne sont pos opposés à Daech bil, capitale de la région auto- néral Serbest. Pour un responsa- confessionirels. et ethniques fl'acronyme arabe de I'EI]ef depuis nome kurde située à ltst de ble du Parti démocratique du Kur- homogènes. que nous sommes Ià, ils ne nous Mossoul. distan (PDK), auquel la maiorité Malheur alors à ceux qui se aident pas porticulièrement. v . Le 18 aoÛt, les troupes dAbou des forces kurdes présentes dans trouveront du mauvais côté de la Le long de la ligne de front, il nËst ligne. Ali <¡ BakrAt-Baghdadi perdent le la zone est affiliée, << Iþntrée des Awni le sait: Les Ara- pas rare d'entendre des discours si- plus grand barrage peshmergas dans Mossoul trans- bes sunnites de Ia régìon sont ici contrôle du milaires, Une dizaíne de kilomè- du pays, situé au cæur de la Ia guerre contre I'EI en sur leurs tenes et certes, ce ne sont formerait tres au nord de Naouaran, la petite grande plaine de Mossoul, qu'ils un conflit arabo-þurde dont nous pas tous des terrorístes, mais cþst ville de Cheikhan, dominée par le le 8 août. pas r, Pourtant I'avan- Ia guerre, et Ia guerre est occupaient depuis ne voulons PDK, abrite une population com- cée kurde se traduit de fait par cruelle. t t posée de Kurdes, de yézidis et de ALLANKAVAN 67 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çapê- Riaistn Stampa-Dentro de lø Prensø-Bøsin Ozeti fclllonilc VENDBEDI 30 JANV¡ER 2015 Kobané tAl.p tRukk" SYRIE Mer Homs Médtte¡ t anèe a Les combattants kurdes syriens sont désormais seuls maîtres de laville REPORTAGE ( l{oussorrilnes xosaNÉ (svntE) - envol spécial G her¡rer¡x et ñ.tl ñers davdr battu tt vat fEtat Flamhue. I Meb ll y a eü tant gdad. on passe des militaires turcs de morts-. r aux miliciens kurdes en longeant le flanc d'une gare ottomane, qui a AÞtA t(Assou longtemps été la principale curio- habitante de Kobané sité de la ville. Derrière une porte z8 L URENcE GEAI PouR de métal sbuvre l'avenue des contre Ia barbaie et Ia brutalité de A l'cntrée de Kobané' mercredl lanvier. ( LE MONDE )/SIPA Douanes : ce qu'il en reste, du ciel Daech [acroryrme arabe de l'EI] r. entre deux rangées de bâtiments Depuis la place de la Paix, ce qui crevés, de piliers nus et de toitures reste de Kobané se situe à main écroulées au sol. A zoo mètres au droite : dans une poche qui repré- sud, sur le rond-point de la place sente un peu plus d'un dixième de la Paix, deux gros oiseaux de de Ia ville, les quartiers ouest, où bétons blanchis à la chaux, pres- vivent tous les civils. Des combat- que intacts, lls ont miraculeuse- tants ypassent envoiture, visages ment échappé au désastre. recrus de fatigue,levant des trom- coins de me. tendre avec la Turquie voisine, oir bes de poussière. Parmi eux, on le PKK a mené durant trente ans ( Vlctolre contrc la barbadc D aperçoit un adolescent qui na il. Edognn rcmerclé une insurrection qui a fait 4o ooo 68 Reaue de P r e s s e -P r e s s Reo ieut -B erhea oka Ç øp ê - Riaista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti l@NNr ?i January 31, 2015 ISIS fighters say constant airstrikes drove them out of Kobani .-- Í: -aY - ' green January 31, 2015 The yellozn, red ønd 7í-metue long By Laura Smith-Spark and Yousuf Basil, fløg on Mistenur Hill in Syrian Kurdistan' Kobani town cøn be seen http://edition. cn n. com for miles atound. I (CNN)Two purported lSlS fighters interviewed for a news agency working in lSlS-held terri- Both the coalition and the Peshmerga are tory have given the same reason for the mili- trying to prevent lSlS from opening a new front tants' retreat from the Syrian city of Kobani: in Kirkuk, which lSlS likely hoped would lessen the constant pummeling by coalition airstrikes. the pressure on Mosul. Additionally, by going On Monday, Kurdish fighters declared that on the offensive here, lSlS appears to be offe- they had released the city on the border to ring some obvious targets for strikes. Turkey from lSlS' grip after 112 days of figh- lf lSlS can be driven back from positions in ting. Kirkuk, it will have to try other tactical offen- The efforts of the Kurdish fighters -- known as sives to draw Kurdish forces away from the Islømic støte militant, Kobani, Sytian the YPG, or People's Protection Units -- on the outskirts of Mosul. Kurdistan. Photo: lS media ground were backed by an extensive cam- The Kurds on their own admission have no paign of airstrikes by the U.S.-led international intention of entering Mosul but want to choke coalition against lSlS. in what may be an attempt to divert Kurdish off lSlS supply lines into the city. And according to the interviews given to lSlS- troops from Mosul. Another 10 airstrikes were canied out Friday aligned Amak news agency in Syria, it was A report by Rudaw, a private website dedica- against lSlS targets in Syria, eight of them near those airstrikes that won the battle for Kobani, ted to presenting news from a Kurdish pers- Kobani. referred to by the fighters as Ayn Al-lslam. pect¡ve, said at least 30 lSlS fighters were kil- DEATHS IN KOBANI "Recently, we have withdrawn from Ayn Al- led in the assault and 15 captured. According to the Syrian Observatory for lslam bit by bit, because of the airstrikes and Casualties on the other side included Brig. Human Rights, a London-based opposition deaths of a number of our brothers," said one Gen. Shirko Fateh, the highest-ranking opera- group, ftom October 6 to Monday the fighting of the two f¡ghters, his face covered apart from tional commander of the Peshmerga brigade for Kobani killed 979 lSlS combatants, 324 his eyes. .t2 located in Kirkuk. YPG fighters and rebels backing the YPG. He points to a scene of destruction behind him lSlS captured 15 employees working at the Thirty-eight more lSlS militants died in attacks but vows that lSlS will persist, "and this is the Khabbaz oilfield southwest of Kirkuk after using booby{rapped vehicles or bomb belts, message we send to Obama." launching the¡r assault in the area, Brig. Gen. and the lSlS shelling of Kobani killed 12 civi- The second fighter interviewed by Amak stood Sarhat Qader, the head of Kirkuk's suburbs lians, SOHR said. near a road sign reading Ayn Al-lslam. He said and villages police, told CNN on Saturday. "On the other hand, hundreds of (lSlS) mili- lSlS forces had raided 360 villages around A joint operation is undenruay by his police offi- tants died during U.S. and Arab allies' airs- Kobani, from which the people "ran away like cers, Peshmerga and Kurdish security forces trikes on the city and its countryside," the rats. " to free the hostages and take back control of group said. But the reason behind their withdrawal from the oilfield, seized by lSlS militants on Friday, Howevel the success of the coalition airstrikes the city, he said, "is that we no longer had Qader said. in Kobani will be hard to replicate elsewhere. places to hold there. We were inside Ayn Al- Troops have already liberated Al-Assal village, lslam and we occupied more than 70o/o, but There are almost no civilians left in the city of also taken by lSlS on Friday and located next the airstrikes did not leave any building stan- Kobani, and most residents left early on when to Khabbaz oil field, he said. ding, they destroyed everything." the fighting started, especially in the contested Meanwhile, Gen. Hussein MansouL the head areas close to the front line. His horror of the airstrikes was apparent. pro- of Peshmerga forces in Jalawla, in Diyala This meant airstrikes were fairly straightfor- "l swear by God, their planes did not leave the vince, was killed in clashes with lSlS in south- ward, with the coalition able to target one side air, day and night; they did airstrikes all day western Kirkuk, Saman Jabari, a senior and avoid civilian casualties. The front line was and night. They targeted everything. They even Kurdish figure and local Peshmerga leader, well defined, so it was clear where the lSlS and attacked motorcycles; they have not left a buil- told CNN on Saturday. Kurdish fighters were. ding standing. But by God willing we will return Mansour brought his troops from Jalawla, and we will have our revenge multiplied." A more challenging s¡tuation is when airstrikes about 100 miles away, to reinforce the seek to target lSlS inside populated areas like ISIS ASSAULT ON KIRKUK Peshmerga in Kirkuk following the lSlS Mosul in lraq, Raqqa in Syria and other cities lSlS is on its heels after the loss of Kobani and assault, he said. under lSlS control. an offensive by Kurdish Peshmerga -- armed COALITION, PESHMERGA TRY TO PRE- Here the effectiveness of airstrikes is limited fighters who protect lraq's Kurdish region -- VENT NEW FRONT OPENING because of the risk of casualties among civi- around Mosul, lraq's second-largest city and a U.S. and coalition aircraft carried out 17 airs- lians. When coalition airstrikes hit cities in focal point for all sides in the conflict. trikes in lraq on Friday, according to a U.S. Aleppo, in northern Syria, civilian deaths were But on Friday, the Sunni extremist group laun- Central Command statement, 10 of them near reported last year. o ched an assault on lraq's oil-rich city of Kirkuk Kirkuk and two near Mosul. 69 Reuue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaoka Çapê-Riaista Stømpø-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti THE LONDON .lanuar.v 27.20Ls A future Kurdish state is inevitable; the West should support ¡t Wr¡tten by Max Bluer 27l0tl2Ûfs, by Contributor, in Politics http://www.thelondoneconomic.com ¡.ince at least 2011 it has been clear that the break-up of the )modern state of lraq into its constituent ethnic territories is a distinct possibility, one only strengthened by lS and their dramatic gains across the region. Although many in the Western world have been fretting about the break down of the art¡ficially imposed bor- ders of the contemporary Middle East, the historical reality is that lraq has always been a fractious and divided country. lts multiple ethnicities historically hold a greater attachment to their tribes and cause of Kurdish statehood. Should the peshmerga be able to drive their ethn¡cit¡es than to their state, particularly those Sunnis and lS out of Kurdistan - and with Western military support it is likely Kurds that have been the victims of former Prime Minister Nouri al- that they will eventually be able to do so - they will find themselves Maliki's pro-Shia sectarianism. Analysts such as GeneralJay Garner well stocked with significant upgrades on the Soviet era weaponry are r¡ght to argue that the state of lraq no longer exists,yet Western they have previously had access to. More importantly the West will governments need to go still further and support the establishment also find itself morally and politically in the Kurds' debt for their of a sovereign Kurdistan, something they should have done a cen- sacrifices in defeating lS and will therefore reconsider Kurdish tury ago when the region's borders were being drawn in London demands for statehood. With the Kurds already having carved out and Paris. de facto independent territory in Northern lraq and North-Eastern Syria, there will be increasing momentum towards a sovereign 2014 was a year replete with acts of remembrance and the cente- Kurdish state. Although this prospect angers Erdogan and his nary of the First World War should remind observers of the effects Justice and Development party, Western governments may well of that confl¡ct and how they are felt today across the Middle East. feel this to be a necessary price to pay in order to reward a key ally The Sykes-Picot agreement - a secret series of treaties between and establish a friendly state in the heart of a region riven with Britain and France carving up the Ottoman Middle East between anti-Western sentiment. With lraq and Syria unable to control their them according to imperial interests - divided not just lraq but the own territor¡es, Turkish nervousness of how the establishment of a ent¡re region according to the interests of European powers and Kurdish state on its borders could radicalise its own sizable Kurdish secular, personally ambitious Arab elites. These European bureau- community is the last significant hurdle to Kurdish statehood. The cracies - which included among their number one Winston threat of lS has pushed the situation of the Kurds to the top of the Churchill - took little notice of the complex national, tribal and reli- international agenda, and the establishment of a sovereign, pro- gious divisions that define Middle Eastern politics and were Western Kurdistan with an ethnically homogenous, strong state exposed as imperial anachronisms as soon as 1918 by Woodrow that will be able to act as a buffer aga¡nst future invasions from Wilson and his famous 14 po¡nts speech. ln his declaration Wilson actors such as lS will prove too tempting for many ¡n the West to emphasised the character of the new units of international rela- res¡st. tions; not ethnically heterogeneous empires such as those run from London, Paris and lstanbul, but homogeneous nat¡on-states made 7he rise of lS has placed the Kurds on the frontline of one of the up of national communities with a shared linguistic, religious and I most blood-drenched battlefields in recent Middle Eastern his- cultural base from which a coherent nation-state could be formed. tory. A zeitgeist of Sunni dissatisfaction and disenfranch¡sement ¡s blowing across the region, channelled by a group determined to Vet the Republic of lraq boasts no such cohesion. Since the fall of introduce a caliphate governed by a harsh, puritanical version of I Saddam Hussein a Shia majority - led until relatively recently by 7th century lslam. The Kurds find themselves the principal force the unashamedly sectarian Nouri Al-Maliki - has dominated lraqi attempting to push back what has, at times, seemed an irresistible politics leaving a deep sense of political disenfranchisement advance by the jihadists, aided by American air strikes and delive- amongst Sunnis and lraqi Kurds looking to carve out their own ries of Western arms. Yet the West owes far more to the Kurdish autonomous state in the North. This ambition of statehood has his- people than military assistance. The Sykes-Picot accords cut the torically been sidelined by the West as a Kurdish state would Kurds out of the picture, leaving them as guests in the lands of the demand a large chunk of South-Eastern Turkey, a secular, Western Syrians, the lraqis and the Turks. The tradition of an homogeneous ally. Yet the lslamisation of the Turkish state under President-elect nation-state ¡s strong in Western diplomacy, and it offends this tra- Recep Tayyip Erdogan has led to a cooling of Western-Turkish rela- d¡tion that the Kurds were not accorded their own under Sykes- tions and a willingness upon the part of Western capitals to risk the Picot. Now is the perfect opportunity for this historical wrong to be previously steadfast alliance in favour of supporting the Kurdish righted, when the Kurds are as high on the international agenda as nation and its status as a bulwark against lslamic State. American they have been for many years, and when the principal objectors and European governments have decided that the threat of lslam¡c find themselves, to varying degrees, either as an international State, or lS, is so strong that military support for Kurdish fighters, pariah (Syria), too paralysed to seriously object (lraq), or cooling known as the peshmerga, is necessary - despite the possibility of relations with the West (Turkey). Should the Kurds decide to make this Kurdish army turning its weapons upon the Syrian, lraqi and a serious diplomatic and even military push for the establishment even Turkish central governments for the establishment of a sove- of their own state, the West is obliged by expediency and by its reign Kurdistan. own traditions to support it. *** ln fact the dramatic rise of lS has counter-intuitively benefited the 70 Reaue de Presse-Press Reoiew-Berheaokn Çøpê-Riaista Stampø-Dentro de Ia Prensa-Basin Ozeti øe baøl¡ingto¡r port January 30,2015 Battle with IS kills senior Kurdish general, B of his troops By IMAD MATTI and SAMEER N. YACOUB Kurdish Peshmetga Associated Press, fanuary 30, 2015 fightets suround exfuemìsts ìnsíile a TZIRKUK lraq (AP) - Clashes with Islamic hotel neøt police .[\State militants killed a senior Kurdish heøilqunrtets in the military commander and eight of his fighters oil-ich city of just outside the disputed northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk,290 kilome- Kirkuk on Friday, offìcials said. ters (780 míles)north Attacks elsewhere killed 27 people, with of Baghilail, lraq, bombs crowded market in twin hitting a Friilay, løn.30,2075. Baghdad and a suicide bomber targeting pro- (AP Photo) government Shiite militiamen who were manning a checkpoint outside a city north of the lraqi capital. The casualties near the oil-rich Kirkuk the city earlier in the day, after the IS mili- seize the oil fields near the city. were a heavy setback for the lraqi Kurds, who tants attacked the peshmerga fighters' posi- Iraq has been facing its worst crisis since have been at the forefront of the battle tions, said Brig. Khatab Omar. the 2011 withdrawal of U.S. troops, with against the Islamic State group, which has The U.N. assistance mission in Iraq said Islamic State militants now in control of about captured a third of both lraq and Syria in its Friday it was evacuating its foreign stafffrom a third of the counhy. bliÞ last year. Kirkuk to lrbil, the capital of the Kurdish In the Baghdad market attack, a bomb Also Friday, a car bomb exploded outside autonomous region in northern lraq, due to "a first exploded near carts selling used clothes an empty, closed hotel near Kirkuk's police rapid deterioration in security in Kirkuk city." in the central Bab al-Sharqi area, followed by headquarters, wounding two people. Both the A UNAMI statement said the mission was a second bomb as people rushed to help vic- Kurdish troops and the city's securit¡r force also forced to halt its activities and bar tims from the first blasL Police and hospital have been trying to rout the IS group from employees from moving around freely within officials said 19 people were killed and 28 Kirkulç about 290 kilometers (180 miles) the Kurdish region, except for the cities if were wounded. The officials spoke on condi- north of Baghdad. Irbil, Suleimaniya and Dahuk tion of anonymity because they were not After the car bombing three gunmen took Kirkuk is home to a mix of Arabs, Kurds authorized to speak to the media. positions inside the hotel, located in the city and Turkmen, who all have competing claims Also in Baghdad, mortar shells landed on center, higgering a firefight with the Kurds to the oil-rich area. The Kurds want to incor- a residential area in the Shula neighborhood, and the police. porate it into their self-ruled region in Iraq's killing four people and wounding seven Associated Press footage from the scene north, a proposition strongly opposed by others, said police and hospital officials. showed members of the Kurdish troops and Arabs and Turlsnen. Police officials also that said a suicide the local police firing at the Qassir Hotel in After the IS group's bliÞ last summer and bomber drove his-explosiveladen car into a Kirkuk and then storming it. Officials later the quick collapse of the Iraqi army, Kurdish security checkpoint manned by Shiite militia- said the gunmen were all killed. forces took control of the city. Since then, men near the city of Samarra, 95 kilometers The Kurdish Brig. Gen. Shirko Fatih and Kirkuk has often come under lslamic State (60 miles) north of Baghdad, killing four mili- eight Kurdish fighters died in clashes south of attacks, with the militants likely hoping to tiamen and wounding 10. o January 3lrmls target anyone in the city." More than l0 peshmarga troops Peshmarga Official: No agreement were killed in Kirkuk on Friday as ISIS militants launched intense sui- on lraqi troop deployment to Kirkuk cide attacks on Kurdish positions in the deeply sectarian city, which has By Aso Fishagi }llll20(s push back ISIS militants from the Shiite member of Iraqi parliament a sizable Sunni Arab population. htþ://rudaw.net oil rich province. about a military pact between Kirkuk falls under the so-called Kurdish safekeeping forces Kurds and Baghdad. disputed territories according to (Iraqi) of Iraq's constitution, and which EIRBIL, Kurdistan Region Asayish have been in charge of "The Ministry Kurdish Ministry of security in Kirkuk since 2003 as the Defense and Peshmarga Ministry in Kurds see as part of their homeland. ILr- Both Turkmen and Arabs have Peshmerga has denied reports Iraqi army was disbanded following Erbil have reached an agreement on similar claims on the city, which of an agreement between Erbil the USled invasion. the deployment of 5000 security holds l0 per cent of Iraq's crude oil and Baghdad on the deploy- Peshmerga troops were personnel to Kirkuk to recapture reserves. ment of lraqi troops to recap- deployed to Kirkuk in June last year areas southwest of the city," Iraqi Kurds have traditionally been ture areas lost in Kirkuk to the after ISIS militants seized large MP Jasim Mohammad Jaafar told wary of Iraql troop deployment to Islamic State (ISIS). swathes of lands in northem parts reporters Friday. disputed territories fearing it would Jabar Yawar, an official with of Iraq including neighboring areas Jasim also said the recent esca- help malntain the current demogra- the Ministry of Peshmerga, told south of Kirkuk. lation of violence in the city sho- phic status of these areas which Rudaw on Saturday that no deal has Yawar's comments came in res- wed that the ISIS had "organized Kurds say is a result of Arabization been made with the Iraqi military to ponse to an earlier statement by a units" in Kirkuk who could "easily periods ln the country. I 7',1 Reoue de Presse-Press Reuiew-Berheuolø Capê-Riaistø Stampø-Dentro de la Prensø-Basin Özeti UNB POLITIQUE RÉGIONALE MISE À VET LB MoNon diplomøtique - JANVTER 20t s PAR LES (( PRINTEMPS ARABES ) Le splendide isolernent de Ia Turquie < Zéro problème > avec les voísins, tel étaít I'obiectif de lø assurer la continuité du projet de I'AKP, à un moment où de nombreux déPutés de et du développe- politique étrangère du Parti laiustice achèvent leur koisième et dernier mandat. ment (AKP). Mais les KprintemPs arabes ¡> ont bouleversé Ce projet de 72 Reaue de Presse-Press Reoiew-Berheookn Çøpê-Riaista Stampø-Dentro de la Prensø-Basin Ozeti Pour l'instant, M. Erdogan bénéficie qualifié de Sous la responsabilité de M. Dawtoglu, les politiques régionales de la Turquie ont connu un début prometteur: < zéro pro- blème avcc lesvoisins> etusage du pouvoir d'influence. M. Abdullah Gül, lorsç'il était ministre des alfaires étrangères (2003- 2007), a été un acteur-clé dans les négocia- tions d'adhésion à I'Union européenne et dans les relations avec I'Asie cenhale et Chypre, tandis que M. Dawtoglu portait son atte,lrtion surles ¡elations avec le monde arabe. IJapproche était entièrement prag- matique: M. Erdogan a été w en vacanceg avec le dirigeant syrien Bachar Al-Assa4 UMUT GÖ2, - Sous uno fenêtre d'Irtanbul, 2ü)7 73 Reuue de Pr esse-Press Reuieur -Berheuoka Çøpê- Riaistø Stampø-Dentro de lø Prensø-Bøsin Ozeti o/o, tombé. Soli Özel, professeur de relations La Tirquie a été peu disposée à prendre passée en 20l4 de 4 à3,3 alors qu'en une place de premierplan dans la coalition 2009, au début de la crise mondiale, elle internationales à I'univcrsité Kadir Has, militaire sous commandement américain était de 9 %. critique la façon dont I'AKP a géré ce dos- mise en place à I'automne pour bombarder sier à partir de 2012 : < Ils n'ont pas réussi I'OEI et rompre le siège de Kobané, même La politique régionale de la Ttrrquie a- à contôler I'Armée syrienne libre (ASL) et si elle a répondu aux demandes interna- t-elle été prise en otage par la vision ont pris le risque, en soutenant des orga- tionales en accentuatrt le conhôle de sa d'une < a Ankararedoute/ I' n 28 janvier 2015 d'unEtat kurde dans le nord de la Syrie ) La prise de Kobané renforce ( terrorßte ù a[même tiûe que son parrain, multiplié les ouverhrres à l'égard de la po- les Kurdes dç Syríe, considérés le PKK, qui a longtemps revendiqué l'in- pulation kurde de Ttrrquie, représentant comme des terroristes par dépendance du Kurdistan turc. l4 % de la population nationale, tout en Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Aprèsle vote pa¡ le Parlement d'Ankara, s'efforçant d'étouftbr les voix lndépendan. ) Le président turc, qui demande la le 2 octot¡re 20t4 dune motlon autorisanf tistes du PIO(. Mais < la.uíctoire à. Kobané mise enplace d'une zone tampon l'armée à intervenir en Syrle et en lrak, rejaillit sur le PKK, et tc renþrce. Sí, ø lhue- en Syrie, voit d'un mauvais æil un renforcement kurde à ses frontlères. LaTtrrquie considère comme un risque Ia quasilibération par les troupes kurdes de la ville syrienne de Kobané; à sa frontière analyse Olivier Grojean. sud. Dans une annonce à la presse hÍe¡ le indi¡ectement aux assiégés Ankara réclame depuis le dé- président Recep Tayyip Erdogan a avoué en laissant pasóer 150 peshmergas irakiens but de la crise syrienne la création d'une redouter l'apparition d'une zone kurde du PDK,I'ennemi politique duPKK. Pou¡ ( zone tampon > en Syrie assortie d'une autonome au nord de la Syrie, < source d.e Olivier Grojean, maîûe de confé¡ences en zone d'exclusion aérienne, dans le but gros ennuis dans l'auenir t. sciences politiques à l'université d'Aix- officiel d'y installer les 300 000 réfugiés Dès le début du siège de la ville par les Marseille, cette stratégie visait surtoul à kurdes syriens de la région de Kobané. diihadistes, le gouvernement turc s'était < réduire l'hégémonie du PYD døt¿s Ia ré- Mais certains soupçonnent les Turcs de montré réticent à l'apport d'une aicle aux gian. Anlearø shccommode du PDK ir.akien vouloir s'installer en Syrie pour réduire, combattants kurdes, soutenus par des mí- et voudrait que les Kurdes de Syrie sbn rap- voire briser, l'autonomie du PYD, et avoir litants turcs du Parti des travailleurs du prochent. > un æil sur la zone. Pour l'instant, I'ONU Kurdistan (PKI(). Pour Erdogan, le PYD, Le président islamo-conservateur turc, n'a pas donné son aval. principal parti kurde de Syrie, est un groupe ancien premier minishe dè 2003 à 2014t a nÉu¡ crnuen 74 Rwue de Presse-Press Reuietp-Berhanokn Çøpê-Riaistø Stømpa-Dentro de Ia Prensø-Bnsin Özeti DN GUERRD AVDC I,'ISLAMISMD DJIIIADISTE & I)tuun fxtnnxnuoNAln À r,t.lut:nn DÉms nt uÉnrs nu Con¡.N [-NBERITE Ln nÉsrsrANCD r(URDE DD r-tts (l^Irlttrìs l])'rrrs'l.()rlììì ¡t()(ìr^I-tt Ln coivrnAT Fr,nuurNc Rosn JANVIER 2O15 Alain Laurent, Kendal Nezan, Pierre Rigoulot, Daniel Sibony, N Michèle Tribalat IÀIS-T'ITT]A- D'I'IIS'l.()If{fÐ S()CIA.LIì EN GUERRE AVEC L'ISLAMlSME DJIHADISTE Entretien avec KE,ND/c,t NEZAN* réalisé pør Florence Grandsenne Les Kurdes: des résistants à l'islamisme djihadiste í nsuffisa mment soutenus Histoire ù Liberté: La qudstiort kurde s'impose aujourd'lrui à ¡touveau ørec une grønde force, notømment du føit del'ffiontement avec Isis et sans doute aussi du fait des inquié- tudæ quepeutsusciterlø politique du présidentturc nàI'égørd des Kurdes, Alors premier point: quelle est lø situatíon sur le terrøin ? Lo ville d'Erbíl pm exemple est- elle menqcée ? Et celle de Kobøné est-elle dégagée?rtl Kendal Nezan: Fin décembre la situation se présente comme suit: les Kurdes irakiens contrô- lent la quasi-totalité des territoires peuplés de Kurdes en Irak y compris l'enclave de Sinjaa à majorité yézidie, située à l'extrême ouest du Kurdistan, au nord de Mossoul, et à Ia frontière syrienne qui avait été occupée en août dernier, Cependant, les accrochages sont quotidiens le long des 1050 kilomètres de frontières avec l'État islamique. Les Kurdes se sont ressaisis, après I'effet de ô @ surprise de cet été: ils ne s'attendaient pas à une attaque des djihadistes d'une telle ampleur sur Sinjar et sur Erbil, Ils se sont rendu compte que ces djihadistes n'étaient plus ceux qu'ils avaient I'habitude de combattre dans le passé mais des gens beaucoup plus nombreux et surtout très bien équipés. * Président de l'Institut kurde de Paris. L Kobané a été libérée fin janvier, 2. Le M998: High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (Hvlrw ou Humvee). 75 Reoue de Presse-Press Ranieut-Berhanoka Çapê- Riaista Stømpø-Dentro de ln Prensø-Bnsin Ôzeti Quelqu'un m'a raconté une anecdote: des Kurdes avaient encerclé une unité djihadiste et ils essayaient de la combattre avec les moyens dont ils disposaient, c'est-à-dire des kalachni- É kovs et des lance-roquettes. Ils avaient beau mitrailler les véhicules, lancer des roquettes, il ¡¡J o ne se passait rien, car les véhicules étaient en fait des humveest2ì blindés, d'oìr sont sortis o trois kamikazes qui se sont fait exploser, tuant ainsi quinze soldats kurdes. Les Kurdes ont o alors réalisé que le rapport de forces technologique avait changé. o Jusqu'ici, avec les armes dont ils disposaient, fü pouvaient se défendre et infliger de lourdes pertes à I'adversaire mais ce n'est plus le cas maintenant; les djihadistes disposent d'armes sophistiquées, celleslà même que les Américains ont laissées aux Irakiens, soit une centaine de chars, 3000 véhicules blindés humvees et toute une série d'équipements extrêmement modernes. C'est cet effet de surprise qui a obligé les Kurdes au mois d'aott à battre en retraite dans plusíeurs localités. Puis, très rapidement, ils ont réussi à convaincre les Américains d'intervenir militairement par des frappes aériennes sur les convois, car c'était là le danger principal. Quand un convoi de véhicules blindés de plusieurs dizaines ou plusieurs centaines de véhicules fonce et que l'on n'a aucune Íume pour l'arrêter, la défense devient très problématique. L'intervention des Américains, à partir du 8 août, avec leurs frappes aériennes, a permis de stopper I'avancée des djihadistes. Et entre-temps les Kurdes ont reçu des armes de plusieurs pays occidentaux - en premíer lieu de la France, et aussi de l'Allemagne - dont des missiles antichar Milan qui sont effi- caces, puisqu'ils permettent d'arrêter les blindés des djihadistes. Mais beaucoup de pays - I'Allemagne, I'Italie - ont surtout vidé leurs stocks. L'Allemagne a donné ses stocks de la Ro,t, I'Italie de vieilles armes des guerres balkaniques. C'est un peu un vide-grenier ! Ces armes sont util€s certes, mais elles ne sont pas appropriées à des aftonte- ments et à une guerre de cette échellelà. En fait, pour modifier la donne sur le terrain, les Kurdes ont besoin d'armes lourdes afin de se défendre et de faire reculer les djihadistes. Mais il y a deux obstacles: d'une part, malgré les discours des uns et des autres, les alliés de la coalition ne sont pas très généreu; d'autre part, le Kurdistan n'est pas un État souverain et donc il faut laccord de Bagdad pour les recevoir. Et Bagdad n'est pas très chaud pour laisser passer des armes lourdes au Kurdistan, par peur de la suite. Ce qui fait que la lutte militaire contre les djihadistes, malgré quelques succès sur le front irakien - une ou deux localités ont été reprises - marque le pas. Pour encore un certain temps, je pense jusqu'à la fin du printemps, on ne peut pas s'attendre à des progrès impor- tants et significatifs, d'autant plus que, s'il y a une coalition internationale de 60 pays, c'est une coalition hétéroclite à géométrie variable, dont certains partenaires mènent un double, voire un triple jeu. Si donc on fait le bilan sur le plan militaire, on voit qu'après trois mois de lutte les Kurdes résistent toujours à Kobané (ils contrôlent 70 o/o de la ville), mais on ne leur donne pas les moyens de modifier militairement la donne. Il y a eu un parachutage d'armes légères, puis, après beaucoup de démarches des uns et des autres, notamment des É,tats-Unis et de la France, la Turquie a autorisé le passage d'un nombre très limité de peshmergas kurdes (150) avec quelques armes lourdes. Cela permet d'empêcher la chute de Kobané et même de progresser dans la reconquête de la ville, mais vraiment lentement. Aux dernières nouvelles, environ 1400 djihadistes y ont été tués, ainsi que plus de 450 militants kurdes et des civils, et la ville est presque totalement en ruines, Les Américains ont dit que Kobané n'était pas un objectif stratégique mais, en même temps, ils ont réalisé que la ville pouvait être une sorte daimant attirant les djihadistes, permettant de les fixer et de les éliminer, eux et leurs véhi- cules. Il y a donc des frappes aériennes assez régulières de la part des États-Unis, alliés à I'Arabie saoudite et aux Émirats, C'est une guerre d'usure, une politþe d'enlisement, Les combattants kurdes sont courageux, ils vont se défendre et finir par chasser de Kobané les djihadistes, mais ceux-ci ont la possibilité de recevoir des renforts du reste du territoire 76 Reuue de Presse-Press Reuifl)-Berheuoka Çapê- Riaistø Stømpn-Dentro de ln Prensø-Bøsin Özeti qu'ils contrôlent, de Rakka, parfois aussi de Mossoul. De plus, la frontière turque est très poreuse; l'autre jou5 il y a eu une opération de contourne- ment avec des voitures piégées et les Kurdes ont pu déterminer qu'elles venaient de Tirrquie. H&L: Peut-on revenír àl'aspect politique deln lutte? Kendal Nezanr Sur les 60 pays de la coalition, une cinquantaine s'est contentée d'envoyer quelques cargaisons d'armes, en général toujours les mêmes: des lance-roquettes, des grenades, des munitions, des kalachnikovs. Reste le noyau dur: pour I'lrak, ce sont les États-Unis, l'Angleterre, la France et l'Australie ; pour la Syrie, les États-Unis, l'Arabie saoudite et les Émirats. Peut-être peut-on y ajouter I'Italie. À. ma connaissance, la France a jusqu'à maintenant procédé à trois ou quatre frappes aériennes. Ce n'est pas beaucoup ! Cela reste symbolþe, Les Américains ont effectué de nombreux vols de surveillance, mais il n'y a eu des frappes que dans 20 o/o des cas et ce sont des frappes dites d'opportunité, c'est-à-dire qui ont lieu lorsqu'il y a des accrochages ça et là... Par exemple, quand les Américains voient des accrochages entre des Kurdes et des djihadistes dans la province de Kirkouk, c'est l'occasion pour eux de lancer quelques bombes afin d'éliminer les véhicules américains donnés à I'armée irakienne, récupérés par les djihadistes. Il y a ausi une action de formation entreprise par certains pays de la coalition. Les Allemands par exemple ont envoyé des spécialistes et ont fait venir des peshmergæ en Allemagne pour leur apprendre le maniement de missiles antichar. Les Américains ont une présence plus subs- tantielle à Erbil, et les Français participent aussi à la formation des pæhmergas, Dans le reste de la coalition, certains pays qui en sont officiellement membres jouent en fait un double jeu. C'est le cas de la Turquie qui, jusqu'au 15 octobre, ne considérait toujours pas le Daesh comme une organisation terroriste, Il y a donc encore dans le pays des bases arrières de Daesh, qui y circule et y vend son pétrole. Même les Américains le reconnaissent, mais ils disent: En fait, le véritable objectif de la Turquie, y compris dans sa proposition de créer une zone tampon à la frontière, c'est d'empêcher les Kurdes syriens d'organiser des cantons ou des régions autonomes. La Turquie I'a déclaré à plusieurs reprises, ce n'est même plus un secret: elle préfère la défaite des combattants kurdes à celle de Daesh, Le discours officiel est que ce sont deux organisations terroristes, Sous la pression des Américains, elle affiche une poli- tique soi-disant de neutralité mais, dans la pratique, elle continue à soutenir ces organisa- tions djihadistes. Autre double jeu: celui de l'Arabie saoudite qui théoriquement participe en Syrie aux bombardements, mais qui continue aussi de financer le salaflsme, la matrice idéologique des mouvements djihadistes. Il en va de même des Émirats arabes unis. Voilà donc la situation politique, On sait que les Américains, et d'ailleurs les autres alliés occidentaux, ne souhaitent pas envoyer de soldats sur place. Ils veulent une guerre ayec compris les moyens économiques car c'est aussi un aspect très important de la situation. I1 77 Ret)ue de Presse-Press Reaieur-Berheuokn Çøpê-Riaista Stømpa-Dentro de ln Prensa-Bnsin Özeti n'y a pas que les chrétiens et les yézidis qui ont fui le Daesh, c'est aussi le cas de 700 à 800000 fuabes sunnites. Pour eux, I'Irak chüte est un pays inhospitalier où ils ne veulent pas mettre les pieds. Ils ont donc afflué au Kurdistan, où il y a aussi 216000 réfugiés syriens, pour la plupart des Kurdes. Au total, il y a I 400000 réfugiés et déplacés, La communauté internationale fait malheureusement très peu pour l'accueil et la survie de ces déplacés. Pour le Kurdistan, qui a 6 millions d'habitants kurdes, 1400000 réfugiés, c'est le quart de la population. C'est comme s'il y avait en France 15 millions de déplacés! Et, malgré les grands discours, il y a très peu d'aide humanitaire. La France, la cinquième puis- sance économique du monde, a envoye trois ou quatre cargaisons, soit en tout moins de 100 tonnes! L'Allemagne n'a guère fait mietrx. L'aide de l'Union européenne se monte à 20 millions d'euros. Les Kurdes font donc avec les moyens du bord, qui sont extrêmement limités, et le maigre soutien du Hcn pour assurer la survie de ces déplacés. Comment prétendre mener une guerre de grande échelle contre un djhadisme présenté comme une menace mortelle pour l'ensemble de la planète, en tout cas pour les valeurs occidentales, sans aider économiquement et mi.litairement ceux qui concrètement, sur Ie terrain, se battent contre lui? D'autant plus que, depuis le mois de févriet le gouvernement du Kurdistan ne perçoit pas sa dotation budgétaire bloquée par le gouvernement de Bagdad. Il est obligé de commercialiser son pétrole pour avoir un minimum de ressources, mais ses revenus sont très inférieurs à son budget habituel, Il y a donc au Kurdistan à la fois une crise financière et une crise humanitaire. Le gouvernement du Kurdistan a maintes fois appelé les Occidentaux à organiser une conférence internationale de donateurs, Sans succès. On est dans une situation internationale or) il n'y a pas de gendarme, pas de pilote dans l'avion, pas de leadership. Personne ne veut, ne peut prendre l'initiative d'organiser, ne serait-ce qu'une action humanitaire pour ces déplacés et réfugiés, en attendant que les terri- toires occupés par Daesch soient libérés, añn qu'ils puisent bientôt regagner leurs villes, leurs villages, leur foyer. Aucun État ne veut non plus les accueillir malgré les discours des uns et des autres. La France va accueillir des chrétiens, dit-on; savez-vous combien elle en a reçu au total? Moins de 400 ! HúL: Ces chrétiens, ce sont des chrétiens orientatx; ib ne sont pns rattachës à Rome, c'est celø? Kendal Nezan: Environ 80 %o d'entre eux sont des Chaldéens qui ont été rattachés à Rome au )vl" siècle mais ils ont quand même leur propre patriarche. Et puis il y a près de20 o/o d'Assyriens qui sont des nestoriens (encore un schisme qui date du nr-l¡" siècle). Auxquels il faut ajouter 5 ou 6000A¡méniens. L'Occident n'accueille donc ni les chrétiens ni les yézidis d'Irak. Mais c'est la même chose pour la Syrie; on compte sans doute 3,5 millions de réfugiés syriens et près de l0 millions de civils déþlacés: or la France, politiquement en pointe sur le dossier syrien, en a accueilli à peine 500. La guerre civile syrienne a fait, au cours des trois dernières années, plus de 200000 morts dont 22 500 étaient des djihadistes étrangers selon les statistþes de l'Observatoire syrien des Droits de l'homme. Parmi ces étrangers, un gros contingent vient des pays arabes: Arabie saoudite, Yémen, Tunisie, Égypte etc. Mais il y a aussi des Européens de souche, des Européens d'origine maghrébine, et un gros contingent de Turcs. En Turquie, les bureaux de recrutement sont quasiment publics: les djihadistes ont des mosquées, des bases de recrutement, La composante étrangère du djihadisme est considérable, Il y a un mois, lors d'une attaque dans la région de Mossoul, les Kurdes ont tué quinze djihadistes; sur les quinze, il n'y avait que deux Irakiens. Les autres étaient tchétchènes, saoudiens, turcs, et on a trouvé un Allemand de souche, un certain Müùler.,. Ils arrivent tous en passant par la Turquie. 78 Reuue de Presse-Press Reuieu-Berheaokn Çøpê-Riuista Stømpø-Dentro de ln Prensø-Bøsin Özeti HúL: ll est dortc bien possible que Ie chífie de quelques centaines que I'on nous donne soit sous-estirné? Kendal Nezan: le pense qu'il est sous-estimé, On parle d'un millier de Français sur place mais c'est une approximation. Il y a du monde ! Et ça continue. Les derniers cas qui nous ont été signalés remontent à deux semaines. On en arrive donc à la question fondamentale: La lutte contre le djihadisme ne peut pas être menée uniquement avec des moyens sécuritaires, la police et l'armée. Il faut plusieurs volets à cette lutte. L'un d'entre eux concerne l'éducation et les médias, ici et là-bas. Contre la culture de violence,la culture de haine, la culture de l'erclusion. Les medresa, les médias, les mosquées salafistes forment des générations de combattants. Tänt que nous n'aurons pas un programme denvergure pour réduire l'impact désastreux de cette culture de haine, d'exclusion, et cette vision intégriste de f islam propagée par l'Arabie saoudite, les Émirats, le KoweTt, et leurs médias, nous n'y arriverons jamais. Al Qaïda a été vaincue en 2009-2010 en Irak et le mouvement a resurgi ailleurs. Un autre volet concerne la France, II faut reconnaitre que, même si on n'en parle pas beau- coup, I'intégration laïque est en grande difficulté. Tout le réseau associatif qui contribuait à créer du lien social, à faire de l'intégration la'Íque, est totalement asphyxié. Les associations disparaissent les unes après les autres. Comme ce sont de petites structures avec quelques permanents, elles n'ont pas les moyens de faire parler d'elles, Aujourd'hui les banlieues sont abandonnées aux réseaux islamistes qui, avec l'argent de l'Arabie saoudite, du Qatar, s'orga- nisent, font du travail social, s'occupent des gens en déshérence. C'est ainsi qu'ils recrutent et qu'ils envoient des gens au djihad. Les associations la'iques'disparaissent en raison du désengagement financier de l'État. Un exemple parmi d'autres: Iassociation turque Etnmt3l qui faisait du très bon travail d'inté- gration, depuis un quart de siècle et qui a dt fermer, faute de financement. Nous, llnstitut kurde, nous ne sommes pas loin non plus de la cessation d'activité, malgré tous les discours positifs que nous pouvons entendre sur le rôle des Kurdes, etc, Nous sommes dans un pays qui trouve 12,9 millions d'euros pour I'Institut du monde arabe -comme si le monde arabe avait vraiment besoin de financement français pour promouvoir sa culture !- et qui n'arrive pas à trouver 4 ol5 o/o de cette somme pour un institut culturel qui a beaucoup fait pour I'intégration laïque de 250000 Kurdes ici en France. qui sont clairs dans leur esprit car pour eux les ennemis des musulmans, ce sont d'abord les juifs, puis les < croisés > chrétiens, puis les Kurdes, les yézidis et ainsi de suite, H&L: Est-ce qu'øu sein iluKurdistan certøíns sont sensìbles au discoursisløtniste? Kendal Nezan: Oui, il y en a, comme dans toutes les sociétés, mais c'est vraiment très marginal. Quelques dizaines de jeunes seraient partis. Pour l'instant, I'islamisme a un impact très limité au Kurdistan du fait de traditions très anciennes, celleslà même qui ont 3. 79 Reuue de Presse-Press Reoiew-Berheuokn Çøpê-Riaísta Stampa-Dentro de ln Prensa-Basin Ózeti été illustrées par Saladin. De tout temps, nous avons été une société multiconfessionnelle et cette tradition reste encore vivace. Le gouvernement actuel au Kurdistan est un gouvernement séculier qui protège les chrétiens et les autres minorités. Il fait même plus pour eux que pour les autres citoyens: si, par exemple, au niveau de la représentation politiçe, on devait appliquer la proportionnelle, ces minorités auraient peut-être deux députés, mais comme il y a plusieurs communautés, elles en ont onze. Des quotas sont fixés. Même chose pour leurs centres culturels, les églises etc, Simplement, le gouvernement considère qu'il faut par tous les moyens retenir ces minorités car c'est un élément civilisationnel, En Syrie, en Turquie égale- ment, les mouvements politiques kurdes sont laics. l¿ société kurde est la seule société musulmane du Proche-Orient très majoritairement larque. C'étaít aussi le cas des Turcs, mais il y a eu une forte régression. On assiste à une hostilité croissante vis-à-vis des Occidentaux et à la montée alarmante d'un antisémitisme qui était marginal auparavant. Les publications antisémites en Turquie sont en vente líbre. Mein Kampf enestùsa quatorzième ou quinzième édition. Voilà quelques titres d'ouvrages publiés avec l'accord du ministère de la Culture: Ies Protocoles des Sages de Sion; Le Plan secret d'Isrøël; Le Péril universel sioniste et lsraëI; Rothschild et l'empire de l'argent: I'Ént profond juif ; Réveille+oi, Ô Turc, nous sotntnes en train de disparøltre; Lø Tiibu perdue, etc. Il y a une réislamisation rampante de la société turque, une islamisation militante, Le voyage du Pape en Turquie, - où il n'y a plus que moins de 2000 Grecs orthodoxes et 15000 à 20000 Arméniens - a été un événement malheureux. Il s'est cru obligé d'aller à Ankara et d'y déposer une gerbe sur la tombe d'Ataturk, lequel entre autres méfaits a expulsé, dans les années 1920, 1200000 Grecs dAnatolie lors de ce qui fut la première purification religieuse et ethnique du n<'siècle. Quand on est pape, pourquoi se rendre sur la tombe d'un dictateur qui a aussi fait déporter le tiers de la population kurde de Turquie? de ndre nos propres laleurs, en faít notre propre øvenfu,, , dal Nezan: Oui, hélas. Tout le monde défend ses valeurs sauf les démocraties occiden- tales. Quand vous voyez l'ardeur avec laquelle la Russie défend ses valeurs russes, ortho- doxes, I'Iran les valeurs chiites, l'Arabie saoudite f intégrisme sunnite, quelle différence ! concerne I'Irak, Ies Russes ont été les ultimes défenseurs de Saddam Hussein. Maintenant ils ont normalisé leurs relations avec I'lrak, Gazprom est présent à la fois au Kurdistan et dans le reste de l'lrak. Et vis-à-vis des Kurdes irakiens, ils ont une politique de neutralité. H&L: Nous voulìotts aussi vous poser une question concernant l'uníté politique du Kurdßtøn cør quønd on lit la presse, frønçøße pør exemplq on a l'impression que les Kurdes syriens sont phltôt sous I'ìnfluence du Prcx, tandis que ceux il'Irøk se reconnøissent plutùt døns I' U px. Qu' en est-ìl ? Kendal Nezan: Pour une population de 40 millions, il est normal qu'il y ait plusieurs partis politiques, plusieurs options. Heureusement, d'ailleurs I Et donc dans chaque pays où se répartissent les Kurdes, il y a plusieurs partis. En Irak aux dernières élections, huit partis politiques -en dehors des partis confessionnels chrétiens- se sont présentés. Les trois principaux sont laïcs. Le plus ancien et le plus influent est le Parti démocratique du Kurdistan (Por), du président Barzani, fondé en 1945; 80 Reoue de Presse-Press Røieut-Berhanokn Çapê-Riaistø Stømpø-Dentro de la Prensa-Bøsin Öz¿ti puis il y a I'Union Patriotique du Kurdistan (Upr) de l'ex-président irakien Ialal Talabani, fondé en 1975; et un Parti du Changement, qui est aussi un parti laïc, et est issu de I'Upr. Il y a aussi detx partis islamiques, mais qui ne se disent pas islamistes et qui, ensemble, ont obtenu 8 % des voix. On a enfin un parti socialiste et un parti communiste, qui, à etx deux, ne dépassent pas I % des voix. Un gouvernement d'Union nationale regroupe tous ces partis, avec comme objectiß le fédéra- lisme et une société larque, en paix avec les voisins, y compris I'Iran, la Turquie, En Syrie, il y a dew blocs: il y a le Pvo (le parti de I'unité démocratique), eui est proche du PKK, c'est un parti militant comme le Pm, qui était dans les années 1980 soutenu par le régime syrien contre la Turquie avec quí il a gardé quelques liens. Il y a trois ans, quand le régime syrien a décidé de se replier sur la régime, nous les bombarderons; nous les raserons comme nous avons ræé le reste>. Deux blocs ont été ainsi constitués: le Conseil national kurde, pour l'instant basé au Kurdistan irakien, qui regroupe plusieurs partis et a été longtemps majoritaire dans la population - je ne sais pas ce qu'il en est maintenant - mais qui ne mène pas la lutte armée. Et puis ceux qui ont hérité en partie de la région kurde syrienne et qui se sont contentés de s'occuper de sa gestion, de l'autonomie locale. Voici comment ils formulent leur projet: alliance, en princþe pour asurer la cogestion, mais surtout pour ne pæ avoir de conflit inærne. H&L: Sur Internet,l'opposìtíon des deuxgrands partískrdes,Prcx etPnx, ætsoulìgnée avec moilèlcs étøtiques concurrents: l'øutonomíe pénolìère paterwliste et clnníque du Kurdistøn d'Iraþ et I'índépendance de facto laïqug autoñtaire et socialiste du Ktrdistøn syríen >. Kendal Nezan: C'est très schématique. Iæ Kurdistan irakien est censé n'être qu'une région autonome, mais en réalité c'est plus que cela. Par exemple si vow allez au Kurdistan, avec un passeport européen ou américain vous n'avez pas besoin de visa. Pour un visa irakien, vous pouvez attendre deux mois ! Le Kurdistan irakien a sa propre armée, son gouverne- ment, ses aéroports, sa police, c'est un quasi-État. Quant au terme des municþalités en Turquie qui les a fait évoluer car elle nécesite de trouver constamment des compromis, d'avoir un électorat aussi large que possible. C'est donc maintenant un mouvement nationaliste, qui revendique certains idéaux de la modèle-là qui prédomine chez Ie Pvo qui a besoin d'une idéologie de combat mobilisatrice. Au Kurdistan de Turquie, on en est à la gestion des municipalités par le parti de la Paix et de la Démocratie (Brr) proche de la mouvance du Prr. Il y a 104 municipalités gérées par les Kurdes. Progressivement, il y aura aussi une évolution vers une sorte d'autonomie. En lran, enfin, il y a deux partis politiques kurdes. D'ailleurs, dans la lutte contre Ie djihadisme au Kurdistan irfüen, au moment de l'attaque du Daesh, les militants du Pxr, du Por et de l'Ulr, de même d'ailleurs que les combattants kurdes de l'lran, sont allés se battre ensemble; et à Kobané maintenant, des Kurdes d'Irak et des Kurdes de Turquie se battent aux côtés des Kurdes syriens. Quand il y a un enjeu 81 Reoue de Presse-Press Reoiap-Berhanokn Çøpê-Riaista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bnsin Özeti national, malgré les divisions, cela rassemble; malgré tous leurs défauts, les Kurdes ont réussi à conserver cette unité. t I¡J HúL : Une question nous préoccupe beaucoup : comffient expliquer que Ie Ktrdistat ait cette (n o maníère beaucoup plus tolêrønte que les outres pøys musulmans d'orgønßer les orß o enne les dffircntes religions, enffe les dífférentes communautés? La place des femmes ¡ o semble être cliffêrente de ce qu'on voít øillews. Est-ce que vous confrmæ, cettep tion? Et c o mrn e nt I' explì qu ez- v o us ? Kendal Nezan I C'est l'histoire qui I'explique en grande partie car ausi loin qu'on puisse remonter, il y a toujours eu dans toutes les villes du Kurdistan un quartier juif et un quartier chrétien. Les chrétiens pouvaient être des Arméniens, ou des Syriaques ou des Chaldéens. Car, lorsqu'au Moyen Âge il y a eu des persécutions, lancées entre autres par Bagdad, les chrétiens se sont réfugiés au Kurdistan. Et le Kurdistan a été aussi le siège du patriarcat du nestorianísme qui au xn" siècle avait plus d'adeptes que le catholicisme, s'étendant jusqu'aux frontières de la Chine, de la Birmanie. Quand vous grandissez dans un quartier avec des voisins juifs, chrétiens de diverses sortes, des yézidis, des sabéens, etc. les gens se fréquentent il y a des fêtes, auxquelles tous partici- pent, des relations sociales, On a même inventé queþe chose qui n'existe pas, ou très peu, dans d'autres cultures: des alliances par parrainage. Un musulman peut parrainer un enfant chrétien et vice-versa. Et un parrain, c'est un membre de la famille, on lui doit protection, solidarité. Ce système a existé pendant tout le Moyen Âge kurde, à l'époque des principautés; il a été vraiment le modèle dominant jusqu'à la fin du xx" siècle, C'était une question d'honneur que de protéger les minorités: les chrétiens, les juifs, mais ce pouvait être aussi les yézidis, ou les sabéens, et de toutes petites minorités. Ces principes ont même été défendus par une certaine théologie;par o reculées, oùr I'on vit en autarcie, il y avait aussi d'autres principes à respecter; par exemple la chasse était interdite, couper des arbres était interdit. C'est pourquoi les musulmans ortho- doxes les considéraient comme des hérétiques, disant que dans l'islam ces interdictions n'existaient pas. Mais eux avaient développé leur propre version de lislam. À côté de cette tradition-là qui a été et reste prédominante, il y a aussi des milices kurdes qui ont été recrutées dans le nord du Kurdistan pendant le génocide des Arméniens et qui donc ont participé arD( massacres, aux côtés des Turcs. Cependant, la pþart des Arméniens qui ont été sauvés l'ont été par leurs voisins kurdes, même si d'autres ont été massacrés par l'armée turque, aidée de supplétifs ou des milices kurdes. Il y a une autre explication plus sociale: les Kurdes n'ont été islamisés que très superficielle- ment, Lisez Iø chrétiens d'Orient de Pierre Rondotlrl, un très fin connaisseur de ces sociétés et qui a longemps vécu là-bas, et vous verrez que dans certaines régions du Kurdistan, la symbiose était telle qu'il pouvait y avoir une alliance entre tribus chrétiennes et tribus musulmanes contre une autre tribu musulmane. Ce n'était pas la religion qui faisait Ia diffé- rence mais d'autres rapports sociaux, On en vient à la place de la femme parce que c'est aussi un élément qui nous distingue beaucoup de nos voisins et il est culturel. On le trouve même présent dans des commu- nautés kurdes d'Asie centrale, où j'ai été en visite dans les années 1970; fégalité n'est pas enseignée dans les écoles, mais il y a toute une série de proverbes, d'adages, de contes, qui 3 PierreRouoor, vont dans ce sens. La culture orale qui se transmet est à peu près identique dans toutes les régions du Kurdistan. É. L'un des proverbes les plus cités dit: pensaient qu'il n'y avait que la reine Victoria ! Avec beaucoup de respect, ils l'appellent Khan Bahadour ( Kurdistan, une certaine Asenath Barzani, dans la vallée de Baruan. On disait: < Chez nos voisins, les femmes peuvent devenir chefs de tribus. Pourquoi ne deviendrions-nous pas chefs de queþe chose ausi?> Mais vivre ensemble entre les diverses communautés et croyants ne signifie pas pour autant fégalité au sens moderne. Par exemple, quand on parlait d'égalité tout à I'heure, à propos des minorités chrétiennes, il faut savoir que les chrétiens devaient verser au gouvernement ou au chef local une taxe, Même chose pour l'égalité homme/femme; il y a encore au Kurdistan des crimes d'honneur. Ces derniers temps, les organisations féministes et les partis lalcs ont modernisé toutes ces croyances et pratiques anciennes, notamment le rôle des femmes dans les guerres. Si on regarde Le Petit lJlustré, que I'on a à la bibliothèque de I'lnstitut kurde, on voit que pendant la guerre de Crimée, en 1853, existait u¡e brigade d' Anglais, ni les Ruses n'avaient des femmes combattantes, C'étaient de redoutables cavalières I L'auteur kurde Bayazidi, dans son célèbre ouvrage intitulé Les coutumes des Ktrdes, écrit au xx'siècle, et dont une traduction française paraîtra au printemps prochain chez Geuthner, observait: se cachent de personne, elles ne sont ni voilées ni recluses>. Plus près de nous, dans les années 1960, la feanne d'Arc du Kurdistan était une chrétienne. C'était une femme nommée Margaret George, qui dirigeait une brigade féminine, et qui était très courageuse sur Ie front. Et nous, jeunes adolescents, nous avions tous des posters la représentant dans nos chambres. C'est aussi un signe d'intégration, vous voyez, le fait qu'une chrétienne devienne hérorne nationale du Kurdistan. Ou que le premier gouverneur de la capitale du Kurdistan ait été un chrétien qui s'appelait Franso Hariri et qui a été assas- siné en 1998 par des islamistes. À I'heure actuelle, au Kurdistan de Turquie, la parité politique est devenue quasi parfaite, Parmi les députés bien str mais aussi parmi les 104 maires. Si c'est un homme qui est élu, il a une adointe - qui s'appelle d'ailleurs co-maire - qui a à peu près les mêmes pouvoirs que 83 Reaue de Presse-Press Reoifl)-Berheuoka Çøpê- Riuistø Stampø-Dentro de lø Prensø-Bøsin Ozeti lui, Et la capitale du Kurdistan a élu une femme comme maire. Cette égalité ne se retrouve pas dans le reste de la Turquie; la société turque est la société musulmane la plus évoluée, É. mais les femmes ne constituent que l0 à l2o/o delarcprésentation politique. g UIo Pour dire encore un mot des traditions anciennes: quand il y avait des guerres entre des o tribus, et qu'au bout d'un certain temps une femme d'un certain âge enlevait son foulard o blanc et le mettait au milieu, les hommes devaient arrêter le combat. Cela ne se discutait pas, c'était vraiment le cessezJe-feu, et tout le monde s'arrêtait. Y a-t-il eu au départ matriarcat? |e ne sais pas. Mais je constate aussi qu'au niveau de la langue le féminin est privilégié. Peut-être la langue structure-t-elle les mentalités. Ces valeurs vont de soi pour tout Kurde, à condition qu'il n'ait pas été trop déformé par l'école et la culture dominante: un paysan kurde, qu'il soit de Turquie, ou de Syrie, ou d'Iran ou d'Irak aura ces valeurs-là - les dialectes sont variés mais pas les valeurs - car ce sont les valeurs de base de tous, qui ont traversé le siècle et constituent encore la tradition majoritaire, Malheureusement il y a aussi d'autres traditions. Ie problème des rapports enffe l'íslam et I'islamisme Nous discutons beøucoup sur ces liens. L'exemple kurde montre que læ dér islamistes n'exìstent pas partout, Peut-être ne faut-il imputer I' islømßnw ù l' islam ? IGndal Nezan: C'est une question très complerc. Évidemment, nos voisins turcs considè- rent que (par rapport aux mécréants, les Kurdes aussi sont des musulmans>. Mais pour eux, ils ne sont pas de bons musulmans; pour les djihadistes n'en parlons pas ! En revanche, les Kurdes pieux considèrent que ce sont eux les vrais musulmans. Pour ma mère par exemple, qui est très pieuse, nous sommes les vrais musulmans car nor¡s ne faisons de mal à perso¡ìne. Si Dieu a créé les chrétiens, les juifs, les yézidis, c'est qu'il aimait la diversité; c'est pourquoi tuer un chrétien ou toute créature de Dieu est répréhensible, c'est un crime contre la volonté divine. Et dans ses prières elle prie d'abord pour le bien de 72 nations! Sans doute la permanence, la pérennité de traditions culturelles, dont beaucoup sont pré- islamiques, a créé une autre version de l'islam. H&L: Les Kurdæ sont nombreux út côté de la rue du Faubourg Saínt-Denís, près de votre In s tiut. Yo nt - il s da¡a un e m o s qu ée p artículi èr e ? Kendal Nezan: Nous n'avons aucune mosquée. Il y a 250000 Kurdes en France mais aucune mosquée, Quand on célèbre des funérailles, c'est à I'Institut qu'on installe une chapelle ardente, Les Kurdes pieux vont parfois à la grande Mosquée, pendant la fête de ramadan par exemple. Les Kurdes de Syrie y vont plus que les autres, peut-être parce qu'ils comprennent l'arabe. Une fraction de la population kurde est alévie, donc son islamité est douteuse car je pense que cette religion pré-islamique a pris la précaution de se couvrir d'un petit vernis isla- mique en se disant partisane d'Ali. Mais dans les cérémonies rituelles alévies, il y a de la musique, les hommes et les femmes dansent ensemble, on boit de l'arak. Ce n'est pas I'islam traditionnel, Au Kurdistan, il y a donc vraiment une diversité, y compris dans I'islam, par rapport à I'or- thodoxie des écoles coraniques, des oulemas... Ainsi, l'islam des Kurdes est spécifique - comme aussi la pratique kabyle ou berbère de l'islam par exemple - parce qu'il ne s'est pas inscrit sur un terrain vierge mais sur un certain substrat culturel et religieux, Et puis il faut compter aussi avec l'influence du voisinage. Ainsi, au Kurdistan d'Irak, les chrétiens, les iuifs parlaient tous l'araméen. C'est là que s'est installée I'une des toutes 84