In a statement on the Turkish army’s invasion of the guerrilla areas of Zap, Avashin and Metina in southern Kurdistan launched on April 23, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Executive Committee pointed out that all cross-border military operations in the past 38 years have been fruitless. A solution, it said, is only possible through dialogue and negotiations.
“Turkey has been conducting air and ground operations for supposed ‘border security’ on the territory of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq since 1983 until today. It is obvious that these cross-border operations, which have become systematic, serve no other cause than to expand the war and combat operations. Despite the lack of results for 38 years, the persistence on this issue continues,” stated the HDP.
The same mistake for 38 years
HDP said that the war claimed high casualties and had been repeatedly misused by the governments of the past decades to maintain their own power. This also applies to the current government, which is repeating the same mistake. The population in the affected areas in Kurdistan Region demand the end of the military operation, the party noted.
The statement continued, “Border security is cited as the reason for the military operations. However, the real reason is the way of thinking with which the Kurdish question and the political alternatives are disregarded and which insists on conflict based on a security policy. By ignoring political alternatives, a solution is made impossible. In a country that is in the midst of an economic, social and political crisis, where there is not enough food, work and vaccine, and where suicides are committed every day due to unemployment, economic resources are flowing into war and armaments.”
Where is the $128 billion that disappeared?
The HDP explained that the government always relies on military operations abroad when it is under pressure in domestic and foreign policy: “When the president of the Central Bank answered the question about the disappeared $128 billion by saying that ‘our war planes do not fly for free,’ he confessed something that is actually well-known. The government is exacerbating all forms of the crisis by insisting on its security and war policies.
Hişyar Özsoy, co-spokesperson of the HDP Foreign Affairs Commission: Turkey’s invasion operation is not limited to guerrilla areas
A cross-border military operation by the Turkish army has been taking place in the guerrilla areas in South Kurdistan for the past week. Hişyar Özsoy, co-spokesperson of the HDP Foreign Affairs Commission, spoke to the Mezopotamya Agency (MA) the role of the US in the invasion operation.
That the U.S. supporting Turkey is nothing new, the HDP deputy said, “We cannot know to what extent the U.S. is coordinating the operation and to what extent it is providing support, but if it is, we should not be surprised. They have been doing this since time immemorial.” He also said whether the South Kurdistan Regional Government was providing Turkey with intelligence only or practical support was up for debate. “There is a good chance that Turkey, the Kurdistan Federation government and the U.S. are coordinating with each other at some point. I say that with caution because I don’t have any proven intelligence on that, but all signs point to it.”
Turkey wants to establish itself step by step in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, the Kurdish politician went on to say, “The reason given for the operation is the fight against the PKK, but many politicians in southern Kurdistan now also think that it is not just about the PKK. Turkey is establishing itself step by step in South Kurdistan.”
Another goal of the invasion is to break the link between southern Kurdistan and northeastern Syria, Özsoy said and continued: “If the operation is successful from the Turkish state’s point of view, if the international economy allows it, and if the U.S. and Iraqi governments agree, an expansion of the invasion is conceivable. These attacks are directed against all Kurdish gains in the Middle East, that is, against Rojava and South Kurdistan as well as against the PKK.”
Hişyar Özsoy also drew attention to the fact that the latest wave of attacks is taking up less space in the Turkish media compared to previous cross-border operations, adding, “In the past, victory was declared yet before operations began. However, since previous operations have ended in heavy defeats, this time there is a wait.” The HDP’s foreign policy spokesman sees another reason for the lack of propaganda in Turkey’s near-syndicated media in the fact that the operation is longer-term and is not just about penetrating guerrilla territory, but about taking the region permanently.
Source: ANF