The Kurdish problem at a breaking point of history

With every passing day, the situation in the Middle East seems to be getting closer to some outcome. The quadrilateral information center in Baghdad (Russia-Iran-Iraq-Syria) is actively interacting with Russian air forces and Syrian ground troops in their combat with ISIL and other terrorists, while they in the West have refused to join the four - well aware that there is China behind them. Their refusal to specify who “may” be bombed in Syria and who “may not” will go down in history as a proof of their support for terrorists. The same is for the refusals to send a Pentagon delegation to Moscow and to receive in Washington a Russian delegation headed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

By refusing to say where the so-called Syrian opposition is deployed, the Americans prove that ISIL is their ally in the Middle East. And even the last meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, the United States, Turkey and Saudi Arabia in Vienna will hardly prove otherwise as unlike the Europeans, the Americans, the Turks and the Saudis are persistent in their reluctance to accept Russia’s initiative to involve Iran in the talks on Syria.

In the meantime, despite the recent series of terrorist acts in their country, Turks are busy with very important things. Their top priority is the Nov 1 mid-term parliamentary elections even though they know that they will hardly be peaceful. Their second task is to provoke Russia and Iran: the last attempt was their report of a Russian drone shot down in their territory (though later they said that the drone was of unknown origin). And the third thing there are doing is bombing PKK Kurds jointly with NATO (and not only in Iraq but also in Syria and in their own territory - Western Armenia and Mesopotamia).

In Syria, Kurdish self-defenders are charging the Turks with bombing their facilities in Aleppo. From Iraq we are receiving no news and no reports confirming that Haider al-Abadi has asked Russia to move its anti-terror campaign to his country. But Iran has warned that after freeing Syria from terrorists, it will go to Iraq. Both Russia and Iran are silent about Turkey’s sly campaign to “solve” the Kurdish problem as are they in the West, who say it’s not time to care for Kurds.

But President Vladimir Putin’s speech at the 70th session of the UN General Assembly sobered them up. In New York, Putin said that the only forces fighting ISIL in Syria were Syrian troops and Kurdish self-defenders. Of course, Putin perfectly knew that Christians and Druses are also supporting the Syrian army. And he is certainly aware of the Armenian self-defenders in Aleppo, Al-Qamishli, Hassakeh and Deir ez-Zor. But by pointing out the Kurds, he aimed to warn the United States and its allies that very soon the Kurdish factor will no longer be a toy in the hands of the West and Turkey.

Banned in Turkey, the Kurdish PKK is an “old customer” for the Russian counterintelligence as are President of Iraqi Kurdistan Masoud Barzani and his clan. In its time, PKK had lots of training grounds near Syrian Kurdish communities. Today, the Syrian Kurds, especially those from PYD, are the most ardent opponents of Jihadists and Turkey. As regards the Iraqi Kurds, in their time their leaders (Barzani and At-Talabani) were given refuge in Iran.

In the meantime, the Kurdish problem is escalating. On Oct 10 (after hundreds of Turkish Kurds were killed or wounded in a terrorist act in Ankara), PKK announced suspension of its combat activities. They said they didn’t want to hinder the Nov 1 mid-term parliamentary elections, but the fact is that in the provinces and towns cordoned by the Turkish army and security forces, there will be no elections.

The second news was the Americans’ decision to tear two groups away from the Free Syrian Army and to attach those Arab extremists to some Kurdish group torn away from DBK, the key fighter against Jihadists and Turkey. The core of DBK is PYD. But as you may see, the United States had its “jokers” among Kurds. Those three “service clubs” have formed some new National-Democratic Opposition Coalition. A few days ago, the Pentagon press service admitted that some of the cargoes dropped in Syria, particularly, the last 50-ton cargo, were meant for Kurds. But the Kurds say that the cargo is in the hands of terrorists as even the “moderate” Syrian opposition has got nothing.

The third news was Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s statement in Finland. After a meeting with his Finnish counterpart Timo Soini, Lavrov said that Russia was supporting not only the Syrian and Iraqi authorities but also the Iraqi Kurds. On Oct 13, the Turkish leaders met with the Russian and U.S. ambassadors and told them that they would not endure any military assistance to Syrian Kurds – for they in Ankara believe that Syrian Kurds serve PKK and, according to Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, may use the weapons against Turkey.

It is clear why the Americans have hammered together this new virtual coalition. First, they were forced to admit that the only real force in Syria is Bashar al-Assad as for as long as four years already he has been successfully opposing Jihadist and mercenary forces sponsored by the West, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The “moderate opposition” term is no longer in use as nobody can find those oppositionists in Syria. So, the Americans need a force they will be able to call “moderate Islamists.” But they will hardly be able to do it as the two Arab groups of that force have turned out to have ties with ISIL and as-Nusra Front.

Second, the Americans perfectly see that one of the key goals of Russia and Iran is to make Kurds free from them. So, this Arab-Kurdish force is supposed to show to the Russians and the Iranians that Washington is not going to go out of the Kurdish problem and may even try to use this force as a core for some new ISIL – for, as you may remember, ISIL was formed by the Americans in Iraq in 2003 and was also Kurdish at first.

The Oct 23 report from Paris that France is seeking a place in the Syrian peace process and has a special purpose group ready to go to Syria and to fight ISIL jointly with Kurds may mean that the Americans no longer believe in Kurds’ loyalty and are plotting some other way to keep them in their orbit. Francois Hollande’s France is just the fifth wheel of their foreign policy – so, it is not a coincidence that French volunteers are going to fight in Syria and not in Iraq. This is just part of Washington’s plan to form new Arab-Kurdish “moderate opposition.”

We are really sorry for Kurds as they are losing their strategic game. Even if they get some autonomy in Syria and some federation in Iraq, they will remain a tool in the hands of the West.

EADaily Middle East Bureau