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A flag of the autonomous
Kurdistan region flies next to an Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighter as he takes
position to monitor the area in Bashiqa, north-east of Mosul.
Photograph: Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images
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| Kurdish
President Masoud Barzani with
Peshmerga commanders
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I do not have too many close friends. I have lots of
acquaintances, but I keep my inner circle really small. And if there is one
thing I value most in friendship, it is loyalty. I consider myself a loyal
friend. I would go out of my way for a friend; and I also never forget those
who stand with me when the chips are down. They are the ones to whom I give the
utmost priority. I have always been that way. And so, I guess in the same vein,
I also expect that in the field of international relations, nations would stand
by those who stand with them in their hour of need. This brings me to the issue
at hand- the impending Syrian peace talks. Ever since the UN announced that the
talks would begin in Geneva, Switzerland, there has been a lot of chatter about
just who is invited to the table. The important power players e.g. USA, Russia,
Turkey, Saudi Arabia; would all be at the table. Within Syria, the Assad
government is expected to be represented; along with mostly Saudi-backed
opposition fighters. For obvious reasons, ISIS is not invited! But what struck
me as odd, is the fact that despite their massive and important involvement in
the war against ISIS, an invitation has not been extended to the Kurds.
The Kurds are a minority group found in Iraq, Syria,
Turkey, and even in Iran. Over the years, they have fought for their independence
in a Kurdish homeland. They have also been victims of political segregation and
even genocide. In 1988, Saddam Hussein used poison gas to wipe out
approximately 150,000 Kurds, in what the Kurds now refer to as the “War of
Annihilation”. In Turkey, the government has labeled the Kurdish PKK as a
terrorist organization and a threat to its national stability. For this reason,
they have carried out attacks against Kurdish YPG positions in Syria.
Nevertheless, the Kurds have persevered.
As ISIS sprung up in 2014, the Iraqi army fled.
Their abandoned weaponry and equipment were taken by the terrorists as they
grew and advanced. As territory after territory fell to the ISIS onslaught in
Iraq and Syria, the Americans were in desperate need of effective fighting
units; especially as Barack Obama had declared that “there would be no American
boots on the ground”. The Kurds thus, stepped in. Brave men and women
volunteered themselves in the fight against ISIS. The Kurds have proven to be a
highly disciplined group, and a formidable fighting force. They have been
essential in relaying vital intelligence to US military commanders, in order to
carry out effective airstrikes against ISIS targets. Even when their requests
for weapons have been declined by the Americans, time and time again, the Kurds
have fought on. As one Kurdish mother lamented the death of her 3 sons in
battle, she proudly and defiantly declared that she had 2 more sons who were
willing and able to sacrifice themselves in defense of their homeland, if need
be. The female Kurdish Peshmerga (Peshmerga, meaning those who face death) are
just as brave as the men folk. In fact, it is said that ISIS fighters dread
been killed by a female Peshmerga. According to them, this would take away
their chances of going to paradise! As the war has progressed, the Kurds have
been able to regain most of their territory previously seized by ISIS. They
were vital to the liberation of Sinjar, and are also thought to be highly
essential to any planned future assault to retake Mosul, Iraq’s second largest
city. In fact, it is widely asserted that Iraq’s fighting force would be
ineffective in Mosul, without Kurdish input. The Kurds have been a vital
military ally for the Americans in Syria and Iraq, and many of them have lost their
lives fighting. They have been responsible for the death of thousands of ISIS
fighters, even with obsolete weaponry. It is therefore mind-boggling that the
United States is willing to exclude them from the Geneva talks. It is also
quite strange, that it is the Russians who are vehemently pushing for Kurdish
inclusion at the talks. According to Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign
Minister, the Kurds have been an effective fighting force in Syria. They also
account for 15% of the Syrian population, and it would thus be
“counterproductive”, if they are not present at Geneva. I agree.
On the other hand, while Russia wants the Kurds
present at the talks, the Americans are not so keen; even though the Kurds have
been a very important military ally in their anti-ISIS war efforts. This is
because of regional considerations- particularly in deference to Turkey which
sees the Kurdish fighters as terrorists. For a very long time since the
outbreak of the Syrian War, the Turks refused to allow the US use its airbases
as take-off points for coalition forces in anti-ISIS aerial bombardment; even
though they are both NATO members. When they finally agreed sometime in 2015,
one of the conditions was that there would be zero ISIS presence, and also zero
Kurdish presence along the Turkish-Syrian border. Within Turkey, there are
allegations of terrorist activities by the Kurdish PKK and last year, the
Turkish government cracked down on PKK members, essentially ending the
previously established truce. And Turkish disdain extends to the wider Kurdish
population; especially the Peshmerga in Syria.
Some people are of the opinion that the Kurds do not
necessarily have the same end-goals as the United States. That while the main
goal of the Americans is the defeat of ISIS; that of the Kurds is the establishment
of a homeland. But even if this is true, no one can deny the fact that in
seeking the creation of a homeland, the Kurdish Peshmerga force has perhaps
been the most effective ally the Americans have in Syria and Iraq! I therefore
think that it is a slap in the face of every Kurdish soldier, that the USA
would not push for Kurdish inclusion at the peace talks. It is also a spit on
the grave of every Kurdish soldier killed in the battle against ISIS.
As I have gotten older and weathered fickle
friendships, it has become more important to me, to take note of the friends
who have proven to be willing to “ride or die” with me. US Secretary of State,
Ash Carter, speaking to Fareed Zakaria during the recent World Economic Forum which
held in Davos, stated that America would certainly win the war against ISIS;
and that when they did, they would remember those who stood with them, and
those who didn’t. The Kurds have shown
that they are trusted allies. They have proven their friendship, time and time
again on the bloody battlefields of Syria and Iraq. They have sacrificed their
lives to stand with the United States, and have essentially become America’s
“boots on the ground”! Now, it is time for the United States to show just how valuable
the Kurdish alliance is to them. Now is the time for the Americans to show just
how appreciative they are of the Kurdish war efforts. The Kurds should not be
excluded from the all-important peace talks to determine the future of Syria.
Now is the time to give them a seat at the table- the negotiation table. The
Kurds have stood- and are still standing- with America…will America stand with
the Kurds?
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