What took place in Syria’s city of Aleppo between 6 and 11 January is undoubtedly a significant component of the Third World War that has been unfolding in the Middle East for the past thirty-five years. It also constitutes a continuation of the Syrian civil war that has persisted for fifteen years since 2011. These developments occurred despite the initiative put forward by Abdullah Öcalan, widely recognized as the Kurdish people’s leader, and even though, as announced by the command of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the parties were on the verge of reaching agreements. In this sense, transpired bears clear links to a conspiratorial character and to the functioning of a coup-like mechanism.
Between 6 and 11 January, the Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud (Şêxmeqsûd) and Ashrafieh (Eşrefiyê) in Aleppo were subjected to a unilateral assault. The attack was carried out by forces of the administration in Damascus led by Ahmed Al-Sharaa (al-Jolani), spearheaded by jihadist armed groups organized by the Turkish state. The full consequences of these occupation and genocidal assaults are not yet entirely known. The attack primarily targeted the Kurds living in these neighborhoods and aimed to strip these areas and thus Aleppo itself, of their Kurdish presence. Acts committed by these armed groups, all of which fall within the scope of crimes against humanity, have been widely reported in the media. A full-scale massacre was carried out in the neighborhoods, and the Kurdish population was subjected to forced displacement from their homes and lands.
Our purpose here is not to recount in detail the massacres that took place. These have already been extensively documented and presented to the public through the press. What must be emphasized, however, is that what occurred amounts to an outright genocide against the Kurds and is being pursued as part of a broader plan to remove Kurds from western areas of the Euphrates and from Syria as a whole. It can already be said that the objective of largely eliminating the Kurdish presence in Aleppo has, for the time being, been substantially achieved.
Who, then, are the perpetrators of these attacks, which constitute crimes against humanity? Broadly speaking, they can be identified as the forces of the al-Jolani administration in Damascus. It is well known that these attacking forces were led by jihadist armed groups organized by the Turkish state and that they relied primarily on weapons supplied by Turkey. Moreover, it is evident to all observers that those who made the decision, planned the assault, and effectively commanded it were Hakan Fidan, Yaşar Güler, and Ibrahim Kalın.
However, based on what we have outlined, it would be a mistake to assume that this attack was carried out solely by Turkey and forces in Damascus, or that responsibility rests only with them. Behind this assault, formally claimed by the Damascus administration, stand the United States, France, Israel, and Turkey, and that these states have acted on the same front and in coordination with organizations such as Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and the Muslim Brotherhood. In other words, some forces that once fought against ISIS have now come together with ISIS and similar groups, carrying out or supporting campaigns of destruction and genocide against the Syrian Kurds who defeated ISIS. The attacks on Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh were conducted entirely within this framework. For this reason, they represent a continuation of the assaults on Afrin (Efrîn), Ras al-Ayn (Serêkaniyê), Tel Abyad (Girê Spî), and Manbij (Minbic).
Yet the Kurds of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh were among those who resisted ISIS aggression most collectively, paid the heaviest price, and played the greatest role in ISIS’s defeat. In this sense, they served humanity and upheld human dignity. Moreover, during this period, Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, Turkmen, and Armenian communities seeking refuge from ISIS attacks in surrounding areas took shelter in these neighborhoods, causing their population to multiply several times over. In short, the assaults carried out by the al-Jolani administration targeted not only Kurds but all these communities as well. Some of Syria’s most peaceful areas, where local democracy had been most developed, were thus placed under attack.
How should these assaults be understood and articulated today? As can be seen, almost everyone is saying something different. From claims that revenge is being taken for ISIS’s defeat to assertions that there is an effort to block a democratic Syria, many interpretations are being voiced. In truth, all these assessments have merits. What is unmistakably clear is that this attack directly targeted Abdullah Öcalan’s 27 February Call for Peace and a Democratic Society and sought to provoke the process that developed on this basis. It was carried out as an operation of what appears to be Turkey’s “Security Cabinet,” composed of Hakan Fidan, Yaşar Güler, and Ibrahim Kalın, acting under the direct leadership of Tayyip Erdoğan. The fact that certain figures who act as propagandists for this power are now vigorously attempting to deny the opposite only serves to further expose this reality.
So, what is happening on the political stage? What kinds of bargains are being struck behind closed doors, and what sorts of schemes are being set in motion? There is a broad consensus that the attack in question developed because of an agreement reached in France between Israel and the Damascus administration. Undoubtedly, when the al-Jolani administration is mentioned, the Republic of Turkey is also part of the equation. Likewise, when Israel is mentioned, the presence and approval of the United States appear unquestionable. A closer look suggests that, with the backing and consent of the United States and France, an Israel–Turkey agreement has been concluded. Given that the attacks on Kurds in Aleppo followed immediately afterward, it becomes clear that Kurds were one of the key bargaining chips in this deal, and that Turkey effectively obtained Israel’s consent to launch attacks against them.
What, then, did Turkey offer Israel in return? Is the Tayyip Erdoğan administration, based on hostility toward Kurds, accepting Israel’s regional hegemony and reducing Turkey to a second-tier power in the Middle East? Is the second century of the Republic being shaped, once again on an anti-Kurdish foundation, through a new agreement reminiscent of Lausanne? Is the Tayyip Erdoğan administration surrendering to Israel’s regional dominance?
It is evident that we are passing through an extremely critical moment of historic significance. At the table of wolves, everything is being put up for sale at bargain prices. Everyone already knows that the fate of the Kurds is being treated as a bargaining tool in this framework, most of all the Kurds themselves. Yet it is also clear that what is being traded is not only the Kurds, but Turkey’s future and its prospects for democracy. It appears that the current Justice and Development Party (AKP) administration, and Turkish politics more broadly, are complicit in this bargaining conducted at the expense of Kurdish genocide. To complete the genocide against the Kurds, the AKP administration and Turkish political actors are, in effect, putting everything on the market and making concession after concession.
To fail to see this as the political reality truly requires a kind of blindness. Yet, unfortunately, such a condition now prevails in Turkey: an inability to see what is happening, or even when it is seen, an inability to oppose it. This is what is most astonishing. How can such a large society, with all its accumulated experience and awareness, across both the right and the left, end up in this state? How can it become so detached from reality and so incapable of seeing the future? Can mere stagnation and narrowing of vision produce such a condition? Or has Kurdish hostility and chauvinism truly blinded so many? Democratic forces who genuinely care about Turkey should know this: tomorrow will be too late. Whatever is to be done must be done now.
The Kurds, for their part, already know that they are passing through an extremely critical period and that they must act with heightened sensitivity and vigilance. For this reason, in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, they resisted with honor, just as they did against ISIS. They paid the necessary price, giving martyrs and wounded. They knew very well that the resistance in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh was a continuation of their victorious struggle against ISIS. For this reason, Kurds across the four parts of Kurdistan and in the diaspora, young and old alike, rose up and embraced the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh Resistance. Without doubt, they will further expand and sustain this struggle, and they will neutralize threats to their future through awareness, organization, and resistance. They will never allow a new policy of Kurdish denial and annihilation.
On this basis, we salute the historic Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh Resistances and the masses who rose up to support them. In the person of Commander Ziyad Halep, we remember with respect and gratitude all the heroic martyrs. They defended human dignity, and they were the ones who wrote what the future would be.
Source: Yeni Özgür Politika