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SYRIAN REBELS CLASH WITH KURDISH MILITIAS
A Free Syrian Army fighter sits at his checkpoint as civilians walk
along a passageway separating Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr, which is under
the rebels' control, and Al-Masharqa neighborhood, an area controlled
by the Syrian regime, June 5, 2013. (photo by REUTERS/Aref Hretani )
By: Wladimir van Wilgenburg for Al-Monitor Posted on June 9.
Renewed clashes between Syrian insurgents and Kurdish groups have
erupted in the province of Aleppo and quickly spread to other cities in
northern Syria. Several combatants have been killed in fights between
Liwa al-Tawhid and its allies and the Kurdish People's Defense Units
(YPG) since May 25 in the countryside of northern Aleppo, after Syrian
rebels accused the Kurdish armed group of supporting the besieged
Shiite towns of Nubul and Zahra.
The fighting is leading to worsening conditions for the
Kurdish-dominated district of Efrin, where thousands of Arabs and
Kurds fled after fighting worsened in Aleppo.
Thomas McGee, a researcher focused on Syrian affairs, told Al-Monitor
that prior to the "FSA (Free Syrian Army) siege," Efrin was already
"facing huge problems in accommodating IDPs [displaced persons],
especially after the influx from Sheikh Maqsoud [in Aleppo city]
when the regime attacked, and the schools and other public buildings
that are available are over capacity so people are finding themselves
with no shelter at all."
NGOs fear the fighting could have a negative effect on those who fled
and live in Efrin since the FSA surrounded Efrin and besieged it. The
prices of bread and medicine have already increased as a result of
the FSA embargo.
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR),
the clashes took place in the villages of Aqbiya, Deir Mishmish,
Kurzelia, Ziyaret and Basila. Fighting also took place in Ain al-Arab,
Ras al-Ain and Tal Tamr, but quickly ended.
The fighting didn't only include Arab fighters of the Islamist group
Liwa al-Tawheed, but also Kurdish pro-FSA groups such as the Salahadin
brigade headed by Bewar Mustafa, and the Yusuf al-Azimi brigade. A
declaration released by 21 groups claimed they would attack the Efrin
area and cleanse it of PKK and pro-Assad militias.
However, not all pro-FSA groups supported the attack, and both the
YPG and the FSA fight against Assad forces in Aleppo.
Even rivals of the YPG condemned the FSA attack; the Kurdish Democratic
Political Union issued a statement "calling on both sides to release
civilians as a positive gesture"
Mustafa al-Sheikh, the head of the FSA's military council, had improved
his relationship with the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) after
the FSA signed an agreement with the PYD in Ras al-Ain in February.
PYD spokesman Alan Semo told Al Monitor that the clashes erupted
after the YPG refused the entry of FSA fighters in Kurdish villages
of Efrin close to Nubul and Zahra. "YPG told them, if you want to go
to Nubul or Zahra, go another way. You cannot enter the Kurdish areas;
after you enter them, the regime will bomb them."
The Kurdish politician blamed the FSA for trying to bring the war to
Kurdish areas by using Kurdish FSA groups to enter the YPG-controlled
villages. According to pro-Kurdish media, the FSA preplanned the
attacks in Azzaz.
The YPG's central command released a statement that suggested that
"mercenary groups related to the Syrian Free Army attacked the
village of Sherawa in Efrin city, with the approval of the general FSA
command. The attack took place in order to loot homes and properties."
However, the Liwa al-Tawhid brigade accused the YPG of killing Mahmoud
Hafiz Isa, commander of the 21st regiment and nine of his men, with
"al-Shabihah [pro-government militia] gangs known as PKK," referring
to the Kurdistan Workers Party to which both the PYD and the YPG are
affiliated. This allegedly resulted in an attack on the YPG in Aqibah
and Ziyarah towns, which are close to Nubul and Zahra.
Basam Mustafa Haji, commander of the Yusuf al-Azimi brigade, told
Welati, "Indeed this party (the YPG) continues to violate our treaties
and agreements, while there was further deception on its part when it
undertook the smuggling of arms and supplies to Nabl and Zahra, and
it had seized those things ... with smuggling of sheep and ammunition."
He suggested the fighting started as revenge for the killing of a
FSA leader, saying the YPG "opened fire treacherously on the Free
(Syrian) Army and killed one of the mujahedeen revolutionaries,
along with the assassination of the civilian leader Shamil, who was
the leader of the operation 'Echo Qusair.'"
According to the SOHR, the YPG on Friday, June 7, took control over
the villages of Basila in Nahiyat shirawa, and Bashmera by Anadan.
"Clashes continue in the villages of al-Zeyara and Beineh, both sides
suffered losses." The YPG said it would continue its "operations
against armed gangs" until the Kurdish districts were "cleansed."
A Liwa al-Tawheed spokesman told Al-Monitor on May 29 that FSA's
Mustafa Sheikh wanted to solve the problem. "It's a misunderstanding
between the two sides and there are some who benefit from the fight.
We hope that the fight stops permanently."
Although the FSA commander announced a cease-fire and some Kurdish
civilians who were captured by the FSA were released, fighting
continued. Later, he accused the YPG of working with Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad.
However, PYD official Alan Semo said it is difficult to reach an
agreement with the FSA due to the fact that the agreement was signed
by 21 groups. "The Kurdish demand is that we cannot have a cease-fire
unless you leave the Kurdish areas and promise not to attack them
again."
Joseph Mardellie, a member of a Kurdish youth group based in Aleppo
called the Kurdish Coordination Brotherhood, told Al-Monitor that the
talks haven't succeeded yet because the FSA demands that the YPG hand
over those who killed Mahmoud Hafiz Isa.
"The YPG didn't reply yet. I think this issue is going to be resolved
in a few days. Fighting the YPG is not smart - the mutual enemy is
the Syrian regime."
On Friday, the group protested the fighting between the FSA and YPG
in Ashrafiya in Aleppo, calling on both sides to end their differences
and to "maintain Syrian unity."
A Kurdish activist from Efrin wondered why the FSA tried to fight the
YPG while they are under pressure from Assad's security forces and
the Lebanese Hezbollah, which on June 5 took over Qusair after the
FSA retreated from the area after weeks of heavy fighting. "Their
friends are massacred in Qusair, and they don't do anything," he
told Al-Monitor.
According to a report from the private intelligence firm Stratfor,
the conflict comes at a bad time for the rebels, "who desperately
need to press their attacks against regime forces in Aleppo and Hama
to relieve the pressure on their comrades fighting farther north."
Stratfor predicted that it is most likely that the rebel leadership
will try to bring an end to the infighting. "However, eliminating all
the clashes is proving difficult, adding yet another obstacle in the
rebels' path to victory against the regime."
Wladimir van Wilgenburg is a political analyst specializing in
issues surrounding on Kurdish politics. He has written extensively
for Jamestown Foundation publications and other journals such as the
Near East Quarterly and the World Affairs Journal. He currently writes
for the Kurdish newspaper Rudaw. On Twitter: @vvanwilgenburg
Read more:
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/06/syria-rebels-kurdish-militias-clash.html#ixzz2W15VDGrp
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
A Free Syrian Army fighter sits at his checkpoint as civilians walk
along a passageway separating Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr, which is under
the rebels' control, and Al-Masharqa neighborhood, an area controlled
by the Syrian regime, June 5, 2013. (photo by REUTERS/Aref Hretani )
By: Wladimir van Wilgenburg for Al-Monitor Posted on June 9.
Renewed clashes between Syrian insurgents and Kurdish groups have
erupted in the province of Aleppo and quickly spread to other cities in
northern Syria. Several combatants have been killed in fights between
Liwa al-Tawhid and its allies and the Kurdish People's Defense Units
(YPG) since May 25 in the countryside of northern Aleppo, after Syrian
rebels accused the Kurdish armed group of supporting the besieged
Shiite towns of Nubul and Zahra.
The fighting is leading to worsening conditions for the
Kurdish-dominated district of Efrin, where thousands of Arabs and
Kurds fled after fighting worsened in Aleppo.
Thomas McGee, a researcher focused on Syrian affairs, told Al-Monitor
that prior to the "FSA (Free Syrian Army) siege," Efrin was already
"facing huge problems in accommodating IDPs [displaced persons],
especially after the influx from Sheikh Maqsoud [in Aleppo city]
when the regime attacked, and the schools and other public buildings
that are available are over capacity so people are finding themselves
with no shelter at all."
NGOs fear the fighting could have a negative effect on those who fled
and live in Efrin since the FSA surrounded Efrin and besieged it. The
prices of bread and medicine have already increased as a result of
the FSA embargo.
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR),
the clashes took place in the villages of Aqbiya, Deir Mishmish,
Kurzelia, Ziyaret and Basila. Fighting also took place in Ain al-Arab,
Ras al-Ain and Tal Tamr, but quickly ended.
The fighting didn't only include Arab fighters of the Islamist group
Liwa al-Tawheed, but also Kurdish pro-FSA groups such as the Salahadin
brigade headed by Bewar Mustafa, and the Yusuf al-Azimi brigade. A
declaration released by 21 groups claimed they would attack the Efrin
area and cleanse it of PKK and pro-Assad militias.
However, not all pro-FSA groups supported the attack, and both the
YPG and the FSA fight against Assad forces in Aleppo.
Even rivals of the YPG condemned the FSA attack; the Kurdish Democratic
Political Union issued a statement "calling on both sides to release
civilians as a positive gesture"
Mustafa al-Sheikh, the head of the FSA's military council, had improved
his relationship with the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) after
the FSA signed an agreement with the PYD in Ras al-Ain in February.
PYD spokesman Alan Semo told Al Monitor that the clashes erupted
after the YPG refused the entry of FSA fighters in Kurdish villages
of Efrin close to Nubul and Zahra. "YPG told them, if you want to go
to Nubul or Zahra, go another way. You cannot enter the Kurdish areas;
after you enter them, the regime will bomb them."
The Kurdish politician blamed the FSA for trying to bring the war to
Kurdish areas by using Kurdish FSA groups to enter the YPG-controlled
villages. According to pro-Kurdish media, the FSA preplanned the
attacks in Azzaz.
The YPG's central command released a statement that suggested that
"mercenary groups related to the Syrian Free Army attacked the
village of Sherawa in Efrin city, with the approval of the general FSA
command. The attack took place in order to loot homes and properties."
However, the Liwa al-Tawhid brigade accused the YPG of killing Mahmoud
Hafiz Isa, commander of the 21st regiment and nine of his men, with
"al-Shabihah [pro-government militia] gangs known as PKK," referring
to the Kurdistan Workers Party to which both the PYD and the YPG are
affiliated. This allegedly resulted in an attack on the YPG in Aqibah
and Ziyarah towns, which are close to Nubul and Zahra.
Basam Mustafa Haji, commander of the Yusuf al-Azimi brigade, told
Welati, "Indeed this party (the YPG) continues to violate our treaties
and agreements, while there was further deception on its part when it
undertook the smuggling of arms and supplies to Nabl and Zahra, and
it had seized those things ... with smuggling of sheep and ammunition."
He suggested the fighting started as revenge for the killing of a
FSA leader, saying the YPG "opened fire treacherously on the Free
(Syrian) Army and killed one of the mujahedeen revolutionaries,
along with the assassination of the civilian leader Shamil, who was
the leader of the operation 'Echo Qusair.'"
According to the SOHR, the YPG on Friday, June 7, took control over
the villages of Basila in Nahiyat shirawa, and Bashmera by Anadan.
"Clashes continue in the villages of al-Zeyara and Beineh, both sides
suffered losses." The YPG said it would continue its "operations
against armed gangs" until the Kurdish districts were "cleansed."
A Liwa al-Tawheed spokesman told Al-Monitor on May 29 that FSA's
Mustafa Sheikh wanted to solve the problem. "It's a misunderstanding
between the two sides and there are some who benefit from the fight.
We hope that the fight stops permanently."
Although the FSA commander announced a cease-fire and some Kurdish
civilians who were captured by the FSA were released, fighting
continued. Later, he accused the YPG of working with Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad.
However, PYD official Alan Semo said it is difficult to reach an
agreement with the FSA due to the fact that the agreement was signed
by 21 groups. "The Kurdish demand is that we cannot have a cease-fire
unless you leave the Kurdish areas and promise not to attack them
again."
Joseph Mardellie, a member of a Kurdish youth group based in Aleppo
called the Kurdish Coordination Brotherhood, told Al-Monitor that the
talks haven't succeeded yet because the FSA demands that the YPG hand
over those who killed Mahmoud Hafiz Isa.
"The YPG didn't reply yet. I think this issue is going to be resolved
in a few days. Fighting the YPG is not smart - the mutual enemy is
the Syrian regime."
On Friday, the group protested the fighting between the FSA and YPG
in Ashrafiya in Aleppo, calling on both sides to end their differences
and to "maintain Syrian unity."
A Kurdish activist from Efrin wondered why the FSA tried to fight the
YPG while they are under pressure from Assad's security forces and
the Lebanese Hezbollah, which on June 5 took over Qusair after the
FSA retreated from the area after weeks of heavy fighting. "Their
friends are massacred in Qusair, and they don't do anything," he
told Al-Monitor.
According to a report from the private intelligence firm Stratfor,
the conflict comes at a bad time for the rebels, "who desperately
need to press their attacks against regime forces in Aleppo and Hama
to relieve the pressure on their comrades fighting farther north."
Stratfor predicted that it is most likely that the rebel leadership
will try to bring an end to the infighting. "However, eliminating all
the clashes is proving difficult, adding yet another obstacle in the
rebels' path to victory against the regime."
Wladimir van Wilgenburg is a political analyst specializing in
issues surrounding on Kurdish politics. He has written extensively
for Jamestown Foundation publications and other journals such as the
Near East Quarterly and the World Affairs Journal. He currently writes
for the Kurdish newspaper Rudaw. On Twitter: @vvanwilgenburg
Read more:
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/06/syria-rebels-kurdish-militias-clash.html#ixzz2W15VDGrp
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress