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Syria’s Kurds make their own pitch as Arab states court Assad / Amberin Zaman
As Arab governments and Turkey seek to mend fences with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the country’s Kurds have unveiled a new initiative to make peace with Damascus, saying that Western governments opposed to normalization should not stand in their way.
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Turkish military uses PKK as justification for Iraq, Syria operations
Turkey has yet to achieve a sustainable peace with its largest ethnic group, the Kurds, who have sought greater democratic rights and self-rule since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, ordered his military to brutally suppress the large-scale Kurdish Sheikh Said rebellion in 1925 in southeastern Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the strongest Turkish leader since Ataturk, initiated a political approach to the Kurdish issue in the early 2010s but has since then pursued a military solution to eliminate Kurdish armed groups. In recent years Turkey has intensified its war against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Syria and Iraq, exploiting the weakness of its Arab neighbors.
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Turkey-Syria potential normalization threatens US presence in NE Syria – daily
If Turkey normalizes ties with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, it will allow him to regain control of northern Syria and weaponized Islamic State (ISIS) militants to attack the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
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Nechirvan Barzani sends congratulatory message on occasion of Eid al-Fitr
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani issued a congratulatory statement on Thursday evening as Muslims around the world prepare to celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
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Syrian Kurds seeking talks with Damascus amid regional changes
The semi-autonomous Kurdish Administration, which controls large areas in northern and northeastern Syria, has expressed its willingness to meet with the regime of Bashar Al-Assad to discuss reaching a solution to the crisis in the country.
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Duran Kalkan says Erdogan had the most talks with PKK
Duran Kalkan, a senior leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has said although President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses the opposition of cooperating with the group, it is his own government that has conducted the most talks with PKK leadership.
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Kilicdaroglu: gov't stigmatizes Kurds as "terrorists" to gain votes
Turkey’s main opposition bloc Nation Alliance’s presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu has stated, in a new video, that President Erdogan's government stigmatizes Kurdish people as “terrorists” when they see that "they will lose the election... to gain a few more votes."
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Kurdish discontents are growing / Vicken Cheterian
The Kurds won international support for fighting against Saddam Hussein and then ISIS. But turning autonomy into independence remains out of reach, as external threats and internal divisions multiply.
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Ankara claims new Turkey strikes in Syria kill 10 Kurdish fighters
Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Monday that his country’s troops targeted several Kurdish positions in northern Syria, killing 10 militants in a major cross-border escalation.
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Iraqi official claims Kurdistan Region oil exports could restart in days
Crude oil exports from the Kurdistan Region in Iraq are expected to resume soon, an Iraqi member of parliament told Rudaw news agency.
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Sudani seeking to make changes in his cabinet
News sources have stated Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani plans to make changes in his cabinet.
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Two killed in Turkey drone strikes in Sulaimani
At least two people have been killed and two others wounded in northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region, officials said Sunday, blaming a drone strike carried out by neighboring Turkey.
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Turkey seeking to win $527m oil award against Iraq
Turkey is considering petitioning a federal US court to enforce a $527m arbitration award it won against Baghdad over disputes regarding crude oil exports from Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, two sources familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye.
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Halted oil flow from Kurdistan to Turkey hurting region
Oil flows to Turkey remain frozen following the agreement between Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government. The impasse could hurt the autonomous region’s oil sector and revenue.
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Mazloum Abdi announced condition for holding talk with Turkey
The Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces announced the necessary condition for negotiations with Turkey and said: "Ending occupation by Turkey is the main condition for our negotiations with them."
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Egypt urges Turkey to withdraw from Syria
Egypt’s foreign minister on Thursday urged Turkey to withdraw troops from Syria, underscoring lingering tensions despite recent efforts to mend ties, Agence France-Presse reported.
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Demirtas promises to work towards ending armed conflict with PKK
Former Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtas, who is imprisoned in Edirne Prison, on April 13 said in a series of tweets that they will do anything for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to lay down arms completely in Turkey.
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Iranians commemorate Int'l Quds Day across country
Iranians commemorated the International Quds Day by taking part in nationwide rallies rallies and showing support for the Palestinian cause.
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Will Turkey’s top court disband pro-Kurdish party ahead of May elections?
Turkey’s highest court referred Tuesday the closure case of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) to its rapporteur, taking a further step toward the process of a potential disbandment of Turkey’s second-largest opposition party ahead of crucial elections in May.
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Turkey to continue military operations in Syria, Iraq: FM
Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said the Turkish army will continue its military operations against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria and the Kurdistan workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.
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Severe floods in Iraq leave several dead
Severe floods in Iraq this week have left several dead as the country faces considerable other environmental risks.
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Kilicdaroglu determined to resolve Turkey Kurdish issue
Turkey’s main opposition leader and presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu has stated in the foreword of a book authored by a lawmaker from his party that they are determined to resolve the Kurdish issue through democratic means, pointing to the Turkish parliament as the place for talks to that end, the ANKA news agency reported on Thursday.
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Mazlum Kobane says Turkey's attempt on life not the first
A top American ally in the fight against the Islamic State has confirmed that he was targeted for assassination Friday within the vicinity of the international airport in Iraqi’s Kurdistan’s city of Sulaimaniyah when a drone exploded nearby, setting off a small fire but causing no damage or casualties.
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Sweden extradites Turkish citizen
Sweden has agreed to the extradition of a Turkish citizen demanded by Ankara. The Swedish Ministry of Justice said it was 29-year-old Omer Altun, who had been sentenced to 15 years in prison for fraud in Turkey. The extradition comes against the background of Turkey’s ongoing rejection of Sweden’s planned NATO membership.
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Pentagon spokesperson says US opposes Kurdistan Region attack, remains in Syria
US forces oppose threats against US personnel and will remain in Iraq and Syria to achieve the enduring defeat of ISIS, said Phillip Ventura, spokesperson of the US Department of Defense on Saturday.
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Kurds and earthquake are two decisive factors in upcoming Turkey polls: analyst
In an interview with Kurdpress, Dr. Christopher Houston, an anthropologist and a professor at Macquaire University, did not deny the decrease in Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's vote due to the earthquake and its consequences, and he also considered the Kurdish vote to be influential in his party's victory in the Turkish elections.
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Nechirvan Barzani, al-Sudani agree on resuming oil export from the region
The President of the Kurdistan region, Nechirvan Barzani, on Saturday reiterated his unwavering support for Iraq's federal government and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
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Analyst says US needs to provide SDF with drones
The US needs to provide Mazloum Abdi, Commander in Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with drones of their own and anti-aircraft capabilities, Michael Rubin, the American policy analyst and former official at the Pentagon, told North Press on Saturday.
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Saudi officials arrive in Tehran to discuss reopening diplomatic missions
A Saudi delegation arrived in Tehran on Saturday to discuss reopening diplomatic missions with Iran after seven years.
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Mazloum Abdi reveals details of Turkey attack on Sulaimani airport
I was in the convoy that included personnel of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and the Sulaimani-headquartered Counter-Terrorism Group (CTG) of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) when we were attacked, General Mazloum Abdi, Commander in Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Saturday.