The invading Turkish state has intensified its brutal attacks against the existence of Kurdish people in recent years. It intends to annihilate Kurdish people’s culture, language and history and therefore, strives to change the demographical structure of Kurdistan in a systematic way. The occupiers have attacked South Kurdistan (kr. Bashur) unabated for three months and resorted to all ways to hide their fiascos.

‘Kurdish people should be conscious of their history’

The Iraqi and Bashur governments remain silent against the invasion attacks of the Turkish state. Despite the attacks targeting civilian settlements, both governments have voiced no reaction. The Turkish state uses the KDP(Kurdistan Democratic Party) in order to cause an intra-Kurd civil war.

Ali Sileman, co-chair of the Euphrates Region Historical Sites Directorate assessed the issue for ANHA. He said, “Kurdish people should take up arms in the cultural field as well. The Turkish state attacks us not only in a military way. We have been facing an attack in every field. Turkey resorts to all kinds of attacks for the annihilation of culture and history. Unfortunately, some Kurdish circles also have been a party to these plans.”

Pointing out that the Turkish state primarily devastates the historical sites in the regions it occupies, Ali Sileman continued, “They demolish historical sites in order to change and wipe out the history of the region which is home to historical artifacts some of which date back to 12.000s B.C. These artifacts demonstrate the historical roots of Kurdish people. The Turkish state which has existed in these territories for only one thousand years denies the existence of Kurdish people throughout the history and therefore, intends to annihilate all historical values in Kurdistan.”

Ali Sileman also remarked that attacks on Afrin are not independent from these plans and Afrin is subject to a Turkification policy. He pointed out that Turkish is the compulsory educational language in the schools of Afrin and added, “Peoples of the Middle East have been here for 12 thousand years. You can easily find out this fact when you look at the history of Med Empire. Hence, Kurdish people should be conscious of their history and never allow it to be wiped out.”

‘Silence of Bashur government jeopardizes Kurdish people’

Berivan İsmail, Euphrates Regional Co-chair of Democratic Union Party (PYD) assessed the issue, saying, “There have been countless agreements regarding Kurdistan territories.  Bashur government has remained silent on all of these agreements. This silence jeopardizes the Kurdish people. The Turkish state bombs the Kurdish people in South Kurdistan every day. How longer can this silence against such a violence be maintained?

Expressing that the Turkish state could not break the willpower of Kurdish people and therefore uses the Bashur government, Berivan said, “Bashur government serves the narrow personal interests. While the enemy attacks to break the willpower of the people, South Kurdistan officials cannot ask themselves these questions: Why do Kurdish people face a genocide in their own lands and why are Kurdistan mountains exposed to such extreme attacks?”

Berivan İsmail stressed that South Kurdistan government has been incorporated into the Turkish state’s plans in order to cause an intra-Kurd war and added, “Turkey uses South Kurdistan government to break the guerrilla resistance. This is what it has done for years.”

Addressing human rights organisations and international community, she lastly said, “The attacks against Kurdish people and Kurdistan mountains should be stopped. Everyone should take responsibility to defend the Kurdish people in the face of genocidal attacks. Kurdish people, also, should form national unity and frustrate the plans of occupiers with their self-power, without leaning on any other force.”