KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council member Sabri Ok spoke to Ender Öndeş from Özgür Gündem newspaper regarding ISIS attacks on Kobanê and the other regions of Rojava and evaluated the future of the peace process in Turkey.

Sabri Ok said that as long as Turkey’s animosity towards Rojava lasts the peace process will be unable to continue. Ok emphasised that forces unwilling to recognise the status and existence of Kurds were behind the ISIS attacks on Rojava.

Ok said clashes with ISIS had intensified around Kobanê and between Rojava and Sinjar, and that while ISIS is the visible target, they were aware of what was going on behind the scenes.

Sabri Ok said forces that did not recognise the status and freedom of the Kurds were supporting ISIS, and that the AKP’s relationship with ISIS was on this basis.

The KCK Executive said the attack on Kobanê had been at the request of Turkey, adding: “For a year and a half the Kurds have been facing concerted ISIS attacks, the aim of which is the capture of Kobanê and the destruction of Rojava’s status. Turkey wants this more than anyone. If this is not the case, Turkey should say so, or demonstrate this in practice. If Turkey on the one hand continues its animosity towards Rojava and tries to destroy the status the Kurds have gained through their struggle, while on the other saying: ‘we are determined to continue the process’ it will fool no one. Turkey must realise that if the moribund process is to continue, one facet of it is Rojava”.

Sabri Ok stressed that; “If Turkey is going to respect the status of Rojava, and if it wants the process to continue, then it must state this openly. The Kurds in North Kurdistan have no status and their language, identity and freedom is not recognised. The YPG and YPJ forces and people are mounting a heroic resistance in Kobanê. They have been resisting for over 2 weeks, despite being outnumbered and having no heavy weaponry. They want to weaken the Kurds by keeping them constantly at war, but this will have the opposite effect. The Kurds will get stronger and ISIS will not succeed.”

KCK Executive Council member continued: saying that: “No one thought the YPG and YPJ would resist for so long. They did the same for the PKK, saying its days were numbered. The PKK has always surprised them. The resistance of the Kurds, the PKK and the people of Rojava should be known. We are not exaggerating, but everyone should respect the democratic, free status established legitimately by the Kurdish people of their own volition. That is all we want, and it is not too much to ask. But if they want something else from us, we will reject it as injustice.”