Posted on 05/12/2017 9:26:19 AM PDT by Texas Fossil
Foreign YPG volunteers seen in the vicinity of Jarablus. Photo: ARA News
At least nine foreign volunteers, who had joined the ranks of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) to combat ISIS in Rojava-Northern Syria, were arrested by the Asayish security force in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, media sources reported on Thursday.
Foreign volunteers are increasingly becoming victim of the problems between the Kurdish parties.
“The foreign volunteers crossed into Southern Kurdistan to go back home from Rojava but they were arrested by KDP forces at an Asayish (public security) checkpoint 1,5 km to Hewler [Erbil],” the agency said.
Macer Gifford, a British volunteer with the YPG, told ARA News that there are dozens of foreign fighters that participate in the Kurdish-led operation to take Raqqa.
“Maybe there are 30 [Western] volunteers, or more,” he said.
However, this is not without risk for foreign volunteers. “In Manbij the casualty rate [among foreign fighters] was very high. Many were wounded, and some badly injured,” Gifford said.
Since 3 March, when clashes broke out between the Kurdistan Workers Party (KDP) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Sinjar (Shingal) district in northern Iraq, tensions have increased between both sides in Syria and Iraq and both have arrested each other’s supporters. Last week, the local Asayish in Rojava affiliated to the Democratic Union Party (PYD) arrested 13 supporters of the pro-Barzani Kurdish National Council (KNC) in Syria.
Now foreign volunteers are also victim of the intra-Kurdish conflict.
Steve Kerr, a foreign volunteer with the YPG, told ARA News that the Kurds should work together “instead of fighting each other.”
“Talabani, Barzani, Ocalan, we are all Kurds and let’s get in there and fight ISIS all together. The Kurds should forget their differences, get rid of ISIS, and then solve all the problems and politics later. Get the fighting done first, that’s my philosophy, but sadly it never works that way,” he said.
In late March, a Swedish foreign volunteer was allegedly held against his will by a PKK-affiliated force in Sinjar. But he was eventually allowed to return to Sweden. He however denied he was held hostage.
There are some relation problems between Iraq, Shingal, Syrian Kurd arrangements. (some connections to Turkey are a large part of it)
Syria Ping
Spanish Civil War had the same going on (on the Republican side).
At least early on there were multiple political party/union affiliated militias with foreign volunteers, that often got into trouble due to factional fighting. Orwell most famously, but many others too.
There was also political strife within the Communist-run International Brigades, which had political commissars, Soviet-style, who could and did conduct summary executions.
I recall that from a segment of ‘WWII in Color’ on the History channel (AHC).
Back then the Catholic church was Conservative and sided with Franco. No doubt today they would side with the communists.
The Kurds are indigenous to Syrian. They have lived in the mountains for many generations.
They know that when ISIS is gone, the resolution of the war is not finished until the peace agreement is made (and hopefully Syria abides by)
Most civil wars have foreign components, greater or lesser.
Syria is an extreme case, but not unique.
Anyway, the problem here is Kurd vs Kurd, much like in Spain it was leftist vs leftist.
I’ve never studied the Spanish civil war.
The division among Kurds (Iraq/Syria) are about Turkish influence. Not about internal conflicts, other than simply tribal. The Turkish influence is about money, as Rush says: Always follow the Money!.
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