Impending Turkish Genocide Against Syrian Kurds

Rauf Naqishbendi | Exclusive to iKurd.net

President Trump has repeated his promise to end the endless wars. Let us examine who fomented these endless wars. Surely, it was America’s invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, causing more than a half a million lives lost in Iraq and trillions of taxpayers’ dollars squandered. In Iraq, more than ten thousand Americans were dead and injured and more than 200,000 Americans have been stricken with posttraumatic stress disorder.

In the Syrian crisis half a million innocent Syrians lost their lives and more than 12 million people have been dislocated. It all began with Obama’s misguided proclamation to change the regime in Syria, which encouraged its allies, Turkey and the Saudis, to help the rebels in Syria. That rebellion gave birth to ISIS and tragically made Syria what is today.

America’s actions made the Middle East a regrettable place to live and violence more prevalent throughout the region. There was no ISIS before the American invasion of Iraq or before Obama’s determination to change the regime in Syria. America needs to take responsibility for the catastrophic situation it has created.

The Middle Eastern people have every right to be frustrated with America, for America has been acting as an evil empire. Instead of helping calm the violence, America let it erupt as a volcano with its dark cloud blanketing the region as a whole. Sadly, America blames the victims rather than itself.

It should be understood that the endless wars have been rendered by America, and America has proven to be the most belligerent nation in the world. Since World War II America has invaded and fought other nations more than any other established power in the world. Furthermore, we have been continuously meddling in other nations’ affairs more than any other country in the world. Combined our invasion and meddling everywhere in the world, we have left a trail of corruption, human catastrophe, and violence. One can cite Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Vietnam, Libya, Yemen and Egypt, as these countries have been left with calamities that will take decades to recover from.

On Sunday, October 6, on a phone call with Turkish leader Erdogan, President Trump agreed to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. Doing so, he gave a green light to Turkey to invade northeastern Syria without setting any geographical boundaries or any consideration to civilian tragedies resulting from the impending Turkish ethnic cleansing or genocide against defenseless Kurdish civilians. Furthermore, to validate his hideous policy, he extended an invitation to Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan to meet him in Washington.

On October 16, Pompeo and Pence met with Erdogan. They announced an agreement with him and boasted about it as a wise man at the helm. They proclaimed to the world what a great agreement they have embarked upon, declaring that the Kurds and Turks are both happy with the Turks being permitted to annex 20 miles of Syrian land to be a Safe Zone. It is not so, as Kurdish leaders from the People’s Protection Units, YPG, have denounced the agreement and expressed their fear that this agreement gave the Turks everything, while the Kurds will inherit national annihilation.

This agreement bestows 20 miles of Syrian land to the Turks. This means that all Kurdish towns and villages in that area will be under control of the Turks and their fanatic Muslim Jihadists, which are as bad as ISIS. As a result, more than 300,000 Kurds have already fled their homeland fearing Turkish genocide.

It’s not only the 20 miles that the Turks initially claim but also 440 miles where the Turks already announced they intend to resettle 3.5 million Syrian refugees. That means the entire Kurdistan of Syria will absorb 3.5 million Arabs, bringing 3.5 million Syrian refugees to Kurdistan with Turkish force and Turkish brutalities. That will amount to genocide against the Kurds, forcing them to find refuge somewhere other than their homeland to allow for 3.5 million Arabs to settle there.

Mr. Trump has repeated his aim to bring American troops home, but while he brings a few hundred army personnel back home, he is sending thousands of troops to Saudi Arabia, citing Saudi’s ability to pay for the services that will be rendered. Too bad the Kurds have no money. Mr. Trump has redefined American values, ignoring human suffering and preferring money over humanity, which is well understood knowing what a shrewd businessman he has been.

Trump gave the Turks the green light to take over the Kurdish Afrin region in January 2018. This resulted in ethnic cleansing as the Turks coerced more than 100,000 members of the native Kurds to flee their homelands as their homes and properties were confiscated and bestowed to Arabs. On the face of these Turkish atrocities the Trump administration bowed to Erdogan and, as a moral midget, and he remained aloof towards Turkish.

The Kurds have a history of being backstabbed by American government in spite of the Kurds’ cooperation with America in Iraq and, thereafter, the Kurds’ brave resistance to uproot ISIS. Now Trump has failed the Kurds. Should Trump have been humane, he could have engaged Turkey using American leverage to find a humane solution, and that means a diplomatic mission to bring Kurds and Turks to agreement on lasting peace for both nations in a way that ends animosity and violence. It’s not too late for Trump to do that, and he should do so for the sake of humanity and to avoid the impending Turkish genocide against the Kurds. Millions of Kurdish lives are at stake, and President Trump has a chance to do what is right. If he does not, the House of Representatives and Congress can stand tall for justice and defy Trump’s wicked policy in Syria.

Rauf Naqishbendi is a retired software engineer in the San Francisco Bay Area. A long-time senior contributing writer for iKurd.net. His memoirs entitled “The Garden Of The Poets”, recently published. It reads as a novel depicting his experience and the subsequent 1988 bombing of his hometown with chemical and biological weapons by Saddam Hussein. It is the story of his people´s suffering, and a sneak preview of their culture and history.

The opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of iKurd.net or its editors.