Erbil protests Tammo's assassination - Kurdish Globe

The Kurdish Globe No. 325, Saturday, October 15, 2011 4
Kurdistan blames Syrian regime for Tammo's killing
While Mishaal Tammo,
a member of the newly
formed opposition Syrie
ian National Council and
the spokesperson of the
Kurdish Future Party, was
attending a political meetie
ing with his son Marsil,
his brother Abdurrazzaq,
party member Zahida Rase
schkilo, and three other
people in a house in Al-Qame
mshli on Oct. 7, a group of
five armed men entered the
house and asked, in Arabic,
for Tammo. When Tammo
stood up, they opened fire.
While he was on the floor,
Tammo was shot in the
head. Marsil was shot in
his stomach, and Rashkilo
suffered a leg injury.
Tammo, a former politice
cal prisoner in Syria, had
escaped an earlier assasse
sination attempt on Sept.
8. After the failed attempt,
he said received informate
tion that attempts would
be made on the lives of
well-known figures. "It
is not important who carre
ries out the orders, what is
more important is that it is
the government that issues
the orders," said Tammo.
He added, "When we made
our stance on the regime
and our stance on Kurdish
participation in the Syrian
revolution clear, we knew
that such a thing could happe
pen."
"Either we earn win our
freedom alive or we will die
honorably," he concluded.
Kurds are outraged by
GLOBE PHOTO/ Safin Hamed
The assassination may bring Kurdish parties closer together
Faris Tammo, his wife, and Syrian Kurdish refugees protest the assassination of Mishaal Tammo in front of the Kurdistan Parliament
in Erbil, Oct. 8.
Tammo's killing. Around
100,000 Syrian Kurds took
part in his funeral processe
sion. Syrian security forces
used tear gas and live amme
munition on mourners durie
ing the funeral procession;
two people were killed and
several others injured. Out
of fear of state persecute
tion, many of the injured
refused to be treated in hospe
pitals. Angry mourners in
the Kurdish city of Amuda
burned then toppled a statue
ue of Hafiz al-Assad, forme
mer Syrian president and
father of Bashar al-Assad,
the current president. Prote
tests also reached Europe;
Kurdish activists occupied
Syrian diplomatic missions
in Geneva, Berlin, London,
Brussels, Hamburg, Paris
and Vienna.
Several demonstrations
took place in Iraqi Kurdie
istan Region, condemning
the killing of Tammo. Iraqi
Kurdish leaders blamed the
Syrian regime for the killie
ing. Most notably, the office
of President of the Kurdie
istan Region Masoud Barze
zani issued a press release
stating, “The Kurdistan
Region Presidency strongly
condemns the assassination
of Mashaal Tammo and bele
lieves the Kurdish people
living in the Kurdish areas
of Syria have thus far deme
manded their legitimate
rights through democratic
and peaceful means, dese
spite being subjected on
numerous occasions to inte
timidation and unprovoked
violence.”
The Kurdistan Parliament
also issued a statement of
condemnation: “At a time
when we see the winds of
democracy in the Middle
East and the region bring
down a number of totalite
tarian regimes, bringing in
hope for better human rights
and freedom, it is with rege
gret that we see the leade
ers of Syria acting against
this trend by resorting to
violence and repression in
order to silence the popular
opposition. This violence
increases day after day and
sadly resulted in the killing
of Mashaal Tammo in Al-
Qamshli."
Observers have pointed
out there were several
motives behind killing
Tammo. Most notably, he
always called for unity
across ethnic and religious
groups. The regime tries
to convince Syrians that if
it falls, there will be ethnic
civil war in the country, in
particularly between Kurds
and Arabs. But Tammo's
message for Syrian Arabs
was always focused on a
better life for all Syrian
people. His vision for Syria
was based on secular deme
mocracy, rotation of power,
the rule of law and equality
among citizens.
Meanwhile, a leader
of Union Kurds Party in
Syria (Yaketi), Abdul Baqi
Yousif, believes "the Syrie
ian regime killed Tammo"
so Kurds would be unable
to hold their planned nate
tional conference. A confe
ference was set for Oct. 10
to include all Kurdish parte
ties with the aim of unifyie
ing their position regarding
the regime and creating a
single strategy for Kurds in
Syria.
Although the conference
was delayed because of
Tammo's killing, Yousif
said the parties will hold
the conference in the next
few days.
"We are not afraid of the
regime anymore, it is weak
and can't watch everything
anymore," he said.
PKK: Maliki shouldn't make himself a
victim of Turkey's internal problem
Turkish parliament renews mandate to attack PKK
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki said sending Iraqi
troops to the Iraqi Kurdie
istan Region borders with
Iran is the best option to
push out Kurdish separatist
Kurdistan Workers' Party
(PKK) and Free Life Party
of Kurdistan (PJAK) milite
tants who operate in the
mountainous border areas.
PKK spokesman Ahmed
Denis, said PKK sees Malike
ki's statement as a political
statement, mainly pointed
at Kurdistan Region leade
ers, rather than PKK. Dene
nis believes Maliki is using
all cards available to push
Iraqi Kurdish leaders to
solve their problems with
Baghdad.
In interview with Reuters,
the Iraqi prime minister
said, "Sending Iraqi troops
to the north of Iraq was
the best option to push out
Kurdish separatist PKK and
PJAK militants who have
hidden for years in Iraq's
mountains. Logic says the
way to end their presence,
to end the Turkish and Irane
nian intervention in Iraqi
affairs, is sending troops or
creating enough Iraqi mease
sures to prevent their prese
ence on Iraqi territory." He
added, "When and how we
send them depends on our
military capabilities and
the nature of our situation,
when there will be opportune
nity we will be there."
Turkish authorities have
described Maliki's stateme
ment as positive. "Mr. Male
liki's statement is positive.
We have already demanded
it. When Iraq preserves its
own territories and borders,
there is no need for Turkey
to stage cross-border operate
tions," said Turkish Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
"That terrorist organizate
tion's taking shelter in Iraqi
territories was against Iraqi
constitution and basic resole
lutions of the U.N."
Iraqi Kurdish leaders alwe
ways pointed out that milite
tary means will not solve
the PKK issue. Kurdistan
Region Parliament Speaker
Kamal Kirkuki said sending
the Iraqi army to fight PKK
will fail and it will not solve
the problem. "Those who
believe the PKK issue will
be solved through military
means are mistaken," noted
Kirkuki.
Iraqi Foreign Minister
Hoshyar Zebari met his
Turkish counterpart on Oct.
13 in Ankara. During a joint
press conference, Zebari
said, "The presence of PKK
elements in mountainous
areas is not legitimate unde
der the Iraqi Constitution."
He added, "and this is unacce
ceptable."
But the problem of the
PKK could only be resolved
through "good neighborly
relations" between Turkey
and Iraq, he said.
Ankara has repeatedly
urged the Iraqi government
not to allow its territory to
be used as a springboard
by the PKK for attacks
in Turkey. "We no longer
have any patience with terre
rorist activities emanating
from the Iraqi territory and
threatening Turkey," said
Davutoglu."We are determe
mined to take the most effe
fective measures," he adde
ed, without elaborating.
On Oct. 5, Turkish parliame
ment extended the mandate
to stage cross-border operate
tions into Iraqi Kurdistan
Region soil against membe
bers of PKK. The mandate
allows the Turkish governme
ment to stage cross-border
operations into Iraqi Kurdie
istan at any time to fight
members of PKK.
The mandate was first
brought up to Turkish parle
liament in 2007, and it was
extended twice in 2008 and
2009.
Since then, the Turkish
military repeatedly attacked
bordering areas around
Duhok and Erbil provinces
in Kurdistan Region to fight
rebels of the PKK. This
year, the Turkish attacks ince
creased and took the lives
of several Kurdish civilians,
including children.