Kurdish militaries/militias from Iraq, Syria, and Turkey agree to unified front
08-18-2014, 12:38 AM
The Syrian Kurdish militia, the YPG, has been fighting the Islamic State in Syria for over 2 years, and has recently joined the fight against the Islamic State with the borders of Iraq, providing support to the Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga who have occasionally been outmatched by the Islamic State's fighters.
"After the Islamic State increased its attacks in Iraq, YPG forces also crossed into the country on August 2 to protect the Rabia border crossing. According to Can, this move was done on request of the Iraqi Kurds and in coordination with the peshmergas. After heavy fighting, the YPG seized control of the border and town of Rabia."
The YPG apparently has close ties to the Turkish-Kurdish group the PKK, which is operating out of Iraqi Kurdistan currently. Apparently Barzani, the President of the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government, has formed an alliance with the PKK and YPG to fight together against the Islamic State:
"It looks like in this chaotic atmosphere, one positive thing has developed for the Kurds — they have emerged relatively united against their enemy. At the time of writing, Massoud Barzani, the president of Iraqi Kurdistan, had just met with commanders from the PKK. Reports of the meeting stated a deal was reached between the previously fractious groups, and that they would be forming a union to combat the Islamic State."
https://news.vice.com/article/how-kurdis...amic-state
Obviously, a military alliance between Peshmerga from Iraq, Syria and Turkey against the Islamic State also begs certain questions about autonomy for Greater Kurdistan in the near future.
"After the Islamic State increased its attacks in Iraq, YPG forces also crossed into the country on August 2 to protect the Rabia border crossing. According to Can, this move was done on request of the Iraqi Kurds and in coordination with the peshmergas. After heavy fighting, the YPG seized control of the border and town of Rabia."
The YPG apparently has close ties to the Turkish-Kurdish group the PKK, which is operating out of Iraqi Kurdistan currently. Apparently Barzani, the President of the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government, has formed an alliance with the PKK and YPG to fight together against the Islamic State:
"It looks like in this chaotic atmosphere, one positive thing has developed for the Kurds — they have emerged relatively united against their enemy. At the time of writing, Massoud Barzani, the president of Iraqi Kurdistan, had just met with commanders from the PKK. Reports of the meeting stated a deal was reached between the previously fractious groups, and that they would be forming a union to combat the Islamic State."
https://news.vice.com/article/how-kurdis...amic-state
Obviously, a military alliance between Peshmerga from Iraq, Syria and Turkey against the Islamic State also begs certain questions about autonomy for Greater Kurdistan in the near future.