Kurdistan News

free world in which peoples live fraternally, equally, fairly and peacefully, with no classes or boundaries against exploitation, occupation, oppression, massacres and genocide . Amed pointed out that no tyrannical system could survive the revolutionary battles that the oppressed peoples had grown up in a common and organized manner, and noted that the experiences of the peoples of the world were instructive in this regard.

Expressing that the peoples of the Middle East were constantly confronted by imperialist and reactionary forces on the basis of sectarian, racial and religious reaction, Amed voiced that there were examples of people living together despite all the provocations and games. "So to claim the Rojava revolution, to fight for success is to uphold the tradition of the people's fraternity and resistance," said the SYPG spokesman Amed, who said that the Rojava revolution is the most concrete expression of the will of the people to live together.

Emphasizing that the Rojava revolution is a women's revolution at the same time, Shoreh Amed said that the revolution will work for the promotion of women's existence, strengthening and permanentization of women's representation in all institutions and areas of the revolution.

According to the Rojava’s Education Commission, the old Ba’athist curriculum has been replaced. Primary education will now be taught in three languages: Kurdish, Arabic and Syriac-Assyrian. The overwhelming majority of the schools in Syria’s northeastern Hasakah Governorate are controlled by the NSR (Federal region of Northern Syria - Rojava) administration. The exceptions are a handful of schools inside regime-held areas and a number of private Christian schools in Hasakah and Qamishli.

we are, on a political level, supporters of a democratic socialist society that is ecological and also gender emancipatory. The organisation of this society is from the bottom up and foresees the organisation of society according to all its different 'colours,' whether that be gender-based, religion or class based, or ethnicity-based, society, we believe has the right to organise according to its needs and the needs of nature, not the needs of the state structure.

Many revolutionary and military factions comprised under SDF are majorly moving under the command of Ghadab al-Firat operations room and these factions are YPG, YPJ, liwaa Soqour al-Raqqa(Raqqa Hawks Brigade), Liwaa Shoheda al-Raqqa, Shoheda Hamam Turkman brigade, Ahrar al-Raqqa brigade, Liwaa Thuwar Til Abyad, and the Syriac Military Council.

Factions comprised under SDF include further factions but groups taking part in this campaign are majorly of Raqqa fighters and nearby regions.

So Minimum 750 have already graduated in the SDF for the Manbij Military Council (including this 254). + 620 Assayish completed or still on training (of them 50 women). + 150 Minimum now in training for the SDF in Manbij.
And do not forget, there is also a local YPG group formed in Manbij from members of Manbij (unknown size, but small).
And all these since Manbij has been freed.

Assayish are a paramilitaric police force; target is gerneral, 1/3 shall be women. They are equipped with military type weapons. Clashes with the NDF in Hasakah and Quamishly were regular in responsibility of the Assayish, YPG and SDF came later only for support. SWAT teams are called H.A.T., every of the 3 regions have now one (Kobani shall have been the last). You can compare the Assayish best with the Guardia civil in Spain or the Carabinieri in Italy or the Gendameria in France. (In Quamishli, in the government controlled parts, you have additional another police force, responsible for the regular police staff, like traffic control, parking control, follow up after accidents, small thiefs e.g., I expect in peace time something like this will be additional implemented). Assayish are a volunteer police force.

SDF as also YPG/YPJ are the volunteer front units. These are fighting the IS. Many YPG units are part of the SDF. Overall the women forces of the SDF and the YPJ are even more mixed and working together, in Afrin it even seems to be one mixed group, running around with different type of uniforms, depending from where they come. Also the YPG and SDF are more mixed and working as one group in Afrin. They are already calling themself as "revolutionary front". In Kobani and Quamishli, SDF and YPG forces are still less mixed, during the Manbij offensive, the short "Tabqa offensive" (just to widen the pocket on the east side of the dam), the landing Operation at the QQ bridge and the whole northern front was done by the YPG (>80% YPG), while the souther arm/front, starting at the dam, surrounding from the south and the west was done by the SDF units (80% SDF, 20% YPG). Manbij City was taken primary by the southern arm.

The conscript army are the HXP, 6 month conscript duty. Till now primary used behind the front at check points and as self defence forces to protect the homes of the civilians. And it seems now, this week they have been already accepted by the Syrian government as the regular future army of the northern part of Syria, responsible for home defence and especially to defend all outer borders, so Turkey and Iraq (so the former job of the SAA).

And than of course you have the HPC (do not forget them). These have a regular job and in their free time/weekends, they are manning check points, performing trainings e.g. In these are also 80 years old grandmothers e.g. and do not laugh, as seen during the IS raid last year with the 200 men, who have started in Sarrin. The raid was perfectly running as planned, 2 sVBIED had eliminated the week border control forces in Kobani, so no armed forces were left...till the grandmothers, kids and grandfathers (all others were at the front)packed out the AK47 from their cupboards and started to eliminate the raid in a storm of lead, so the whole raid eneded miserably. There was a nice picture of a 80 years old grandmother, sitting on her cheap white plastic chair on the middle of a crossing with her AK47 (as she was really not tall, it was really big in comparison) on her tight. Her comment: I am old. If they want to get in the house blocks behind me, they have to kill me. If they kill me, my comraids behind me will be warned and will kill them (she was not killed). These are also pure volunteers and support units, these are the last defence line to protect the civilians.

the PKK already signed peace agreements with Erdogan’s government and Ocalan is calling from is jail for new peace discussions…

Kurdish President Masoud Barzani on Sunday urged political parties to get together to reactivate the parliament, appoint a new cabinet and elect another president until the next presidential elections.

Barzani, whose extended term has already expired, also commented on a strike by Kurdish teachers, saying they have full right to take to street and demand their delayed salaries from the government.

Crises inside the Kurdistan Region deepened after the five major political parties failed to reach an agreement on the Kurdistan presidency issue in October 2015, following the expiration of the President’s term.

Following the ninth round of failed talks, demonstrations about lack of basic services and the current political struggle turned violent in the eastern cities of the Region, where a number of offices belonging to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) were torched.

Teachers have been on strike in some parts of the Kurdistan Region for more than a month in protest against the system of salary cuts which have been taken by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to cope with worsening financial crisis.

Barzani expressed support for public school teachers on strike, saying it is an “undisputed right” for them to demand the restoration of their salaries.

Salaries for KRG employees have been delayed for months as the government struggles to pay the close to 1.4 million people on its monthly payroll.

Teachers say they cannot afford to return to classes with salary delays and austerity measures the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has taken to withhold a percentage of their wages.

“We are clear, what we demand is ending the system of withholding salaries and achieving our undisputed rights,” said a teacher on strike.

Joined by veteran Peshmerga, the disabled and other members of the public, teachers in Sulaimani threatened to resume protests until their demands are met.

Growing discontent among civil servants with the KRG over wages comes as Kurdish authorities resume operations to oust ISIS from Mosul.

Peaceful protests and demonstrations are growing in the Kurdistan Region. KRG officials announced on February a measure to withhold a percentage of salaries and vowed the measure would resolve chronic delays in monthly payments of government employees.

Salaries for government workers have been plagued by delays since 2014 and Kurdish authorities have repeatedly said they cannot make payments due to a number of crises affecting the region.

Teachers went on strike on Thursday (December 1) holding demonstrations in parts of the Kurdistan Region despite obstacles from security forces.

NRT correspondents said teachers in Sulaimani, Halabja, Koya and Chamchamal protested against austerity measures imposed by the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) to cope with the economic crisis and overdue salaries.

Teachers transferred the demonstration to a Sulaimani court after security forces prevented them from protesting in front of the Education Directorate.

Asayish (security forces) arrested several teachers in front of the Education Directorate after the teachers went there to protest.

Kurdish teachers have gone on strike for the past two months in Sulaimani and Halabja, as well as in the Raparin and Garmyan administrations in the Kurdistan Region.

Under a newly announced plan, the KRG proposed salary cuts to all public employees as a result of financial crisis in the region. Government employees face cuts between 15 and 75 percent, depending on their position and pay-grade.

Salaries for government workers have been plagued by delays since 2014 and Kurdish authorities have repeatedly said they cannot make payments due to a number of crises affecting the region.