Syria鈥檚 five-year-old war is reaching a turning point. In the north and west, ISIS is on the back foot. Its territory is declining, as it is in Iraq.
But as with Iraq, the defeat of ISIS is likely to create new conflict over what comes next.
The north-eastern Syrian city of Aleppo has since 2012 been divided between the city鈥檚 west, held by the regime of beleaguered dictator Bashar al-Assad, and its east, held by a fractious coalition of predominantly Islamist rebel groups.
Cemil Bay谋k, the co-chair of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK, the umbrella organisation of the Kurdish liberation movement), spoke to about recent developments in Turkey.
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) Executive Committee Member Duran Kalkan paid tribute to Fidel Castro and the Cuban revolution at the PKK鈥檚 38th anniversary celebrations in Medya Defence Zones, .
Greens leader Senator Richard Di Natale expressed his strong support for the embattled Peoples鈥 Democratic Party (HDP) in Turkey at a Kurdish solidarity meeting at the Victorian Trades Hall on November 17.
The left-wing party has a strong base among Australia's oppressed Kurdish community. Di Natale condemned the current crackdown by the regime of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo臒an. The HDP鈥檚 joint leaders, Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, have been arrested along with a number of the party鈥檚 MPs.
鈥淲e will resist and resist until we win!鈥 chants Sebahat Tuncel before her mouth is forcibly shut by half a dozen police officers who drag her along the floor and detain her in early November.
The following statement was released on November 11 by Farooq Tariq, spokesperson for the Awami Workers Party in Pakistan.
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On the night of November 3, the Turkish police detained Selahattin Demirta艧 and Figen Y眉ksekda臒 鈥 the co-chairs of the People鈥檚 Democratic Party (HDP) 鈥 alongside several other Members of Parliament who were democratically voted in with over 5 million votes in the last parliamentary election.
The political situation in Turkey continues to deteriorate in the wake of the attempted coup d鈥櫭﹖at in July, allegedly organised by the G眉len Movement, a former ally of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). It has in fact led to a slow incremental counter-coup where President Recep Tayyip Erdo臒an and his cronies have progressively jailed, marginalised and silenced opponents of all hues 鈥 but especially the Kurdish movement.
Thousands of people demonstrated in London on November 6 in the latest protest against the mass arrests of pro-Kurdish politicians in Turkey. On November 4, the regime of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo臒an issued聽arrest warrants for all 59 MPs from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), a left-wing largely Kurdish-led party.
The regime of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo臒an took a further leap towards undisguised dictatorship, intensifying its crackdown against the democratic and left-wing opposition, independent media and the Kurdish population.
On October 25, Co-Mayors of the Diyarbak谋r (Amed) Metropolitan Municipality, G眉ltan K谋艧anak and F谋rat Anl谋, members of the Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP), were arrested.
BREAKING NEWS November 5 鈥 The regime of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo臒an took a further leap towards undisguised dictatorship with the issue of arrest warrants for all 59 Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MPs by the Diyarbakir Chief Prosecutor's Office, reported.
Thirteen HDP deputies including party leaders Selahattin Demirta艧 and Figen Y眉ksekda臒 have already been detained.
The crackdown by the Turkish regime of President Recep Tayyip Erdo臒an against the democratic and left-wing opposition, independent media and the Kurdish population has intensified. On October 25, co-mayors of the the Diyarbak谋r (Amed) Metropolitan Municipality, G眉ltan K谋艧anak and F谋rat Anl谋, members of the Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP), were arrested.
Free Women鈥檚 Congress (KJA) spokesperson Ayla Akat Ata was detained at a protest calling for K谋艧anak and Anl谋's release and is now facing terrorism charges alongside them.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the start of an assault to recapture Mosul, the most important Iraqi city held by ISIS, on October 16.
The assault is spearheaded by the Iraqi army and the peshmerga, the armed forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq. It also includes the Popular Mobilisation Units (PMU), an umbrella group of militia groups loyal to the Iraqi government and based in Iraq鈥檚 Shi鈥檃 Arab communities, and some other Iraqi militias.