The Kurdish Dimension to Syria

The Syrian Civil War has drifted in and out of the news ever since its inception, but an important new front is beginning to take shape. This is the Kurdish dimension to the war. As always however, before delving into this topic some context is vital.

The Syrian Civil War itself most likely requires fairly little contextualization, but a brief review of the major forces involved would be sensible. Bashar al-Assad received his position after his father’s passing, and refuses to surrender the family legacy. Internationally he is supported by Iran and Hezbollah (the armed Shia political party in Lebanon). Both of these Middle-East partners will support Assad to the end since their interests rely so heavily on him. Iran, because Syria is their sole ally in the Middle-East, and Hezbollah because their weapons and support all flow through Syria. They are joined by Russia which under Putin’s reign wants as much sway in the international arena as possible. Syria under Assad is a holdover puppet state from the Soviet era and represents an ideal foothold of control with which Putin can exert his clout.

On the other side the West timidly supports the Rebels, largely out of disdain for Mr. Assad. Their support has been primarily in the form of non-lethal assistance, which, as of today, both the UK and US have partially cut off because of reports that this equipment was falling into the hands of Islamists. This brings us to the radical Islamist contingent in this conflict. This is largely made up of foreign jihadis fighting on behalf of The Nusra Front and the Islamic State in Syria, two al-Qaeda linked groups. These are supported by Jihadis worldwide and without question a large amount of Saudi Arabian encouragement. In fact, the Gulf Countries in general support the rebels as all see Syria and Iran as a threat. In addition, all of the Gulf countries are Sunni led in stark opposition to Shia Iran and Syria. Qatar is the home base for the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), the umbrella for the major non-Islamist rebels nominally leading the fight against Assad. The SNC has official backing from the Gulf countries, as well as Turkey and the West.

This brings us to the oft overlooked group that has not been mentioned above, the Kurds. Kurds are the largest stateless group on Earth and are found in Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. I have a level of personal experience in this subject having spent some (albeit short) time in the Kurdish regions of Iraq and Turkey, as well as encounters with Kurds while in Iran. Kurds in Iraq have a regional government with a large amount of autonomy. Upon crossing the border with Turkey I met a Kurdish border guard, most important institutions in Iraqi Kurdistan are maintained by Kurdish authorities, and the pervasive Peshmerga presence (Kurdish militia literally translated to “those who face death”) assures a completely safe and peaceful oasis in conflict torn Iraq. This local autonomy came about after Saddam Hussein horrified the world with his genocidal nerve gas campaign against his Kurdish population, and forced a US led no-fly zone. The area protected by that no-fly zone in Northern Iraq from 1991 till the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 allowed for the establishment of what is today Iraqi Kurdistan. In Turkey, moves have been made at negotiating a peace deal with the PKK, the Kurdish group there responsible for many terrorist attacks in the past. The PKK wants greater autonomy as well, and undoubtedly aspires to what was attained in Northern Iraq.

This long prelude finally leads to the current situation in Syria. A Kurdish militia closely aligned with the aforementioned PKK in Turkey has taken over large areas of Syria from Islamists. Mainstream media often mentions that there are divisions among rebel fighters in Syria, largely between moderates and Islamists, but the Kurdish addition to this battle is crucial. At a time when Islamists increasingly seem to be making gains among the rebels at the expense of the Free Syrian Army, (supported by the SNC and Western Countries) the Kurdish PYD militant group has been incredibly successful combating the Islamists. Many villages have recently transferred from al-Qaeda linked hands into Kurdish hands in Hasakah province, which has further cemented gains for the PYD in Syria’s Kurdish dominated northeast. Even more strikingly, the PYD has announced that they are establishing provisional self-rule in the Kurdish territories they have annexed. This again is clearly a step towards an Iraqi-Kurdistan style government within whatever future Syria develops.

The SNC immediately rejected this bid for self-rule and said it goes against their efforts to build a unified independent Syria. Some rhetoric among moderate rebels has even gone so far as to label this Kurdish group the enemy now. There has also been much questioning about collusion between Assad and the Kurds. The PYD has repeatedly denied this, but some question whether Assad’s forces retreated too easily when the PYD moved into government controlled areas, and fighting between the government and the PYD had been scarce. Many Kurds were initially tepid in their opposition to the Syrian government and this has caused some of the current distrust. It is crucial to mention that many Kurds in Syria do not support the PYD, and there are Kurds within the SNC as well, though they tend to also favour at least some greater autonomy for their people.

In Iraq, when there was an uprising among Sunnis and the war in Kuwait, Kurds took advantage and went to war with Saddam Hussein. Similarly, Kurdish militias are now working to carve out their territory within conflict torn Syria. In Turkey, a long running campaign against the government comprising of many terrorist attacks finally appears to be leading to peace and more Kurdish sovereignty. As a distinct ethnicity Kurds are increasingly exerting control over their territories, and dreams of a united Kurdistan still resonate. Kurds are generally secular, pro-Western and increasingly influential. Adding to their geopolitical importance, Kurds in Iraq and Syria happen to be in areas with very significant oil reserves. In Iraqi-Kurdistan which serves as the bastion of safety in Iraq, this is already being taken advantage of.

Kurdish gains in Syria are significant and should not be ignored. The world’s largest stateless ethnic group is slowly building up a state and the ramifications across the Middle-East are huge. The gains Kurds have made in Syria and their declaration of autonomy ought not to go unnoticed. Though too often overlooked in history, Kurds are on the way to being one of the most important groups in the region.