Turkey aims to weaken, tear Iraq apart

The Turkish occupation army is penetrating Southern Kurdistan with the complicity of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and its forces, amid the silence of the Iraqi government. The Turkish occupation army has established dozens of bases in Southern Kurdistan, and now occupies more than 80% of the lands of Dohuk Governorate.

The notable of the Arab Tai tribe in al-Jazira Canton, Mohammad al-Mufleh, said: "Iraq is a geographical extension and strategic depth for the Arab tribes and the Syrian people in general. We are neighbors, and we consider the Iraqi brothers our brothers, and they are a strategic depth for our people. What happens to Iraq happens to us, and the stability of Iraq is important to us in the stability of our country, Syria. Therefore, we condemn and denounce the Turkish intervention and Turkish attacks in northern Iraq (Southern Kurdistan)."

Mohammed al-Mufleh explained that the people of al-Jazira Canton, with all its sects and tribes, are brothers and are linked by blood and religion. He said: “We, the people of al-Jazira, from all the tribes and components present, have been brothers for hundreds of years, and we have relations with our Kurdish brothers in Iraq.”

Al-Mufleh touched on the attacks launched by the Turkish occupation army on the areas of Southern Kurdistan, and said: “The Turkish occupation is interfering in the areas with a Kurdish majority and in the areas of Iraqi Kurdistan. We condemn and denounce the attacks, and we call on the Iraqi government, parties and organizations, especially our brothers from the Arab tribes in Mosul, where there are Arab tribes with very strong influence, to help our Kurdish brothers repel these attacks on northern Iraq and prevent Turkish interventions.”

Al-Mufleh referred to the Turkish ambitions in the region, and said: "We have noticed since Erdogan took power in Turkey, the Turkish ambitions in the neighboring countries have clearly appeared, and we Syrians have suffered from this, through the occupation attacks and the occupation of Afrin, Serekaniye/Ras al-Ain, Gire Spi/Tel Abyad, Jarablus, Azaz and other occupied areas."

Al-Mufleh stressed: "We Syrians with all our components and through the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the Syrian Democratic Forces, fought against the Turkish occupier, and thanks to the valiant resistance of the Syrian Democratic Forces, which is made up of all components in North and East Syria, we were able to stop the Turkish aggression at certain borders."

Al-Mufleh noted that Turkish ambitions were not limited to Iraq and Syria, and said: “We notice that Turkey extended its arm to Azerbaijan and has bases in Libya, and intervened in Sudan and Somalia. Its ambitions were not limited to neighboring countries, but rather extended beyond that, and all of this happened after the Justice and Development Party took power and revived the so-called Ottoman state and restored the glories of the Ottoman Empire, and this is clear in Erdogan’s statements and the pillars of his rule.”

Al-Mufleh stressed that the Turkish attacks against Southern Kurdistan aim to weaken the Iraqi state and tear Iraq apart as a country. He said: "Any presence of foreign forces on land other than its own weakens the entity and authority of the state, and Iraq has gone through difficult events since 2003 until today.

Al-Mufleh noted that the Turkish intervention in Southern Kurdistan has led to instability in Iraq. He said: "We call on the Iraqi people, whom we consider our brothers, and the Iraqi tribes, as Iraq has a tribal character, whether Kurdish or Arab, with all its ethnicities and sects, whether Sunni or Shiite, to stand as one in the face of Turkish attacks and interventions in Iraq."

Eye on wealth

Mohammed al-Mufleh said: "It is no secret to anyone since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire until today, that Turkey has its eyes on the wealth of Syria and Iraq, especially Iraq. It always focuses on Iraqi oil, especially Kirkuk oil, so it uses Turkish national security as an excuse and claims that it is in danger.”

Al-Mufleh explained: “We have had enough blood, killing and displacement. We Syrians have suffered from wars, and the people are tired of the policies of the rulers, especially the chauvinist rulers, such as the rulers of Turkey. The Iraqi people have been suffering from wars since the 1980s, so we ask all our brothers, whether Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds and all sects, to unite.”

T/ Satt.

ANHA