Those supporting PKK militants in Turkey and encouraging violent incidents throughout the country, with the pretext of protesting what they call Ankara's refusal to intervene in the Syrian city of Kobani, which is under siege by the extremist religious forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), have managed to terrorize the masses, creating discord and chaos to such a degree that five cities are under curfew and at least 18 people have lost their lives.
The Kurdish activists, led by the People's Democracy Party (HDP), have unleashed a campaign of protests that have turned into violent incidents where the streets of many cities, including some in Istanbul, have been ruined and people have been terrorized. The HDP, knowingly or unknowingly, played into the hands of Kurdish extremists, who are bent on terminating the reconciliation process between the Turkish government and the PKK.
Several HDP politicians have repeated on and on that the reconciliation process will end if the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani falls into the hands of the ISIS extremists, so they have tied an important and vital project like the reconciliation process to a town in Syria, threatening to burn down a whole forest to reach one tree, no matter how valuable that tree is.
Yes, Kobani is as important for many of us Turks in Turkey as it is for the Kurds of Turkey. They are our relatives. But let us not forget that we did not raise hell when the Turkmens in Iraq and Syria were threatened and massacred by ISIS and the Kurds in both countries just observed the bloodbath and did nothing to help those innocent people.
Turkey has its red lines. It does not trust the PKK or its extension in Syria, the PYD. It does not trust the military wing of the PYD, which is the Kurdish People's Protection Units (PYG). Would you trust the PKK, which has led to the deaths of about 40,000 people in the past two decades in its terrorist war against Turkey and is still burning schools and terrorizing people?
The elements in the PKK see its fortunes running out in Turkey, also realizing that their so-called fighters in Kobani have failed to stand up to the ISIS hordes. It took air attacks by coalition forces to halt the religious extremists from capturing the Syrian town. Thus the PKK is trying to exploit the current situation and end the reconciliation process in Turkey thus revitalizing its own position. They are ready to forsake the reconciliation process to keep the PKK alive.
The HDP and the moderate Kurds of Turkey, who have seen the wonderful benefits of the reconciliation process, should realize that they are being misguided by the extremists. The fact that the extremists have ruined the statue of Atatürk in Istanbul and have burnt the Turkish flag in Hakkari all suggests serious provocations.
The cities of Iraq and Syria should be rid of ISIS and of those who have helped to create ISIS. There are many other cities and towns like Kobani in Syria, so it is strange that the PKK extremists have put so much exphasis at this time on this particular town.
Turkey wants a major plan that will create a safe haven for all those who are fleeing from ISIS extremists and Assad's hordes. Then everyone will be safe, not only those in Kobani. Are we asking for too much?
