The Gold Coast man Reece Harding, a former ADF soldier Jamie Bright, and the 28-year old Ashley Kent Johnston have all been lured to Middle East by the Australian-based supporters of PKK/YPG and lost their lives.
How does this affect us in Australia?
More than 150,000 Turks from many different political affiliations are concerned about the lack of understanding in Australia. Our family and friends have been murdered at the hands of PKK, which is the biggest obstacle for peace in the region.
PKK sympathisers carry violent attacks against Turkish community in diaspora countries in Europe. In the past, PKK sympathisers even burned themselves in Town Hall Sydney. When they receive more support from politicians, they will be more brazen, potentially getting violent in the streets of Melbourne and Sydney.
Is Turkey attacking Kurds?
This argument is akin to claiming war on ISIS and Al Qaida is a war on Islam. Turkey is attacking PKK and YPG/PYD. PKK is a designated terrorist organisation with 10+ other names listed under the Criminal Code (Terrorist Organisation—Kurdistan Workers’ Party) Regulations 2018. YPG is PKK’s Syria arm, and share the same command structure, this is confirmed by the US senate reports.
But PKK/YPG has helped us defeat ISIS…
Only after the territory they claim as theirs, was attacked by ISIS, PKK/YPG asked for western help. Receiving arms, training and money, PKK joined the international coalition of which Turkey is a party. Turkey is the only anti-ISIS coalition nation that went in to Syria to fight ISIS – lost its soldiers. Turkey has paid the heaviest price to ISIS terrorism with attacks in major cities.
The world is a more dangerous place with PKK/YPG not guarding ISIS detainees, fighting the group.
The world is a more dangerous place since the Obama administration shattered the global coalition of liberal democracies against terrorism established after 9/11 by supporting a designated terrorist organisation. The west has given Turkey the message: your terrorist can be my ally.
Turkey saw 10 terror attacks by ISIS on its soil that claimed the loves of 304 people. Turkish army is the only anti-ISIS coalition who went in to Syria to fight ISIS, loosing 71 soldier. Two of them were brutally set on fire while alive, the video recordings was widely shared over the social media to break Turkey’s will to fight the ISIS. Turkish special forces deal with ISIS appropriately, while dealing with PKK/YPG terrorists.
We can’t betray our allies.
Turkey has been betrayed with the first delivery of arms to PKK/YPG. Turkey fought alongside with NATO and Australia on battlefields from Korea to Afghanistan.
There will be civilian casualties, a humanitarian catastrophy
The PKK/YPG sees civilian casualties as a collateral to their cause. Turkey has the technology, intelligence and experience to protect civilians within its area of operations. Turkey’s record in previous operations against ISIS in Euphrates Shield and again PKK/YPG in Olive Branch demonstrates the sensitivity Turkey has shown to protecting civilians. It is the PKK/YPG who often fight in civilian clothes, with a view to claiming dead fighters as civilians.
It is rather absurd to hear Australian politicians now raising concerns about the humanitarian catastrophy after 8 years of inaction, 6 million refugees, and 100 thousand dead in the region.
We share the same values with PKK/YPG.
Since 2011, PKK/YPG killed at least 52 Kurdish politicians in the region. PKK/YPG recruited child soldiers according to the Amnesty and UN. PKK/YPG is a marxist communist party. Private property does not exist in the Kurdish autonomous region they want to establish at the expense of the Syrian people. They hate religion. PKK/YPG launched suicide bomb attacks against civilians in Turkey. PKK/YPG sees civilian casualties an acceptable collateral in their campaign for autonomy.
Isn’t Turkey attacking minorities
The simple answer is no. In fact, Turkey has received support for its intervention from Kurdish, Arab and Turkmen tribal leaders, as well as from Christian groups such as the Aramean Syriacs, who the PKK/YPG has sought to displace, and suppress the practice of their religion.
What would Australia do in a similar situation?
We have asked this question to the PM and the cabinet. No one knows the importance of border protection and national security than this Australian government. We wonder, what Morrison government would do if a terrorist organisation settles in a neighbouring failed state to Australia and launch attacks in Sydney and Melbourne? We wonder how Australian government would deal with 1 million refugees (5% of Australian population) ?
ENDS
