Page 174 - America's Failure to Perceive the PKK

tody, arresting them, deporting them and attacking them and it is progres-
sively widening such policies. Because of the PYD's monist approaches, a
legitimate policy, a democratic system could not be established in the region.
The situation in Rojava became even worse than the regions under the rule
of the regime. Demands in Rojava, which lacks any political freedom, are
being suppressed with violence; they want to rule the people of Rojava dicta-
torially." 66

The facts voiced by the Commander of Peshmerga Major

Muhammet Hasan, stating that the border region under the command
of the PYD has been turned into a trading route and that the PYD is
taking money from the people passing the border under the rubric of
a customs tax, are important indicators showing how the PKK/PYD
has made life miserable for Kurdish people living in that region.

Interestingly enough, the connection between the PKK and the
PYD – a fact that has been known to almost all politicians up until
now and is overtly expressed by the PYD – is being denied today by
some individuals and countries for some reason.

It is clearly evident that many politicians and writers from the
West are really unaware of the reality of the PYD in Syria. According
to them, there are people of Kurdish ethnic origins in the Southeast of
Turkey and the North of Syria and these people are merely freedom
fighters. Because of this ignorance, they fail to understand the reason

why Turkey reacts against these "freedom fighters" and why Turkey
did not support terrorists who were presented as "Kurdish fighters"
in the region during the Kobane protests. They vehemently accuse the
Turkish government with "ethnic discrimination." All the more amaz-
ing, there are those who do the same thing even among politicians
and writers in Turkey.

PKK and YPG militants posing side by side on a tank.

172 America's Failure to Perceive the PKK