It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Canada said Thursday it had designated the country’s largest marine protected zone off the coast of Vancouver, as it moves to shield a third of its oceans by the end of the decade.
The 133,000-square-kilometer (51,000-square-mile) zone was announced in a joint statement by Canada’s department of fisheries and oceans and leaders of four First Nations.
“Today we are taking a giant step forward in protecting Canada’s oceans,” said the department’s minister Diane Lebouthillier.
The new marine protected area brings Canada “halfway to our goal of conserving 30 percent of our oceans by 2030”, Lebouthillier said.
“The ocean has taken care of us, and we must look after it as well,” said Judith Sayer of the Nuu-chah-nulth nation.
Canada is moving closer to meeting a historic commitment made by the world’s nations at the Montreal Biodiversity Summit in December 2022.
The zone, which lies about 150 kilometers (93 miles) off Vancouver Island, is the result of an agreement signed in January 2023 by Ottawa and the Nuu-chah-nulth Haida, Quatsino and Pacheedaht nations.
The area is home to more than dozens species of fish, seabirds, invertebrate and marine mammals, including killer whales, sea otters and dolphins.
Beneath the water, the seabed hosts “rare and unique deep-water species that are both remarkable and culturally important”, according to the Canadian department of fisheries and oceans.
NGO Oceana Canada hailed the move as a “significant step toward preserving marine biodiversity” by preventing activities such as bottom trawling and dumping.
LOSING IT'S HEGEMONY
US irked by PM Modi's Russia visit amid NATO Summit: Report
IN A MULTIPOLAR WORLD
Senior US officials were frustrated with the timing of PM Modi's Russia visit and the hug shared by Vladimir Putin which coincided with the NATO Summit called by Joe Biden, according to a report in Bloomberg.
Vladimir Putin decorates PM Modi during a ceremony following their talks at the Kremlin. (File photo: AFP)
PM Modi called Russia India's 'all-weather friend'
US officials reportedly frustrated by timing of PM's Russia trip
They fear PM's recent Moscow visit would affect US-India ties
The bonhomie between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin during the former's recent visit to Moscow has reportedly irked several senior officials of the Joe Biden-led US administration, a report by Bloomberg stated.
During his two-day visit, PM Modi described Russia as India's "all-weather friend" and expressed special appreciation for "his friend" Putin. The Prime Minister, who was conferred Russia's highest civilian award, commended Putin for steering the India-Russia friendship to greater heights over the last two decades.
The Bloomberg report stated that senior US officials were frustrated with the timing of PM Modi's Russia visit and the hug shared by Putin in the middle of the NATO Summit -- which began on July 9 and concluded on July 11. Talks about Russia's invasion of Ukraine remained the hotbed topic of the summit kicked off by Biden.
US officials have expressed concerns that PM Modi's first visit to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine has sparked criticism from both within and outside the American government regarding closer US-India ties.
The report added that US officials had acknowledged that the visit was "difficult and uncomfortable" for the Biden administration, which had conveyed to New Delhi that the timing would complicate the 'optics' for Washington.
"Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell spoke with Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra in early July hoping that the Modi-Putin encounter might be rescheduled to avoid coinciding with the NATO Summit," the report added.
Even the US Ambassador Eric Garcetti, while addressing a press conference in New Delhi earlier in the day, indirectly criticised the PM Modi-Putin meeting, saying that India should not take the US's friendship "for granted".
Meanwhile, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan cautioned New Delhi that a "bet on Russia as a long-term, reliable partner is not a good bet" and Moscow would side with Beijing over New Delhi in case of a conflict.
"We've made clear to every country in the world, including India, that a bet on Russia as a long-term, reliable partner is not a good bet," Sullivan said.
"Russia is becoming closer to China. In fact, it's becoming the junior partner to China. And in that way, they would side with China over India any day of the week. And, Prime Minister Modi, of course, has profound concerns about the potential for Chinese aggression against India. Which we have seen over recent years," he added.
India has been stoutly defending its "special and privileged strategic partnership" with Russia and maintained the momentum in the ties notwithstanding the Ukraine conflict.
Illinois has made transitioning to clean energy a major priority in recent years with the passage of the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA) in 2016 and the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) in 2021. Both pieces of legislation prioritize an equitable transition, aiming to avoid and address historical wrongdoings associated with environmental injustice.
However, a recent study, published in Political Geography by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, suggests the state, in attempting to redress historical wrongs, used an overly narrow lens to define equity in CEJA, which led to perceived injustices for rural, often white communities.
The study suggests the state prioritized historically marginalized communities when allocating the benefits (low energy costs) of renewable power, but wasn't intentional enough in considering the burdens (infrastructure and land use change) that fell to rural communities. This has led to claims of injustice in these communities, especially around wind turbines.
"There are a lot of ways you can define justice. People understand it very differently depending on their circumstances," said study author McKenzie Johnson, assistant professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at Illinois.
The study, co-authored by Johnson's former master's student Shannon Anderson, mapped wind development patterns in Illinois, categorized by whether zoning protocols were regressive—trying to stop wind power; progressive—trying to attract it; or neutral—allowing the market to drive zoning decisions around wind.
"We found that after the first wind boom in 2007, a lot of downstate counties decided they really didn't want wind coming in with their massive turbines," Johnson said. "So you started seeing a lot of regressive zoning with sharp boundaries and restrictive regulations that basically made it impossible for developers to construct wind farms."
Johnson and Anderson followed the response from the state, showing it scaled up its authority over time from offering zoning guidance to completely overriding county-level zoning in order to achieve the goals set out in CEJA.
"Prioritizing communities that have experienced environmental harms can be a just outcome," Johnson said. "But when a state unilaterally takes away power to achieve its goals, even if it is the most desirable, equitable goal you can think of, that's not justice."
CEJA doesn't actually define "energy justice" as part of the statute, but Johnson says the legislation relied on conventional environmental justice metrics—especially race –- that recognize how downstream effects of polluting industries have disproportionately impacted Black, brown, low-income, immigrant, and urban communities. That differs from the indicators used in energy justice definitions, which include energy availability and access, affordability, and inter- and intra-generational equity. Energy justice also prioritizes representative and impartial energy decision-making.
Johnson said if CEJA had included energy justice metrics that considered rural counties' perspectives, the wind power rollout might have gone very differently. Instead, feeling left out of the process, white rural communities largely rejected wind.
That outcome has led to some unintended consequences.
"We argue that the shifting scales of energy governance reinforced perceptions of energy as a partisan political issue," Anderson wrote in the article. "Rural, heavily Republican communities contend that Democrats unfairly used energy legislation to distribute benefits to urban voters without ensuring similar benefits for rural areas. This increased antipathy toward renewable projects already perceived as undesirable, and exacerbated perceived political divides between urban and rural Illinoisans."
Johnson was surprised the state didn't anticipate the opposition.
"I think it's because they thought the markets would have a stronger influence on where wind showed up in the state," she said. "But I think the huge lesson out of this research is that if you really want to be truly inclusive, there's going to be conflict. That's not necessarily bad. But you have to anticipate it and be able to address it when it arises."
The backlash and ensuing lawsuits are slowing progress. That's another reason Johnson said it would have been better to engage rural communities at the outset of the legislative process. Although listening sessions might have taken time, lawsuits take longer and tie up more resources.
"To be fair, making a just energy transition happen is really difficult. It's easy for a researcher to be critical about what's happening, but I do think it's really important to point out some of the paradoxes that emerge when you're trying to pursue a just transition," Johnson said.
More information: Shannon R. Anderson et al, The spatial and scalar politics of a just energy transition in Illinois, Political Geography (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.polgeo.2024.103128
In Significant Anti-Palestinian Policy, Meta To Remove Content Targeting Zionism July 11, 2024 DAYS OF PALESTINE
Meta announced on Thursday, 11 July 2024 that it will remove more content targeting Zionism in a significant anti-Palestinian policy change.
“We will now remove speech targeting ‘Zionists’ in several areas where our process showed that the speech tends to be used to refer to Jews and Israelis with dehumanizing comparisons, calls for harm, or denials of existence.”, Meta stated in a blog.
Meta said that it had long treated the term ‘Zionist’ “as a proxy for Jewish or Israeli people in two narrow circumstances: (1) where Zionists are compared to rats, reflecting known anti-Semitic imagery, and (2) where the context makes clear that “Zionist” means ‘Jew’ or “Israeli’”, the company will now expand that perspective to further interpretations of the label.
It highlighted that those circumstances do not “sufficiently address the ways people are using the term ‘Zionist’ online and offline”. It means, essentially, that all mention or condemnation of the Zionist movement will be held in suspicion of being directly anti-Semitic until proven otherwise, making it liable for removal.
Meta declared that their decision was a result of feedback from “global stakeholders”, user research, and academic literature, noting that its “policies evolve based on our due diligence, including feedback from these meetings and other inputs such as changes in social norms, language or product updates”.
Canadian wildfire smoke dispersal worsened by coincident cyclones, study suggests
by Hannah Bird , Phys.org
Spread of wildfires occurring across Quebec on 5-8 June 2023 alongside measurements of burnt land area, carbon monoxide and particulate matter emissions through time. Credit: Wang et al. 2024.
Wildfires are unplanned and unpredictable threats to Earth; while we may intuitively relate them to extreme heat at lower latitudes, they are known to occur in Arctic regions, such as those recently ravaging Russia.
Such phenomena not only pose hazards to local communities and wildlife through destruction of habits and infrastructure, but also impinge upon regional air pollution to affect public health, as well as impacting incoming solar radiation and albedo feedbacks that link to global temperatures and meteorological cycles.
One such cycle is cyclones, air masses rotating about zones of low pressure, that often bring extreme weather conditions. New research, published in Geophysical Research Letters, has linked intensification of mid-latitude cyclone activity with the occurrence of wildfires and their augmentation effect on wind and cloud formation, focusing on a case study from Canada.
In June 2023, high temperatures and drought led to 200 wildfires sweeping across Quebec's boreal forest in a week-long period, burning >156,000 km2 of land and releasing 1.3 Pg of CO2, degrading air quality in eastern Canada and North America. Indeed, particulate matter concentrations reached 8 times the "safe level" outlined by the World Health Organization.
To analyze this further, Dr. Zilin Wang, of Nanjing University, China, and colleagues input high-resolution records of trace gas and particle emissions from biomass burning, alongside satellite observation of the location and size of wildfires, into simulation software to determine their interactivity with meteorological systems.
Meteorological changes caused by smoke aerosols impacting solar radiation of Earth on 7 June 2023. Credit: Wang et al. 2024
The research team identified a strong connection to cyclone activity exacerbating the transport of wildfire smoke southwards across northeast America, reaching as far as New York. The "rear" of the cyclone acted as a bridge to the north and brought the particulate matter downwind, while stagnation of the cyclone (moving at 7.9 km h-1) over two days deepened the aerosol concentration over the affected cities.
Furthermore, they found the change in energy balance in Earth's atmosphere (radiative forcing) to vary considerably between land and ocean, from -150 W m-2 to 100 W m-2. This means smoke aerosols have important consequences for interacting with incoming solar radiation, variably reflecting or absorbing it, causing cooling (by ~1 °C) or warming (by ~0.5 °C) respectively.
This is especially the case for aerosols forming cloud condensation nuclei that increase cloud formation and longevity, and feeds into the enhancement of cyclonic cloud activity. Not only this, but aerosols can impact surface wind speeds, atmospheric moisture and air temperature sufficiently to form a positive feedback loop that exacerbates wildfire activity.
This research is important as the prevalence of wildfires is likely to increase into the future as the climate continues to warm. As such, understanding how smoke aerosols from wildfires affect meteorological systems is of vital importance to help mitigate against the effects of more extreme weather phenomena.
More information: Zilin Wang et al, Intensification of Mid‐Latitude Cyclone by Aerosol‐Radiation Interaction Increases Transport of Canadian Wildfire Smoke to Northeastern US, Geophysical Research Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1029/2024GL108444
Researchers explore the impact of children participating in urban planning process such as increasing walking safety around an elementary school in Busan, Korea. Credit: Professor Donghyun Kim from Pusan National University, Korea
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defined child-friendly cities as those that prioritize children's access to safe environments, health care, education, green spaces, and the right to participate in decision-making processes about their surroundings.
Despite the importance, children are often overlooked in urban planning, consulted mainly for ideas rather than being actively involved in implementation of the ideas. Involving children fosters community interaction and enhances their understanding of how physical environments impact well-being. However, despite these benefits, children often face exclusion from public spaces due to limited capacity for independent movement and physical activity.
Recently, researchers from Pusan National University, led by Professor Donghyun Kim, Associate Professor at the Department of Urban Planning and Engineering, aimed to address this gap. Their study focused on conducting a participatory planning process with children and applying the findings to improving walking safety in a school zone in Busan. This study was published online on 17 June 2024 in the journal of Planning Theory & Practice.
Dr. Kim explains, "Our study aims to construct a community participatory planning process involving children and apply this planning process to a case related to the road safety problem of the school zone."
The study used a three-step participatory community planning process, which was designed based on interactions between the planner (comprised of six undergraduate and five graduate students from the Department of Urban Planning and Engineering at Pusan National University) and participants (89 children of grades 5 and 6). Initially, both planner and participant groups conducted separate field work and community mapping exercises.
Despite initial challenges, the children effectively identified various walking safety risks, such as illegal parking zones, intersections, unsafe crosswalks near their school, which were mapped and discussed using online tools like KakaoTalk Open Chat. All the identified spaces were congested with heavy vehicle movement in unpredictable directions and speeds.
In the second step, the planner group reviewed their findings and developed multiple solutions for the identified problems. Children rank preferences among the proposed solutions based on safety, impact, convenience, and cost, through an online survey. Sites for selected solutions including pedestrian-first streets, raised crosswalks, painted sidewalks, and bollards to prevent illegal parking, were then marked using Google Jamboard.
The final step involved creating a comprehensive community walking safety plan. Combining the survey results, the planners proposed installing pedestrian-first streets, painting sidewalks, adding bollards, marking crosswalks, and installing parking entrance alarms in and around the school area. This plan was then presented to the local government and local council and proposed as a policy.
The study highlighted how children successfully took part in participatory planning, despite challenges posed by restrictions due to COVID-19 and varying participant interest. Community maps, virtual tools, and shared understanding acted as effective tools in effectively utilizing children's participation.
Dr. Kim points out, "Our study shows that children can be the main actors in planning for community issues. The communicative planning process proposed in our study can be applied to bridge the gap between planners and residents in solving problems of various themes such as pedestrian safety problems for children, community renewal, and community climate change adaptation."
This urban planning approach empowers children, enabling their unique perspectives to contribute to the creation of safer and more inclusive environments.
More information: Bo-Kyung Jung et al, Children as Key Actors in Participatory Planning: Co-Working Experience of Community Planning for Walking Safety Around Bongrae Elementary School in South Korea, Planning Theory & Practice (2024). DOI: 10.1080/14649357.2024.2363790
Cocoa price surge eats into Barry Callebaut sales volumes
July 12, 2024
ZURICH (AFP) – The world’s top industrial supplier of chocolate, Barry Callebaut, reported yesterday a dip in sales volumes in its latest quarter as a jump in cocoa prices bit into demand.
Figures released by the Swiss firm showed that sales volumes slid 0.3 per cent in the company’s third quarter, which runs from March through May, while sales revenues surged nearly 27 per cent to CHF2.68 billion (USD2.98 billion).
Over the first nine months of its fiscal year that runs through August, sales volumes were still up 0.4 per cent to 1.7 million tonnes and revenues climbed 16.3 per cent to CHF7.32 billion.
Global cocoa prices were up 131 per cent during that period, but Barry Callebaut said most of its contracts allow it to recoup increases in input prices.
The evolution of nine-month sales volume and revenue figures were in line with the expectations of analysts surveyed by Swiss financial news agency AWP, but the company’s shares tanked eight per cent in morning trading.
File photo shows chocolate bars at the Barry Callebaut chocolate factory at Wieze on the outskirts of Brussels, Belgium. PHOTO: AFP
“In an unprecedented cocoa environment, we are pleased with achieving a slight increase in volume for the first nine months,” Chief Financial Officer Peter Vanneste said in a statement.
The company pointed to a 0.8 per cent increase in its chocolate sales despite the global confectionary market sliding 1.5 per cent according to data firm Nielsen as manufacturers faced softer consumer demand in the face of higher prices.
Barry Callebaut supplies cocoa and other chocolate products to food industry giants including Hershey, Nestle and Unilever.
“Looking ahead, the market faces further challenges, particularly from supply turbulence and cocoa-related price increases,” Vanneste said. The company kept its full-year guidance of flat sales volume growth and steady recurring operating profits.
It reports annual results on November 6.
London cocoa prices hit a record of GBP9,285 per tonne on April 19, and are currently trading at around GBP6,700 per tonne.
Barry Callebaut is in the midst of a restructuring that will see job cuts and major investments to modernise its operations and tap into growing Asian markets.
Kasnazani followers in Iraq commemorate founder's death anniversary
2024-07-04
Shafaq News/ Followers of the Kasnazani Sufi order in Iraq commemorated the fourth anniversary of their founder Sheikh Mohammed al-Kasnazani's death on Thursday.
Disciples from across the country gathered in Sulaimaniyah, the order's headquarters, for remembrance ceremonies that included Quran recitation and tributes to the late Sheikh.
"The fourth anniversary of Sheikh Mohammed al-Kasnazani's passing saw a large turnout of followers from various regions of Iraq," said Khalifa Bahjat Hassan.
"A major religious ceremony was held, with Quran recitals and lectures delivered about Sheikh Mohammed al-Kasnazani's life and his role in promoting Islamic teachings," Hassan added.
Sheikh Mohammed al-Kasnazani, a prominent Iraqi Sufi figure, passed away in 2020 at the age of 82. He was known for his efforts to spread Islamic teachings and promote peace and love of Kasnazani Qadiri Order.
The Kasnazani Qadiri order is a Sufi order founded in Iraq in 1740. The order emphasizes traditional Islamic teachings and humanitarian values. Sheikh Mohammed al-Kasnazani served as the order's fourth guide.
TURKIYE INVADES KURDISTAN (IRAQ & SYRIA)
Kurdish village caught in crossfire as Turkish-PKK clashes spark massive wildfires
BARZANII CLAN AND THEIR PERSHMERGA GIVE PKK NO SUPPORT
Shafaq News/ Violent clashes between Turkish forces and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Duhok's northern village of Sekiri have ignited huge wildfires, engulfing vast swathes of farmland and threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of villagers.
According to Nizar Mohammed, the mukhtar (village head) of Sekiri village in Duhok Governorate, artillery shelling from the surrounding conflict has triggered multiple fires, destroying hundreds of acres of mature trees and causing widespread panic among residents.
"The shelling has caused fear and terror among the villagers, who are now trapped between two difficult choices: either remain under the crossfire and continue trying to protect their remaining farmland from the the fires, or flee the village and leave everything behind," Mohammed told Shafaq News agency.
Compounding the villagers' plight is the limited access for firefighters to reach the affected areas due to the volatile security situation and the rugged terrain of the territory. The residents have been forced to deploy rudimentary firefighting methods in a desperate attempt to salvage their crops and homes.
"The people of the village are working day and night to extinguish the fires using primitive means," Mohammed explained.
Turkish operations in mountainous northern Iraq, which have been on and off for decades, have been expanded in recent years with soldiers on the ground backed by air strikes, drones and artillery.
In recent weeks, residents in Duhok said that Turkish forces have been patrolling and setting up checkpoints in new areas deep in the Iraqi territory.
Iraq has stepped up pressure on the PKK since a visit by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to Baghdad in April.
Late on Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani chaired a meeting of the Ministerial Council for National Security and discussed "the interventions and violations by Turkish forces in the shared border areas", Iraqi military spokesman Maj Gen Yahya Rasool said.
Ankara sees the presence of the PKK in Iraq as a major national security threat and the group's presence is one of the biggest challenge to relations between Turkiye and Iraq.
Senior officials have vowed to create a "security corridor" up to 40km wide along the Iraqi and Syrian borders – a move, it says, is designed to prevent attacks by the PKK on Turkish soil.
Despite the protests from Baghdad, Ankara's military operations have continued in northern Iraq.
The PKK has been waging an insurgency against Turkiye since 1984, initially seeking an independent Kurdish state before changing its demands to an autonomous Kurdish region within Turkiye. About 40,000 people, many of them civilians, have been killed in the conflict.
The group has training camps and bases in the Iraqi Kurdistan region and is designated a terrorist group by the US and EU.
In March, Baghdad listed the PKK as a "banned organisation", and Ankara has called on the Iraqi government to do more in the fight against the militant group.
During a visit to Iraq in April, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke of "expectations" of Iraq in the fight against the PKK. Al-Sudani spoke of "bilateral security co-ordination" that would meet the needs of both countries.
However, Iraqi Defence Minister Thabet al-Abbasi in March ruled out joint operations between the two neighbors.
Ankara's operations against PKK fighters in Iraq and Syria have led to casualties not only among the fighters, but also civilians. Operations in Syria have also provoked anger in Washington, which has forces alongside Kurdish armed groups, a legacy from the war on ISIS.
The Iraqi Kurdish region has complicated relations with the PKK because its presence impedes trade relations with Turkiye.
Last week, Iraqi security forces announced the arrest of three suspects linked to PKK, accusing them of sabotage attacks.
PKK targets Turkish military vehicle in northern Duhok
2024-07-09
Shafaq News/ A security source reported Tuesday that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) targeted a Turkish military vehicle in the northern region of Duhok, Iraqi Kurdistan.
The source told Shafaq News Agency that the PKK used an improvised explosive device (IED) to attack the vehicle on the road between Kani village and the town of Dirluk, north of the governorate.
The vehicle caught fire, but there were no immediate reports on casualties or the extent of the damage.
The security situation in Duhok worsened in the last two days, with PKK intensifying its operations.
Earlier today, a Peshmerga fighter was wounded in a rocket attack launched by PKK militants near the village of Sikeri.
PKK also targeted a military site of the Turkish army in the Matin Mountain range in Al-Amadiya.
The presence of the Kurdistan Workers' Party in the governorate not only affected the security landscape, especially along the borders with Turkiye and Syria but also led to humanitarian consequences such as civilian displacement and fire outbreaks in farmers and agricultural lands.
On Monday, Kurdistan Region's Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed revealed ongoing communications between the Kurdish and Iraqi governments with Ankara regarding the Turkish incursion on the Iraqi territory.
Ahmed considered the presence of the PKK as "illegal," stressing that "we all believe that the PKK should leave these areas to avoid harming the residents."
In a TV interview, the Kurdish President, Nechirvan Barzani, said, "The (Kurdistan) Workers' Party is a severe headache for the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as well. They do not value the legitimacy of the Kurdistan Region's institutions and threaten Turkiye from our territories."
PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, and the EU. Iraq considers it a "banned" organization.
Turkish airstrikes destroy homes in northern Duhok amid PKK conflict
2024-07-09
Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, eyewitnesses in Duhok reported that several houses were damaged and burned in a village in the north of Duhok Governorate due to Turkish bombing.
Witnesses informed Shafaq News Agency, "Turkish fighter jets conducted raids on Mazi village, located at the foot of Kara Mountain overlooking Al-Amadiya district, north of Duhok."
"The airstrikes resulted in the destruction and burning of several homes that had been abandoned by the village's residents years ago due to the armed conflict between the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Turkish army," they reported.
Earlier today, PKK militants launched a rocket attack on a Peshmerga position in Al-Amadiya district, north of Duhok, which resulted in the injury of a Peshmerga fighter near the village of Sikeri.
In addition, a military site of the Turkish army in the Matin Mountain range in Al-Amadiya was targeted by the PKK.
In Duhok, the presence of the Kurdistan Workers' Party has profoundly influenced local dynamics. Known for its military engagements against Turkish forces and occasional clashes with the Peshmerga, the PKK has raised significant security concerns. These activities have not only affected the security landscape, especially along the borders with Turkiye and Syria but have also led to humanitarian consequences such as civilian displacement and fire outbreaks in farmers and agricultural lands.
PKK drone attack targets Turkish military point in Matin Mountain
2024-07-09
Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, a security source reported that a military point of the Turkish army in the Matin Mountain range in Al-Amadiya district was attacked by Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants.
The source told Shafaq News Agency, “The PKK members used a drone in their attack, and the Turkish forces responded using several weapons,” noting that “the extent of the losses is not yet known.”
The Turkish army has established several new military outposts in the Matin Mountain range due to escalating confrontations with PKK in various areas of Al-Amadiya district, In Duhok Governorate.
The conflict between Turkiye and the PKK dates back to the early 1980s when the PKK, founded by Abdullah Öcalan, began advocating for an independent Kurdish state within Turkiye. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the conflict intensified, with the PKK engaging in guerrilla warfare and the Turkish military conducting large-scale operations against PKK bases, particularly in southeastern Turkiye and northern Iraq.
The early 2000s saw intermittent ceasefires and attempts at peace negotiations, including a notable peace process in 2013. However, this process collapsed in 2015, leading to renewed hostilities.
Turkish drone targets suspected PKK members in Sinjar; injuries reported
2024-07-08
Shafaq News/ On Monday, a police source in Nineveh reported that three individuals, suspected to be members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), were injured in an airstrike believed to have been conducted by a Turkish drone in the Sinjar district.
The source informed Shafaq News Agency, stating, "The airstrike targeted a civilian car (Tucson) transporting three Yazidis, suspected to be PKK-affiliated, on the road between the Tal-Qasab complex and Sinjar district, west of Mosul."
"The injured were transferred to a nearby hospital for treatment, and it was not clear whether there were any deaths among them," he added.
The conflict between Turkiye and the PKK dates back to the early 1980s when the PKK, founded by Abdullah Öcalan, began advocating for an independent Kurdish state within Turkiye. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the conflict intensified, with the PKK engaging in guerrilla warfare and the Turkish military conducting large-scale operations against PKK bases, particularly in southeastern Turkiye and northern Iraq.
The early 2000s saw intermittent ceasefires and attempts at peace negotiations, including a notable peace process in 2013. However, this process collapsed in 2015, leading to renewed hostilities.
PKK is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union and recently a “banned” organization in Iraq.
Turkish artillery hits PKK targets, sparks fires in Duhok
2024-07-07
Shafaq News/ A security source said that Turkish forces launched on Saturday artillery and warplane bombardment targeting sites of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the Rashafa valley of the Dirluk district, north of Duhok Governorate.
The source stated to Shafaq News Agency that the bombing caused extensive material damage to residents’ farms and ignited widespread fires in the nearby forests. The fires continue to burn, and fire brigades have not yet been able to control them at the time of this report.
The conflict between Turkiye and the PKK dates back to the early 1980s when the PKK, founded by Abdullah Öcalan, began advocating for an independent Kurdish state within Turkiye. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the conflict intensified, with the PKK engaging in guerrilla warfare and the Turkish military conducting large-scale operations against PKK bases, particularly in southeastern Turkiye and northern Iraq.
The early 2000s saw intermittent ceasefires and attempts at peace negotiations, including a notable peace process in 2013. However, this process collapsed in 2015, leading to renewed hostilities.
PKK is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union and recently a “banned” organization in Iraq.
Tukriye establishes new military posts in northern Duhok, Iraqi Kurdistan
2024-07-07
Shafaq News/ Turkish forces have set up new military positions in the north of Duhok governorate, within Iraq's Kurdistan region, amid ongoing operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a local source reported on Sunday.
The source told Shafaq News Agency, "Turkish forces established several new military posts in the Nahili area of Al-Amadiya district, between the Serkli and Rashafa valleys on the slopes of Matin Mountain." These positions are reportedly equipped with weapons, military vehicles, and machinery for road construction and base establishment.
Since 2019, Ankara has established several bases in the Duhok Governorate through informal agreements between Turkiye and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
Informal figures suggest that Turkiye has a permanent deployment of 5,000 to 10,000 soldiers in Iraqi territory, where it has created a de facto secure zone and moved the armed struggle onto Iraqi soil. It has also built roads in Iraq to connect its military bases and achieve more effective area control. The last one was in February 2024, when Ankara said the road is to "streamline the movement of military and logistical supplies to its bases in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq."
In 2022, Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army Abdel Emir Yarallah exposed the extent of Turkiye's military presence in Iraq, revealing that it operates five bases in the country.
Yarallah said, "The bases include more than 4,000 Turkish fighters." noting that Turkiye had 40 positions in Iraq in 2021, and the figure has since risen to 100, with many located just short distances from the Zakho, Al-Amadiya, and Duhok regions.
Iraq views Turkish airstrikes and bases as a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. These operations commonly cause civilian casualties and damage infrastructure alongside the killing of PKK members.
The Iraqi government also worries that Turkish military presence in northern Iraq could destabilize the Region and empower Kurdish separatists within Iraq.
On the other hand, Turkiye expressed disappointment in the Iraqi government's historical "reluctance" to acknowledge and ban the PKK as a terrorist organization.
However, recent developments have signaled a shift in Iraq's stance.
Last March, Turkiye proposed the establishment of a "joint operation center" with Iraq to combat the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a move that has received a positive response from Baghdad.
The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
In late June, the U.S.-based organization Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) observed the entry of 300 Turkish tanks and armored vehicles into the Kurdistan region, establishing a security barrier within the Badinan area.
According to the CPT report, approximately 1,000 Turkish soldiers have been transported between the Turkish military bases, setting up a security checkpoint between the villages, allowing civilian passage only after identity verification.
The report indicated that Turkiye's new plan is to establish a security line stretching from Shiladze to Batifa, passing through Dirluk, Bamarni, and Bekova. All villages, towns, districts, sub-districts, valleys, and lands behind this line would be under Turkish military control, potentially turning these areas into conflict zones if clashes occur.
The report also suggested that another objective of this Turkish military movement is to reach Mount Haftanin in the Shiladze area and occupy the Gara mountain range, which would result in the Kurdistan Regional Government losing control over 70-75% of Duhok.
In response, Zeki Akturk, Press and Public Relations Advisor at the Turkish defense ministry stated that Turkish forces are working to enhance control in the Claw-Lock operation area along the border.
"We are developing control over the area achieved so far through the ongoing Claw-Lock operation in northern Iraq since April 2022, with extraordinary and unexpected operations in line with field requirements," he said in a press statement.
He added, "Turkish forces continue their activities to neutralize the PKK's operational capabilities, aiming to completely secure northern Iraq while taking effective and dynamic measures along the border."
Akturk noted that authorities established the checkpoints in residential areas near the Turkish operation zones in coordination with the Iraqi side.
Neither the Iraqi nor the Kurdish side commented on Akturk's statement.
Turkish drone attack in Kurdistan Region leaves two PKK members injured
2024-07-08
Shafaq News/ On Monday, The Counter-Terrorism Service in the Kurdistan Region confirmed that two members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), were injured in a Turkish drone bombing that targeted a car transporting them on the road between the Tal-Qasab complex and Sinjar district, at 11:10 this morning.
The Service stated, "According to information, the car was carrying three people, and two of them were seriously injured."
A police source in Nineveh had informed Shafaq News Agency earlier today, "The airstrike targeted a civilian car (Tucson) transporting three Yazidis, suspected to be PKK-affiliated."
He added, "The car belongs to the Gara Tefi channel affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party," noting that "the injured were transferred to a nearby hospital to receive treatment, and it was not clear whether there were any deaths among them."
Turkiye has been involved in military operations in northern Iraq, targeting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
The Turkish government has cited security concerns and the need to combat terrorism as the rationale for its military actions in Kurdistan.
These operations have involved airstrikes, artillery shelling, and ground incursions into Iraqi territory.
The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkiye and several other countries, has been engaged in a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state, seeking greater autonomy for Kurds within Turkiye.
The Turkish shelling in Kurdistan has led to civilian casualties and displacement, exacerbating tensions in the region.
It has also raised concerns among Kurdish communities and international observers about the impact on civilian populations and the broader stability of the region.
RIGHT WING BARZANI FAMILY CONTROL IRAQI KURDISTAN BETRAYING THE PKK TO BOTH TURKEY AND IRAN
OPPOSITION TO THE BARZANI REGIME
Former PUK leader arrested on terrorism charges in al-Sulaymaniyah
Shafaq News/ A high-ranking former official of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Ata Sarrawi, has been arrested under terrorism charges in al-Sulaymaniyah, a security source disclosed on Friday.
The source, speaking to Shafaq News Agency, stated that Sarrawi was detained per Article 2 of the Anti-Terrorism Law, accused of rigging and detonating his own vehicle in the governorate.
Further details from other sources revealed that investigative committees assigned to the case had concluded their investigation about two weeks ago. The findings were handed over to PUK leader Bafel Talabani and Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Qubad Talabani, who emphasized that the judicial process should proceed independently.
The explosion targeting Sarrawi’s car occurred on April 19, 2024. At the time, Qubad Talabani assured the public that all security forces had been tasked with investigating the incident, affirming that no one would be allowed to disrupt peace in al-Sulaymaniyah.
Sarrawi was apprehended at al-Sulaymaniyah Airport upon his return from abroad. A press conference by Ata Sarrawi’s tribe is scheduled for Friday afternoon, where they are expected to respond to his arrest and outline their stance on the matter.
