Syrian and Kurdish tensions arise in Iraqi Kurdistan
New developments between Syrian forces and Kurdish groups in Aleppo have exacerbated tensions within Iraqi Kurdistan, according to The New Arab on January 15th.
With outward changes in media and public tolerance, Syrian refugees are being targeted in the Kurdish parts of Aleppo, Ashrafia and Sheikh Maqsoud. The KDP’s (Kurdistan Democratic Party) leader, Masoud Barzani, has called for peace between both parties, criticising the violence aimed at Syrian refugees and commenting on the unstable dynamics.
Barzani has reportedly decried the campaigns against Syrian residents as illegal, describing their choices as not in keeping with Kurdish values and policies.
Protests saw many Sulaymaniyah residents on January 11th frustrated with Kurdish displacement from Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafia, similar to protests on January 9th in other provinces. Both Syrian authorities and Turkish militias have been criticised by the Kurdish-language media, and following these tensions, an interview with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was cancelled on a channel associated with the KDP. Further Syrian-focused events have now been cancelled, with Erbil Governor, Omed Khoshnaw refusing a Syrian trade fair due to the public animosity.
According to spoken information acquired by The New Arab, Fethullah Husseini, representative for the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), said that hospitals in the Iraqi Kurdistan region are treating the injured, following the attacks by both the Syrian army and Turkish militia. His opinion remains appreciative towards the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), although he denounced any hostility towards Syrian refugees. He went on to say that a number of major Arabic media networks portray the Kurdish region poorly.
Moreover, the discomfort has increased hostility towards Syrian refugees, with attacks on individuals drawing fear among Syrians living in Iraqi Kurdistan. Kurdish forces have described these attacks as being far and few between, and according to Kifah Mahmoud, the attacks are not representative of Kurdistan’s political position, stating that Syrian refugees are protected by law and therefore, any animosity is monitored. He too describes a desire for peace.
With such a high percentage of Syrian refugees and asylum seekers in Iraq, and with a large portion of these people inhabiting the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, the desire for peace relies on a coexistence between the Kurdish residents and Syrian refugees, who portray ongoing discrepancies.
The New Arab/ Maghrebi.org
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