Müslim: Barzani has not grasped true nature of ISIS

Müslim: Barzani has not grasped true nature of ISIS.

ANF - BERLIN

While ISIS attacks on the Kobane canton of Rojava continue, and the world's media give partial coverage to it, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) co-President Salih Müslim has emphasised the threat posed by ISIS in an interview with the Voice of Germany radio (Deutsche Welle).

In the interview on Deutsche Welle’s web page, Salih Müslim said ISIS gangs were preparing for a new assault on Rojava.

Müslim added that they wished to conduct a joint struggle against ISIS with the administration in South Kurdistan, but that it appeared that Massoud Barzani "had not fully grasped the nature of ISIS".

PYD co-President Sali Müslim said that Kobane was under siege, adding: "Kobane is the symbol of the Kurds identity and resistance. ISIS targeted it thinking it would be an easy target, but they have been unable to break the will of the Kurds."
'They are preparing for a new onslaught'

In response to a question regarding the scale of the ISIS attacks, Salih Müslim said there was seldom a day or two that went by without an attack, adding: "the ISIS gangs have distributed the weaponry they have brought in from Iraq to their militia in Raqqa prior to launching new attacks on Rojava."

Demand for a joint struggle against ISIS

The Deutsche Welle reporter asked, "ISIS is also threatening the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Is there any cooperation between the Kurds in Rojava and Iraq?" Salih Müslim replied, saying they had made the necessary call to South Kurdistan, adding: "ISIS attacked Kirkuk and fought the peshmerga forces. In Sinjar the peshmerga fought together with the YPG forces. That was particular to that area, and we wished to take it to a higher level. However, we have yet to receive a reply to our request. Such cooperation would have been a positive thing."

In response to a question, Salih Müslim said he believed South Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani had not properly grasped the dimensions of the threat posed by ISIS, adding: "ISIS said it was not an enemy of the Kurds, and the Barzani government appears to have believed this. However, if they had understood the true nature of ISIS and had taken a look at Rojava in my opinion they would have taken the necessary steps."

'We will recognise the independence referendum'

The PYD co-President said that they would recognise the outcome of the independence referendum planned in South Kurdistan. Müslim added that independence was not currently on the agenda of Kurds in other parts of Kurdistan, saying: "we Kurds in Rojava are not yet thinking of establishing a nation state. There is no possibility of this." 

Emphasis on democratic autonomy and a democratic Syria

Salih Müslim, responding to a question from the Deutsche Welle reporter regarding what the status of Rojava would be once the civil war had ended in Syria, said: "Our goal is democratic autonomy. In this way Rojava will be part of Syria and will not demand independence. A democratic system has to evolve in Syria, and our democratic autonomy will be part of that."

firatajans.