“A demand for refugees’ repatriation is now a nonpartisan trend among the public… A recent survey found that 90% of CHP supporters, 88% of pro-Kurdish HDP supporters, and 98% of nationalist Good Party supporters want refugees to be sent back.”

foreignpolicy.com/2022/07/12/tur… Erdogan had been careful to ignore Ozdag, but following the political tornado he caused, the president recently caved and responded.

“What worries us is the leader of the main opposition chasing these small polemics too.” Erdogan added, admitting Ozdag’s growing influence.

Sinjar: clashes reported last night and this morning between the Iraqi army and PKK-backed Yazidi forces; the Iraqi army wants to take over the offices of Ezidxan forces who practically control the west and NW Sinjar region. Casualties reported but the situation is still unclear. The Iraqi army has vowed been signalling it no longer tolerates the presence of PKK-backed Yazidi militia YBS since two weeks ago when Turkey started a new cross-border Op in Iraqi Kurdistan; interestingly, pro-Iran militias, which YBS is formally part of, have stayed silent.

I get Kavala is charged unfairly why is Kavala so important to the US that his release will improve Turkish-American ties?

If it is about 'human rights' what about the tens of thousands who are similarly arrested unfairly?

https://twitter.com/NicholasDanfort/status/1520433657344897024

Maybe I’m missing something but it is quite telling that there has been far more outrage in western circles about Kavala than Demirtas - this is not to belittle Kavala’s case but Demirtas’s arrest is really a bigger deal for Turkish democracy - if this is about Turkish democracy.

Turkish military has started a new cross-border military operation dubbed ‘Claw-Lock’ against the PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan; last night, Turkish airborne commandos and special forces were dropped in some PKK heartland, clashes have equipped in several areas.

A rolling thread. Turkish military has released this video claiming to be the bombardment of PKK positions in Iraqi Kurdistan last night:

The political, economic, and social regression in Iraqi Kurdistan is just sad and in many ways much worse than outsiders assume. This medieval superstitious attitude did disappear for a while but have re-emerged thanks to the Barzani family and their weird followers.

https://twitter.com/KurdistanWatch/status/1504370703461724160

And what I am struggling to understand is how quite a few diaspora Kurds who are hardcore 'progressives' in the countries where they reside support this literally superstitious medieval mentality - either directly or indirectly under the pretext of 'loving' Kurdistan.

"A senior US official who was briefed on the strikes said the building hit in Erbil served as an Israeli intelligence and training facility...The US official and another US official confirmed that Israel has conducted intelligence operations against Iran from Kurdistan" - NYTimes Iran’s Attack Was Response to Secret Israeli Attack on Drone Site nytimes.com/2022/03/16/wor…

Very preliminary results, Iraq elections:

- Signs of a major surge for opposition candidates across Kurdistan; if the trend continues, the New Generation will easily surpass PUK.
- Extremely low turnout across much of Iraq, including in politically charged cities such as Kirkuk. According to very preliminary results: in every single ballot box reported in Sulauimani province: New Generation's candidates are far ahead of PUK; meanwhile, in Duhok, the Kurdistan Islamic Union candidate appears to be leading in the Duhok/Amedi electoral zone, for now.