Daryan Saman – Activist
October 16th in the history of the Kurds is a day of ill omen, complexity, and grief. There is not a single genuine Kurd, a soil-protector and patriot anywhere in the world, who can forget the night of October 15th and the day of October 16th, 2017, without considering it a historical betrayal. This is because the event had both an internal and an international dimension, the effects of which persist to this day. On that day, in full view of the entire Kurdish people and the world, they betrayed the homeland, the people of Kurdistan, the Peshmerga, and the blood of the martyrs and Kirkuk.
The event was, in reality, the occupation of Kirkuk and Kurdish areas by Iraqi forces through a secret, under-the-table agreement with the collaboration of a group of traitors within the [Patriotic Union of Kurdistan]. The Iranian state and a number of commanders from the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) also played a role in this agreement.
This goes to show that the decision was made to sideline the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) from the political arena of Kurdistan and to establish Iranian hegemony over Kurdistan.
Although the poisonous dagger and the betrayal of that group were the reason for the loss of Kirkuk and brought despair to the eyes of freedom-seekers, after the Peshmerga forces on the fronts of Pirde and Shelia gave the occupiers a historical lesson they will never forget, even with their lives, they proved that the people of Kurdistan will not surrender. Tanks, artillery, and aircraft, along with betrayal and treason, cannot diminish an ounce of the will and resilience of the Kurds.
Evidence Proving the Betrayal
The key point proving this betrayal is that (senior leaders of the PUK publicly opposed this agreement and betrayal and took a stand). A large portion of the PUK’s populace and individuals such as (Kosrat Rasul Ali, Mala Bakhtiar, Sheikh Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa, and Shalaw Ali Askari) rejected this terrible historical step by the Union and described it as a departure from the Union’s path. The current president of the Union’s admission that they made the agreements with the approval of 38 members of the leadership committee leaves no room for doubt. The video and photo evidence from October 16th indicates that no explanation can conceal the truths of this event.
The people of Kurdistan are convinced that the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is a political, militant, struggling party that has hundreds of struggle martyrs. They know that this betrayal is against the very path of the Union itself. Therefore, history must not be forgotten; the magnitude of this betrayal will not be erased from the history of the Kurds.
We all know that the group of traitors, on October 16th, through a series of misleading statements, wants to sway everyone’s mind and consciousness with some incorrect and illogical obscurities that do not align with the actual events of that day. However, the evidence is so clear and obvious that it cannot be “whitewashed” by any person or party.
The Consequences of October 16th
The Kurdish areas outside the administration of the Kurdistan Region are now under great threat, especially regarding the Arabization of those areas, the burning of Kurdish farmers’ crops, and ISIS attacks on Kurdish villages. The Iraqi government is also silent in the face of these threats against the Kurds in those areas, and until now, it has not taken any neutral stance or stood up for the rights of the Kurds.
After the betrayal of October 16th and the selling out of the land and people of Kurdistan in those areas, dozens of problems have emerged, particularly issues of land ownership, the expulsion of Kurds, the destruction of houses, the bringing of desert Arabs into Kurdish areas, the violation of the constitution and laws by the appointed governor of Kirkuk, the terrorization of free speech, and the Arabization of Kurdish areas.
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