Kurdish Parties Differ over Return of Syrian Peshmerga

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. (AFP file photo)
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. (AFP file photo)
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Kurdish Parties Differ over Return of Syrian Peshmerga

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. (AFP file photo)
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. (AFP file photo)

The second round of discussions among US-sponsored Kurdish political parties tackled defense and protection affairs and how to allow Syrian Peshmerga forces to deploy in Kurdish regions in northeastern Syria, revealed informed Kurdish sources.

The Kurdish National Council and the Kurdish National Unity Parties met earlier this month at the international coalition base in al-Hasakeh. The meeting was attended by commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi.

The defense and protection file is witnessing major challenges and has raised doubts about whether the seven-month long Kurdish talks will yield positive results. This is the thorniest issue because the Peshmerga – the armed wing of the Syrian Kurdish National Council – has since its formation in 2012 been deployed in the neighboring Iraqi Kurdistan Region. The Peshmerga is comprised of Kurdish defectors from the Syrian regime army and volunteers from Kurdish regions.

Leading commander of the force said it comprises some 7,000 fighters, none of whom have fired a single shot in Syria.

“We did not take part in battle inside Syria, but when ISIS attacked the Kurdistan region in mid-2014, we were forced to join the fighting and we lost several martyrs,” he added.

A prominent official in the Kurdish council said the Peshmerga are estimated at 15,000 members, including 7,000 fighters and 8,000 recruits.

The Kurdish sources described the ongoing negotiations between the Kurdish parties as “very complicated and sensitive”. They cited the difficulties in returning the Peshmerga amid the deployment of a second major Kurdish force, the People’s Protection Units (YPG). The YPG are the military backbone of the SDF that controls the majority of regions east of the Euphrates River and receives support from the international coalition to fight ISIS.

Any Kurdish deployment needs to take into account threats from Turkey amid its rejection of the presence of such forces near its borders.

The return of the Peshmerga will require an international agreement between the countries deployed east of the Euphrates.

According to the Kurdish official, their return hinges on a comprehensive intra-Kurdish agreement being reached, which includes defense and protection and that they play real role as partner. It also hinges on an international agreement, with UN sponsorship, and understandings being reached between Moscow and Washington. Most importantly, regional armies involved in the war, especially Turkey, must keep out of the area.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.