Turkey must choose between kurds or Daesh

Turkey must choose between YPG, IS

Only if one has a heart of stone would one not react to the turning on of water cannon to repel civilians desperately pressing against our Akcakale border while fleeing from the Islamic State (IS). Only a political mindset geared to denials would say, “There is no humanitarian crisis there.” Only those with different aspirations would not react to armed IS militants with sarcastic grins strutting among thousands of women, men and children.

Photographs disseminated by all agencies, from AFP to Reuters, tell the whole story. Actually, each media agency must have at least one reporter there as the war setting the Middle East on fire is now at our border.

According to UN figures, Turkey has received 1,698,000 Syrians as refugees in four years. Turkey has now closed its border to civilians escaping from Tell Abyad [Gre Spi, in Kurdish] just as we did to those escaping from Kobani and Shengal.

Why does a state that opens its gates to millions of people as guests and then boasts about it in the international arena decide to close its gates to "some" civilians?

Why are we one voice for the oppressed Muslims of Palestine, Egypt and Syria but all quiet when it is about people fleeing from IS?

Tell Abyad, which has been under IS control for the past two years, is directly opposite the town of Akcakale in our Sanliurfa province.

Amed Dicle of the ANF [Kurdish] news agency summarizes the background of the region: “Gre Spi is a part of Rojava, which was cleansed of Kurds extensively as part of the [Baathist] Arab Crescent project launched in the 1960s. It is right between the Kobani and Jazeera areas. The Baath regime, to ensure that these two areas were severed from each other geographically and culturally, used it as a main base.”

Tell Abyad is the gate of IS not only to Turkey but to rest of the world. Dicle added, “The Akcakale-Tell Abyad border crossing has never been closed. The [Turkish] state agricultural farm between Akcakale-Ceylanpinar is used as a base. This traffic continues and civilians cannot move on the Turkish side of it.”

Tell Abyad is vital for the Kurds also. Attacks against Kobani were launched from here. Cutting the link between Tell Abyad and Raqqa could mean the end of IS. Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and Burkan al-Firat [under Free Syrian Army] are pressuring IS in Tell Abyad from south and east. IS in return is using civilians as shields.

By turning back the civilians escaping from Tell Abyad and by keeping Akcakale open for crossing jihadists, Turkey appears, intentionally or not, as covertly supporting IS.

For the security of all people, political parties must review the situation and make a choice: YPG or IS? For the [Kurdish] solution process to continue or to revert to bloodshed?