KONGRA-GEL condemns terror against Armenians in Kessab

By Roni Alasor / Lorin Sarkisian

Brussels, 7 April 2014 - Ararat News (ANP) - In a statement, Kurdistan People`s Congress (KONGRA-GEL) strongly condemns the terror against the Armenian community in Kessab in Syria and declares full support to the Armenian people.  

Since 21 March 2014 the Armenian and Alevi population in Kessab has been attacked by salafists / jihadists terror organizations linked to Al Qaida who are forcing the local inhabitants to leave the city.

“We are deeply concerned by the terror attacks against Armenian civilians in Kessab region in Syria. We have always shared their pain and the sufferings: We fully understand the sensitive situation they are going through. We declare full solidarity with Armenian people and all the targeted ethnical and religiouse communities, including Alevits in region and all Syria”, says the Kurdish organisation KONGRA-GEL, which is a congress assembly for nearly all Kurdish organisations from the north part of Kurdistan Region (Turkey) and in Kurdish diaspora. KONGRA-GEL and Union of Communities in Kurdistan (KCK) are backed by millions of supporters, several military wings, 103 municipalities in Kurdistan, as well as 36 parliamentarians in the Turkish parliament. KONGRA-GEL has also strong sister organisations in other part of Kurdistan, as PYD in Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan), which is in daily confrontation with the jihadist terror organisations.

Kurdistan People`s Congress KONGRA-GEL underlines that up to the present moment there has not been any violence between the people in the region. “The recent attacks are committed by foreign terrorist elements which benefit from the essential logistic and moral support of the Turkish authorities, which is well known by the Turkish people”.

In this regard, Kessab, which has been populated by Armenians before and after the Armenian genocide of 1915, is seen as a symbol of the tragic Armenian history of deportations and massacres. “It preserves the freshness of still painful memories”, says the statement. 

The recent attacks in Kessab are made by the terrorist organizations under the name of “Anfal campaign” as cleansing of non-Muslim population. The same term and methods of “Anfal” has been used by Saddam Hussein against the Kurdish population in today’s Federal Kurdistan (Iraq). According Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), 182 thousands civilians lost their life as victims of this campaign.

ANFAL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Anfal_Campaign