KurdishMedia.com
By Nyma Ardalan
17/10/2010
The Recent attacks in Mehabad and Sine (Eastern Kurdistan), which the Islamic Republic has blamed the Kurdish opposition groups for collectively. It has all the indication that there is more to this story; a popular saying in Iran roughly translates to “this news is fabricated for domestic consumption or use.”
One may recall the summer of 1979 when the drums of war were beating in Tehran and echoing all over the Islamic Republic and calling for the ouster of the Infidel enemies of Gods, the Kurds, these same Kurdish political parties, with the exception of a few newer organizations, the rhetoric back then was that the Kurds are puppets and manipulated by the Americans, Soviets and the Zionist, and not to mention Baath and the Monarchists, all these machinations at the same time, even then fresh out of the revolution, setting aside only a few leftist organizations, not many intellectuals questioned how all of these opposing ideologies could be in cohort together against the Islamic Republic, and by 1980 President Banisadr’s famous statement all over the media was that he is refusing to take his boots off until the Kurds were brought to heel, and under the control of the central government, 31 years and counting now, and the new Mr. Green himself was the proceeding prime Minister, Mr. Mosavi who was the number 2 man in Iran during the 80’s and the continued attacks on Kurds and Kurdistan, put the Iranian regime competing with Saddam on who can be more brutal in the oppressing the Kurds. Even then the government was training its own Islamic Kurdish militia to counter Kurdish resistance which by then had solidified into a massive popular resistance force, countering Iran’s best. Granted the towns and major cities were controlled by the revolutionary guards and their militia, but at best they were in control during the day only and hiding in their barracks at night.
Now 3 decades later we are hearing of these attacks in Mehabad and Sine and then a cross border attack into Southern Kurdistan where the Iranians claims to have killed 30 Kurdish militants responsible for that attack, that KRG has not really verified. What’s Ironic about this claim is that Iran has been shelling Qendil Mountains, and attacking Kurdish villagers and killing Kurds who live along the border, most are simple peasants, a large number of Kurds as young as 14 years old who make a living as a Sheppard are victims of these atrocious attacks, all these incursion into Southern Kurdistan has not produced or deterred the armed struggle of the Kurds, we are expected to accept that Iran’s security forces with lightning speed were able to find, locate and bring to justice those responsible, while the constant harassment of the Kurds living on the forced and made-up border dividing Kurds has not produced results and has brought out even more resentment towards Iranians. All Kurdish political parties have pointed the finger back to Iran, that would have seemed plausible if one can ignore the fact that the Islamic Republic did not have a 31 year history and track record of attempts and plans of exporting their revolution throughout the region.
A speculation that Salafi elements were responsible, logically would fit and explain much of the current scenario, as most Kurds know the Selafi movement which has elements of the Ansar behind it was mothered by Tehran and now it appears to have turned and bitten the bosom that nursed it, it is very likely these same groups which once did the bidding of the rulers of Tehran are now asking for their share and not satisfied with the arrangements and are now at odds with their handlers, same tactics which brought Islamic militants to bomb targets in Turkey and by all reported accounts they were carried out by the Turkish Hezbollah , the same group that Rulers of Ankara invented and turned loose to battle the progressive Kurdish groups in a futile effort to subdue the Kurds, not unlike and very similar to the Afghan Mujahidin and what that US policy brought forth there.
When Ansar al-Islam was wiped out by PUK and US Special forces, incidentally the real fighting was carried by the Kurdish Peshmerga, and the logistics and planning by US, it should be noted that Kurdish Authorities had been warning US and providing Intelligence about Ansar for close to a decade, without much notice until they became a threat to US interest no action was taken, the Kurds in Southern Kurdistan were weary of the Iran connection with Ansar, there were others as well, but the fact that some of the fighters escaped through the rugged Mountains of Hewraman to Eastern Kurdistan and reportedly setup camp there is well known. The rise of the Selafi movement in Eastern Kurdistan coincides with remnants of Ansar relocating to Eastern Kurdistan.
Unlike much of the rest of the region Religion for the Kurd seems to be of a personal or rather a spiritual relationship, the Kurds seem to have a degree of tolerance for different religions and have for centuries lived in harmony with other minorities unless agitated by outsiders or the powers in Ankara, Tehran, Baghdad or Damascus.
In retrospect seeing or reading the news of the attacks, and accusations from Tehran points to the fact that they are desperate and this is just a half measure to cover up the bigger issue that even their own have turned on them, but there is another possibility and one should not underestimate Tehran. They are masters at the propaganda war, US politician should learn from the Mulahs, they are the worlds best at propaganda, and they have proved this time and time again, as an example the nuclear ambitions of Iran and how they have played the UN and US is a good indication how cleaver and manipulative can be. However cleaver their response or tactics maybe this recent charade as far as Kurds are concerned is another attempt at cover up and it will be futile, and shows Tehran has failed again in its control of the Kurds but this time they may have created a nemeses worthy of their ideology, maybe chickens are home to roost..
