In a condolence message issued on Saturday, the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) has condemned Friday’s attack in Moscow, pinpointing Turkey’s controversial support for ISIS and its repercussions on regional security and Kurdish independence efforts.
The Executive Council of the KNK, a European coalition of Kurdish organisations, said in their message, “As Kurds, we share their pain and know from personal experience how inhumane and cruel ISIS can be”, reflecting on the shared struggle against ISIS’s brutality experienced in Rojava (North and East Syria) and in Southern Kurdistan (north Iraq).
The KNK stated that, since 2014, the Kurdish regions have suffered greatly under ISIS, losing thousands of civilians and suffering over 12,000 deaths in the fight to reclaim territories. Despite these efforts, the threat of ISIS sleeper cells persists, according to the KNK, partly due to the Turkish state’s attacks on Kurdish forces in Syria, which have been at the forefront of the fight against ISIS alongside the global coalition.
The council accused the Turkish government, particularly under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, of providing extensive support to ISIS, turning them into a proxy force against the Kurds, with repercussions that extend beyond the region, as highlighted by the Moscow attack.
The council emphasised that true peace can only be achieved when countries like Turkey, accused of supporting ISIS, are held accountable for their actions in an international court. They pointed to the continued threat posed by ISIS in territories under Turkish control in northern Syria, including Kurdish cities like Afrin (Efrin), Ras al-Ayn (Serê Kaniyê) and Tel Abyad (Girê Spi), underscoring the urgent need for liberation to prevent future attacks.