The President of the Dêrîn (Veteran) Peshmerga Association, Cemil Hewramî, shared his perspectives regarding the views of the veteran peshmerga, Turkey’s military campaign in Iraqi Kurdistan and the stance of the Regional Government of Iraq in an interview with Roj News.
Hewramî stated that it is unacceptable for Kurdish political forces to adopt different stances when Kurdistan is under such a grave threat. He asserted that a common stance should be taken.
He also noted that these views were shared with foreign representatives, including the UN’s Representative in Iraq. Hewramî drew attention to the role of the Kurdish fighters in the battle against ISIS. “The guerrillas played a good role against ISIS. My son personally trained with them,” he said.
Hawrami also spoke about the plundering of Kurdistan’s environment and warned that trees are being uprooted in Efrîn and trees are being cut down in Behdinan. “It is Turkey who burns down people’s gardens, not the guerrilla. The guerrilla are not responsible for this,” he said.
“Civilians in Kani Masi have been killed. Why? Civilians are being massacred in other places as well. Those killed are not all guerrilla.”
He warned that if things continue this way, the people of Iraqi Kurdistan would take up arms against the Turkish army, saying, “They will fight against Turkey just like they fought against Iraq once.”
He stated that he would never be a part of a Kurdish civil war: “If the PUK [Patriotic Union of Kurdistan] gets involved in a civil war, I will give it up. Mam Jalal said regarding North Kurdistan that if the problem of North Kurdistan is solved, the problem of all Kurds will be solved.”
