Letter of an Internationalist in Rojava

“A resistance that will go down in history. Since November 27, the fascist state of Turkey has greatly expanded its attacks on the peoples of northern and eastern Syria. With its jihadist henchmen, from the SNA militias to the IS, they have invaded the Şehba/Şêrawa region and entered Minbic. Their aim was clear from the outset: to massacre the mainly Kurdish population and to continue the genocide of the Kurdish people that has been attempted again and again for centuries.

The people who have now had to flee for the second time, first from Efrîn and now from the tents in the refugee camps in Şehba, tell of unbelievable atrocities committed by the militias controlled and supported by Turkey. They tell how their relatives and acquaintances were beaten and beheaded in front of their eyes and how their children were ripped from their hands in order to extort ransom money for them. These are exactly the same atrocities as those committed by IS that shocked people around the world in 2014. Today, these atrocities hardly receive any attention.

It is precisely against this inhumanity that the QSD, YPG and YPJ defense forces in northern and eastern Syria have been putting up a heroic resistance for the past 14 days. Just as the war in Syria has entered a new phase, the defense of the Rojava revolution is also entering a new phase. This was particularly evident in the resistance against the ground offensive in the Minbic region, which has been expanded in recent days.

The jihadists who are attacking the revolution today are no longer the same as in 2014. In 2015, they failed because of the resistance in Kobanê. But the jihadists who are attacking today have been trained and equipped for this operation for years by NATO’s second largest army, the Turkish army. For example, they have heavy armored vehicles and technically sophisticated small combat drones. In addition, they receive continuous support from the Turkish air force, which is constantly monitoring the entire airspace of Minbic with more than ten drones in order to restrict the movement of the defense forces. Turkish fighter bombers repeatedly attack from the air and to date dozens of civilians, including children, have been killed by bombs.

In response to these attacks, the defense forces have launched a new tactical phase in recent days: urban warfare. Outside the enemy’s field of vision, they are operating tirelessly with new tactics and repeatedly inflicting heavy blows. In addition, small teams operate outside the city to strike from the air with mobile drones. In this way, the jihadists are not given a moment’s peace in the supposedly conquered areas. In addition, at least two of the large Turkish combat drones, which were advertised as indestructible, have been destroyed since yesterday.

If we want to understand this resistance, we must understand it on the basis of the self-sacrificing spirit of the entire Rojava revolution. Tens of thousands have been killed in the fight against IS alone. With this spirit of resistance and with the promise made to the Kurdish, Arab and internationalist martyrs, the defense forces in Minbic fought to defend the peoples of North and East Syria by all means. For example, there is the Arab commander Abu Leyla, there are Ş. Zana, Ş. Robîn, Ş. Rodî Ş., Amed, Ş. Ciwan, Ş. Firaz, Ş. Agir, Ş. Gîvara – they and hundreds of others gave their lives for the liberation of Minbic in 2016.

The situation is serious. Here on the ground, everything is being done to defend humanity and the achievements of the revolution, and we need all democratic people and all democratic forces worldwide. We need their strength and determination against the attacks of the Turkish state and its jihadist henchmen. Get active, take your role! Do not listen to the many false reports circulating on the internet! Follow trustworthy channels! Break the silence! Increase the power of your resistance! No matter what comes, in the resistance we carry on the spirit of the revolution together! Whether Kobanê, whether Minbic: Bijî berxwedana Rojava!”

The original letter in german you can find here