Manbij ... Black age and rejection of submissiveness to IS-3

AKRAM BEREKAT/NEWS DESK

After the outbreak of the Syrian revolution, Manbij people took part in the protests against the regime, and Manbij went out in the first demonstration on April 21, 2011 and On  July 19 ,2012 some armed factions like al- al-Kerama,Mojahidi al-Kerama, al-Nouman, al-Qaqa, al-Adiat, omer Ben al-Khettab, Thewar Manbij, Ali Ben Abi Taleb , al-Shikh Aqil, al-Hermin, Em al-Awasem, Jund Mohammed, al-Sultan Suleiman Shah, al-Bukhari, Sif al-Islam, Ahrar Syria, al-Amnia, Mojahidi Manbij, Fajir al-Islam, Remah al-Rafidin, Jaish al-Islam, Ahrar al-Sham, Ansar al-Sunna, Soqoor al-Sham,Ahrar Manbij, Al-Farooq, Ebad al-Rehman, al-Qewa 17, al-Herath al-Thewri,Aisha, al-Nisir,Firsan al-Furat, Abu Aub al-Ansari, Tareq Ben Zyad, Ajial al-Musteqbel, Abo Abdullah al-Bekari, al-Aumma, al-Sefa al-Merwa,Thewar Syria, Katebet al-Salihin al-Shikh Saleh, Ammar Ben Yaser, Ashab al-Yamin, al-Hiriri, Hiaet al-Amer Belmaroof Battalions managed to seize Manbij city from the Syrian regime.

However, these battalions did not do anything to the people of the city, but distributed the areas and neighborhoods, centers and public facilities among them, and the chaos have spread in the city and villages affiliated, and there were differences ending up in fighting among them.

In March 2013, mercenaries attacked Manbij city and managed to take control of the entire city in January 2014.

After the expulsion of all elements of these battalions from Manbij, the city became fully controlled by IS mercenaries. Some parents welcomed them as firstly they entered under the name of the Islamic Brigades. Then the real face of IS was revealed. The cultural city turned into a city covered by a black, dark cloud.

The importance of Manbij for IS mercenaries lies in its strategic route linking a stronghold in al-Raqqa with a main supply route for IS mercenaries and a base for the reception of foreign mercenaries for training and export abroad. In addition to that, it has a sensitive geographical location near the northern border with Turkey which opened its borders fully to IS mercenaries and facilitated all logistical and even military capabilities and equipment also to spread their poison among the Syrian people.

The main stronghold of foreign mercenaries

After Manbij’s takeover by IS mercenaries, the city became the second main stronghold of IS and the first of the foreign mercenaries who entered Syria through the Turkish border in direct coordination with Turkish intelligence (MIT).

Tens of documents which were found by the fighters of the Manbij Military Council (MMC) after the liberation of the city from IS, dated 5/7/2014, shows that the Turkish authorities facilitate the crossing of foreign fighters to Syria to join IS and others. Facilitate the transfer of equipment to and from Turkey.

Among the documents published is the New York Times’ report that Turkey is entering the "Urea Fertilizer" which is used in the manufacture of explosives from Turkey to Tal Abyad.

ANHA agency has also published dozens of dossiers showing Turkey's relationship with IS and border cities that have turned into strongholds for IS and how to recruit young people in the refugee camp in Turkey.

What did IS do in Manbij?

After six months of Manbij occupation, campaigns on civilian homes began in search for weapons, communication equipment or computers, and even in search for smokers.

In January 2014, IS mercenaries announced Manbij area as state related to it. It began to pose its hard approach to the people.

All tobacco shops were closed and burned, and no one was found carrying a cigarette in the streets. Anyone who is caught is beaten or jailed. The call to prayer is heard. Shopkeepers start closing their doors to pray in the mosque.

Black-painted cars marked "The Islamic State of in Iraq and Levant-Manbij State". These patrols monitor all those who violate laws.

It was forbidden for a man to drive motorcycles with his wife or sister or daughter behind him, one of the most important means used by people in the city and perhaps in all Syria.

IS removed the city's monuments under the pretext that they were pagan monuments. It began to break of tombs inside shrines that are above the earth's surface.

Destruction of mosques...Killing of imams!

In May 2014, IS bombed the mosque of Sheikh Aqil al-Manbiji, a senior Sufis, because of the presence of the Sheikh's tomb inside the mosque. They prevented the people of the area from building any building in its place, and then it dominated the mosques and isolated the imams and Imams, and appointed instead new Imams holding Daesh ideology.

The imam of the Grand Mosque, Mohammed Saed al-Dibu, refused to hand over his mosque. He criticized the actions of IS and considered them contrary to the teachings of Islam. The organization arrested him, people took out demonstrations to demand the release of their sheikh, and he was released, to be killed after weeks while going to the mosque for the dawn prayer.

IS opened legitimate courses for most of Manbij people on their approach to all the mosques of Manbij, where the students sat on the ground instead of sitting on the tables. They consolidated in their minds that man lives in the world to apply the rule of God in the land, and that the way to reach this goal is jihad and to consolidate these ideas in the minds of people.

These courses were inclusive of all males and compulsory. All schools were closed and all teachers were required to sign papers and submit legitimate courses for opening schools. They opened the schools in the form of gatherings by integrating all 10 schools in a one school. The students' attendance was almost no more than 5%.

Ibn Khaldoon University which includes a number of scientific branches, was closed and students from other universities were prevented from leaving their areas of IS' control to complete their studies.

IS spread fear in the city and anyone who violates it .So the people revolted against IS' practices for more than 17 times, the first of which was the beginning of June 2014, and about 21 people killed in the city.

A tragic life

Manbij turned into a large prison and social life turned into a tragic life. Every person was investigated at any moment to the extent that no one could carry the mobile phone and the elements of the so-called "al- Hasba" elements began to investigate most of the people. The mercenaries confiscated property and the home of anyone who was outside the city, whatever his political orientation was.

The mercenaries seized the warehouses of fodder, mills, wheat warehouses and public property represented by the assets of the endowments, electricity, municipal, health, education and banks.

IS imposed heavy taxes on the jewelers and all private shops, and mercenaries increased rents hundreds of shops owned by the endowments from the amount of 5,000 pounds annually to amounts ranging from 25,000 to 200 ,000 Syrian pounds per month.

In that period, Manbij turned into a large prison, preventing the city's residents from leaving. Public squares and roundabouts turned into human massacres where executions were held almost weekly to terrorize citizens.

IS' Practices on Manbij's Kurds

IS also practiced the ethnic cleansing against the Kurdish component from the beginning. It confiscated the role and the offices of the Kurdish citizens, killing and imprisoning dozens of them, in addition to expelling thousands of others, and making the city and its countryside a platform for attacks on Kobanî canton.

The first people revolted against IS

Despite the IS practices of the fear and the siege of the suffocating, but that did not break the will of Manbij people, remained revolted against the reality which was made up, and Manbij characterized like other areas that were under the control of IS that they revolted against the IS and their rule, the people launched an open strike on Sunday, May 18, 2014 to protest against the practices of IS, and arrested hundreds of those who refused to respond to orders to open their shops and killed a number of strikers.

The people of Manbij had only to resort to the Manbij Military Council which was founded on April 2, 2016. On June 1, 2016, Manbij Military Council launched a campaign on behalf of the liberation campaign of Manbij and its countryside. On June 5, 2016, after the commander of Shams al-Shamal Brigades, Faisal Abu Laila, martyred, the name of the campaign became the campaign of martyr commander Faisal Abu Leila in honor and respect for his heroism during the revolution.

Tomorrow: Manbij ... The dawn of August 12 is a history that the people of the area will not forget

A.H

ANHA