Stories of resistance of Age - 11

A commander and his fighters did not abandon each other in the battles despite injuries

TOLIN HASSEN - GHANDI ALO/AFRIN

Within the historical resistance that took place in Afrin, many stories of heroism and redemption took place in which the fighters challenged the machine of killing, destruction and the sophisticated weapons. One of the stories of resistance in the first stage of Resistance of the Age is told to ANHA by the commander in YPG Mazloum Dogan who has been wounded 4 times during that resistance.

Following a new tactic to thwart occupation's attacks on Şêrawa villages

The commander Mazloum began to describe the events of the resistance which they fought in Afrin in Şêrawa district, Dogan said, "I was the commander of three groups consisting of 20 fighters of YPG and YPJ fighters who were deployed on the fronts of the villages of Burj Suleiman, Kebishin and Fafertin, were moving among the fronts of the villages of Şêrawa and repelling all the attacks of the Turkish occupation and mercenaries in that area. We adopted the tactics of small mobile groups and we did not stay in the same points because hovering reconnaissance aircrafts continuously over us amid the bombing of warplanes and artillery shelling forced us to take this tactic and we did not stop at certain positions to not be easy targeted by the enemy. Under that the situation, we used to rely on implementing qualitative operations against the occupation army and mercenaries, thwarting their attacks by approaching the enemy points as much as possible and monitoring their movements.

When we saw them moving a lot, we were progressing till we would become at the nearest point of the enemy's presence. Once they started to attack, we were surprising them to confront and we were becoming so close to them that they would not be able to use heavy weapons or warplanes against us. After dealing them with blows and thwarting the attack, we were deploying at spaced distances and each fighter was returning individually to our points so as to distract the enemy and to be able to hide easily from the reconnaissance planes."

Dogan added, "Our groups had been protecting these villages for 15 days, during which we inflicted the enemy heavy losses in the number and weapons. We did not allow them to advance. After that, the command asked me to move with my group to Janders area which was witnessing strong clashes and battles. After some groups took our positions in Şêrawa villages, I went with my group which included 20 fighters of YPG and YPJ to Janders."

Tal Sallor and Baflor resistance and wounded twice

The commander Mazloum Dogan told the story of their resistance after moving to Janders, "When we arrived in Janders, the battles were taking place in the villages so we took our positions on the fronts of Tal Sallor and Baflor villages. We followed the same tactic in preventing the enemy from approaching and we inflicted them great losses for 4 successive days. After that, the reconnaissance planes intensified their flight over us and monitored our movements. They did not leave the area for 24 hours in the midst of shelling with tanks and artillery by the mercenaries on Tal Sallor village and its hill. We could no longer move. However, some of our comrades put their life in danger to provide us with water, food and ammunition at night. Two days later, we decided to carry out an operation against the enemy, we moved to the front of Baflor village where another group of our fighters was stationed to carry out the operation launching from that front as it was less bombarded than Tal Sallor front.

I headed with 4 of my comrades towards the enemy's positions and we moved among the trees carefully. We noticed the presence of a reconnaissance aircraft in the sky at high altitude. While we were continuing to progress, 3 Cobra helicopters came and began combing the area. We hid behind the rocks and we sat under the trees, but the aircraft opened fire indiscriminately at the area and dust rose. We were trying to be protected with rocks and trees. Suddenly, I felt burning in my leg. I saw a side of my shoe got torn and I was bleeding because I was hit by a bullet in the side. After about 20 minutes of hovering helicopters and combing the area with machine guns, they left the area. I told my friend that I had been hit in my foot and we had to go back. They suggested that I would go back with one of the fighters and that 3 fighters would go to carry out the operation, but I did not accept and said that I would not let them going without me, and we would return together and carry out the operation later. Then, we returned to Baflor village.

Dogan added, "After receiving the medical treatment and being able to walk, I returned to Tal Sallor where the occupation army and its mercenaries were shelling the hill intensively and preparing to launch an attack on the village. We took our positions for confrontation, but the Turkish occupation aircraft launched intensive raids on the hill of the village and then, it launched an attack in which hundreds of the occupation army and its mercenaries were supported by artillery and tanks; therefore, we deployed ourselves at various points in Tal Sallor village and we repelled the ground attack so that strong clashes erupted between us in which a number of mercenaries were killed and several cars were wrecked, but because of the intensity of the shelling on the villages, the occupation of the hill of Tal Sallor village and their attempt to encircle us to cut off the road between us and the center of Janders area after they failed to enter the villages, we decided to return to the center of Janders so that we could strengthen our positions and open a wide front against the occupation army and its mercenaries.

I instructed our groups in the two villages to go to Janders gradually. As we were heading towards Janders, a fighter was wounded and fell in an exposed position. The enemy began to target him. I asked the other fighters to cover up so that I could reach him and rescue him. The fighters started firing with their machine guns at the enemy points and I headed towards the wounded fighter. I tried to carry him on my back. When I tried to carry him on my back, the mercenaries fired bullets intensely towards us and I was hit by a bullet in my hand. I asked the fighter to cling to me and took him from that point to an uncovered location by the mercenaries and from there, we went to our comrades and we reached peacefully. Then, we continued walking till we reached Janders center.

Falling into the siege and continuing the fighting despite injuries

The commander Mazloum continued the story, "After returning to the center of Janders area, I received a field medical treatment with the wounded fighter. We deployed on one of the center's fronts. At that time, the Turkish occupation’s aircraft was hovering over Janders and bombing some sites every now and then. A day after the Turkish army and its mercenaries’s occupation of Tal Sallor and Baflor villages, they began preparing to attack the center of Janders and they paved the way for that with intensive artillery shelling on the center. We had only light and medium weapons because the heavy weapons could no longer be used because of the flight of the drones that can easily monitor and bomb them. Beside this type of unequal battles in the number and weapons, we could do nothing but fortifying our positions and trying to drag the enemy to points close to us so that we could clash with them.

So we took several fortified points in Janders and waited for the advance of the enemy. After heavy shelling as usual, the occupation army and mercenaries launched a ground attack. We did not respond to those attacks to drag them to the outskirts of the city to be able to destroy their heavy weapons and tanks and to be able to confront. Indeed, the enemy advanced and reached the outskirts of Janders, and the distance between us did not exceed hundreds of meters and in some points tens of meters. The battle lasted until the next morning, during which the enemy was unable to enter the center despite their great number and their sophisticated and heavy weapons.

After hours of fighting, we heard the sounds of bullets coming from the back. We also rushed to strengthen our front from the back. A group of mercenaries had turned around us and started to shoot us from the back. We realized that we had been besieged from all sides.

We deployed in all directions and responded to the attacks. Then, two fighters were also injured in the sides. We covered their wounds and asked them not to strain themselves so that we could lift the siege on ourselves to help them, but they insisted on fighting beside us. They were crawling towards the holes we opened in the walls and shooting at the enemy, but because of bleeding and the pain, they had been no longer able to concentrate, so this time, they helped us by filling the ammunition for us, and we stayed on this case of siege and fighting for 12 hours until dark got came.

With light rainfall and a light fog that covered the area, we saw the atmosphere had been ready for us to get out of the siege. We moved towards the back and divided ourselves into two groups, each group with one of the injured, and we targeted the group of mercenaries who were behind us and clashed with them. Then, the fighters Adham and Serhad were martyred as they were trying to cover the two groups to open the road for them. After we clashed and killed many mercenaries, this helped us to open the road quickly. We opened the wireless devices and connected with the rest of our comrades. We informed them that we were in front of them to not hit us. They gave us several coordinates to go to. We went to the points they had set for us and a shell landed and I got wounded. We continued going until we reached our comrades with the corpses of the martyrs and wounded fighters. I was about to lose consciousness because of the pain and I was heavily bled.

The commander Mazloum Dogan concluded by saying, "Then, they transferred us to receive the medical treatment in Afrin, and then, the first stage of the Resistance of the Age ended and the second stage started so I joined the rest of my comrades and we promised our martyrs to continue the resistance, revenge and liberate Afrin completely.

A.H

ANHA