Attacks target language, culture, students not to abandon schools

DEJLA AHMED / KOBANÎ

In the last days of October and the first of November, the villages west of Kobanî canton in addition to the villages and neighborhoods in Girê Spî were bombarded by the Turkish occupation army with tanks, mortars, rockets and live bullets, all of which fell on the civilians in densely populated villages.

The Turkish occupation army has not only violated Rojava border and killed the civilians who were plowing their lands, but targeted the schools and innocent children. The six-year-old girl Sara who was returning from her school in the village of Tel Fender, west of Girê Spî was not taking up a weapon and fighting, but she was a pupil and learning her mother tongue when she was targeted in the head by a sniper on the border.

The Turkish violations show a direct target to the language and culture of the Kurdish people and the entire people of the area according to the students of Kor Ali village, west of Kobanî city on the border which has been subjected to shelling with artillery and tanks launched by the Turkish occupation.

In the result of the Turkish attacks, many schools in the border villages were forced to close their doors for fear on the lives of students to be targeted by the Turkish soldiers who do not hesitate to target them. The Turkish army targeted the school of Susk village, west of Tel Labib about a week ago as the educational staff was obliged to close it temporarily till the Turkish violations would be ceased.

Berjem Ahmed, one of the teachers in Kor Ali village's school, said while she was walking among the students during the break they went out to the yard that the school doors will not close although the area is bombed by tanks. The students insist to learn their mother tongue."

She added, "Because we speak and learn our mother tongue, the Turkish occupation attacks us and intensifies its violations and attacks on the culture and language of the Kurdish people."

Sonkol Sheikho, one of the children of the village learns in the village and she said, "I am from Kor Ali village. I am in the fourth grade in the village's school and I learn my Kurdish language. Turkey bombards us with tanks, but we will not abandon our language and we will resist on our land."

The pupil Morad Hassen said in the same context, "I love my language a lot and I will not abandon it."

The co-chair of the Education Body in Kobanî canton Abdul Razzaq Mohammed said that the villages and schools with their students on the border are targeted and the goal is to destabilize the security and to instill fear in the hearts of the children.

He added, "Targeting the girl Sarah showed the truth of the Turkish occupation in its personality. Children, language, culture and people were targeted."

The schools of the villages of Ashma, Kor Ali and Seftek, west of Kobanî, were shelled and targeted by the Turks in addition to the schools of the village of Susk and Tel Fender, west of Girê Spî city / Tel Abyed.

The co-chair of the Education Council in Kobanî Abdul Razzaq Mohammed condemned the silence of the international community, Human Rights organizations against violence and those that protect children, language and culture towards the Turkish attacks.

He called on them to show a reaction and put an end to the violations, and to prevent the targeting of the unarmed civilians and schools.

D.H

ANHA