DAA in Euphrates: War against ISIS still ongoing 

The DAA issued a statement today on the 11th anniversary of ISIS’s attack on the city of Kobani and the resistance waged by the People’s Protection Units (YPG), Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), and revolutionary forces against those assaults, which marked the beginning of the collapse of the terrorist group.

The statement was read at the Kobani Museum by Kobani University professor Aras Hezo and student Friaz Ramo. It said:

“September 15 marks the anniversary of the start of ISIS’s large-scale attacks on the city of Kobani and its villages in 2014. On this day eleven years ago, ISIS launched its assault on Kobani from three directions, after having seized vast areas in Syria and Iraq, including major cities such as Raqqa and Mosul. The Syrian and Iraqi armies had fled before it, leaving behind large stockpiles of weapons, which ISIS turned against Kobani in an attempt to occupy it.

The attacks on Kobani at that time were part of a broader scheme aimed at eradicating the Kurdish people and the achievements of the July 19 Revolution. Kobani was chosen because of its symbolic significance to the Kurdish people: it was the city from which the spark of the Rojava Revolution was first ignited. Its fall would have dealt a devastating blow to the gains of the revolution.

But Kobani was unlike the other cities ISIS attacked. Its people stood firm, armed with free thought and unbreakable will, defending a just cause and carrying the banner of freedom and resilience; not only for their city, but for the entire world and humanity in the face of one of the most brutal terrorist organizations.”

The statement added: “The resistance waged by the YPG and YPJ for 134 days broke ISIS’s offensive, expelled them from the city, and initiated the liberation of other areas in North and East Syria from the terrorist group. Kobani was the first city to halt ISIS’s advance and deliver it a crushing defeat. From Kobani began the road to the group’s military demise.”

The statement also highlighted the resistance in Kobani: “The heroic resistance written by the defenders of freedom in the streets of Kobani foiled ISIS’s plots and those of all its backers, despite the unlimited military support the group received, particularly from the Turkish occupation state, which opened its borders and facilitated the entry of thousands of jihadists from across the globe into Syria and Iraq to join ISIS, massacre innocents, shed blood, destroy the country, and fragment Syrian society.”

It noted that the YPG and YPJ defense of Kobani stirred global solidarity: “Their resistance inspired free peoples around the world. November 1 was later declared World Kobani Day, when thousands across dozens of countries took to the streets in support of Kobani.”

The statement recalled the major role of Kurds in Northern Kurdistan during the battle: “Our brothers’ heroic stance in support of Kobani played a vital role in the victory.”

It continued: “Today, the assaults on the July 19 Revolution and the democratic project in North and East Syria are still ongoing. The enemies of freedom persist in their attempts to achieve what ISIS could not. Threats continue against our regions and our democratic project by groups under different names, but in reality they are remnants of ISIS and carry the same ideology. Many of their leaders were once commanders within the organization.”

The statement stressed that the war is not over: “ISIS sleeper cells remain widespread and appear from time to time, exploiting Syria’s instability. It is therefore necessary to continue the fight until the group is completely eradicated. We affirm that our resistance will continue with the same determination, spirit, and resolve that triumphed in Kobani until freedom and democracy are achieved, dark ideology is defeated, and all attacks targeting our people and the hard-won gains of the revolution are repelled.”

The DAA in the Euphrates Canton issued a call to humanity and the world to continue supporting the people of North and East Syria and the Autonomous Administration project, describing it as the only beacon of hope for building a new Syria: “The Autonomous Administration has proven itself to be the best and only model that meets the aspirations of Syrians for coexistence, democracy, freedom, safety, and stability. Supporting the Administration is support for stability and a brighter future for Syria.”

Finally, the statement honored the martyrs of freedom who wrote heroic epics with their blood, affirming: “We will continue on the path they paved with their sacrifices until freedom is achieved.”

A-H 

ANHA