Kurds who were expelled by pro-Turkish Arabs from the Afrin canton in 2018 are now being expelled from the Shebha region. For the second time in 8 years they are leaving as refugees, with nothing, suffering ethnic cleansing
Humanitarian drama with ethnic cleansing against Kurds in northern Syria Between 40,000 and 200,000 people, mostly Kurds, are surrounded in northwestern Syria. In…..
December 2nd 2024- Turkiye’s jihadis s have conquered part of Tel Rifaat (Shahba,Syria) . Rojava’s PYD said on X the area is “witnessing massacres” by the Jihadis. The SDF is trying to evacuate up to 180K Kurdish refugees
In a surprise move on 3oth November a large force of Kurdish SDF from Rojava crossed SAA territory and entered Aleppo in support of Syrian State forces and to defend the Kurdish neigbourhoods in Aleppo and the Shehba/Tel Rifaat enclave.
The Jihadi HTS and other Turkish funded forces seized most of Aleppo city of 2 million by default as the unprepared State forces fled..
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Thousands of Kurds, previously displaced from Afrin and trapped for 5 years , are stuck in their cars and on roads while trying to escape the Shahba area of Aleppo province as Turkey-backed militants ramp up their attacks in a bid to loot and take the area from Kurdish defense forces.. info-RUDAW
‘The 100,000 strongSyrian_Democratic_Forces, SDF revolutionary coalition, (which ironically is still backed by the United States after being adopted to defeat ISIS ) rushed thousands of heavily armed fighters from its areas of control in Rojava, through the government-held territory of Deir Haif, to briefly occupy Aleppo International Airport, then to the Kurdish-held district of Sheikh Maqsoud in the city and even to the desperately threatened enclave of Tel Rifaat/Shehba by the Turkish border .
On Sunday a General Mobilisation was declared in Rojava amid heavier Turkish backed attacks
The daring breakout from Rojava by the autonomous SDF Rojava multi-ethnic coalition of militias could even lead to military reconciliation with Damascus as Assad forces fled.
Disaster in Tel Rifaat as Turkey lets Jihadis swarm into enclave- SDF fighting back and begins massive evacuation of refugee IDPs
december 2nd ‘The Turkish jihadi mercenaries have “conquered” part of the enclave of Tel Rifaat (Syria).
Tel Rifaat is a town and small enclave in the Shehba district which was left as a dumping ground for destitute refugees after Turkey’s illegal invasion, ethnic cleansing and resettlement with its Islamic proxies of the nearby Afrin area.
Tel Rifaat is isolated and right beside the Turkish Invasion HQ in Azaz. /see map. It is defended precariously under shelling by the local YPG/J-SDF and has various IDF refugee camps like Shebha still holding up to 180 thousand Kurds from NATO/ Turkey’s invasion and ethnic cleansing of nearby Afrin, totally abandoned by the responsible international West.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region 2/12/24- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Monday 2nd Ded 2024 said it is working with “relevant parties” in Syria to safely evacuate the people of the strategic town of Tal Rifaat in northern Aleppo province to northeast Syria (Rojava) amid intense attacks by Turkish-backed militants.
“Our forces have bravely defended our people in Aleppo, Tal Rifaat, and the Shahba region. We are coordinating with all relevant parties in Syria to ensure the safety of our people and facilitate their evacuation from Tal Rifaat and Shahba to our secure regions in northeastern Syria,” said a statement from Mazloum Abdi, commander-in-chief of the SDF.
While the Kurdish-led force is still in control of the Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods in Aleppo city, its attempts to establish a corridor connecting Rojava with Aleppo and Tal Rifaat were “disrupted” by Turkish-backed militants, according to Abdi.- info-RUDAW
********
Having looted and destroyed Afrin the Islamic militias have agitated for years for permission to attack the Kurdish refugees in Shehba/Tel Rifaat.
Thousands of women refugees joined a demonstration in Tel Rifaat town in the Shehba Canton on Sunday 10th Nov 2019 in protest at the Turkish state’s invasion and genocidal practices in northern Syria. 40% of the population of Efrin (Afrin) now survive in this semi no-man’s land, defended by the multi-ethnic SDF of AANES, after expulsion by the Turkish invasion, plantation and Turkification of their homes and properties…. info-The Free
*****
Finally on 28th Nov 2024 the Syrian State forces on the border fled. Next day Kurdish SDF reinforcements arrived to attempt a defense of the IDF refugees and begin evacuation. But the invasion order had already been given.
On Sunday 1st December 2024, 20.00 hours we received the first news that Tel Rifaat has been partly occupied by the Jihadis, amid serious fears for the safety of tens of thousands of Kurdish families via the fascist imperialist Turkish/NATO genocidal regime.
2022.. ASSORTED TURKISH PAID JIHADIS ARRIVED, HOPING TO ATTACK TEL RIFAAT
2022- Previous attempt to invade the Tel Rifaat refuge in 2022. On the left Kurdish kids confront Jihadis awaiting attack permission on the border. On right 58 meter long mass mural painting organised by revolutionary women in Shahba Camp.
********
SDF reinforcements aim to hold back the jihadi/Al Qaeda offensive in Aleppo until the Damascus/Russian/ Irani counter offensive arrives.
video of huge Kurdish Rescue Convoy which crossed Syria to Aleppo
The aim of the Kurdish expedition is to protect the 2 Kurdish districts in Aleppo city from massacre by the Jihadi terrorists, as well as the refuge to the people of the Tel Rifaat enclave (see above).
While the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its Russian support withdrew from the entire front, Kurdish forces maintain it where they have a presence.
Not only that, but the SDF has created a corridor that has allowed them to contact the two Kurdish neighbourhoods of Aleppo.
The Kurds also occupied the Aleppo International Airport, which State forced had also fled from, possibly along with Russian troops.
The current situation is developing on several fronts:
December 2nd 2024- Turkiye’s jihadis s have conquered part of Tel Rifaat (Shahba,Syria) Rojava’s (PYD) said on X the area is “witnessing massacres” by the Jihadis. The SDF is trying to evacuate up to 180K Kurdish refugees
In a surprise move on 3oth November a large force of Kurdish SDF from Rojava crossed SAA territory and entered Aleppo in support of Syrian State forces and to defend the Kurdish neigbourhoods in Aleppo and the Shehba/Tel Rifaat enclave.
The Jihadi HTS and other Turkish funded forces seized most of Aleppo city of 2 million by default as the unprepared State forces fled..
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Thousands of Kurds, previously displaced from Afrin, are stuck in their cars and on roads while trying to leave the Shahba area of Aleppo province as Turkey-backed militants ramp up their attacks in a bid to take the area from Kurdish forces..RUDAW
‘The 100,000 strongSyrian_Democratic_Forces, SDF revolutionary coalition, (which ironically is still backed by the United States after being adopted to defeat ISIS ) rushed thousands of heavily armed fighters from its areas of control in Rojava, through the government-held territory of Deir Haif, to briefly occupy Aleppo International Airport, then to the Kurdish-held district of Sheikh Maqsoud in the city and even to the desperately threatened enclave of Tel Rifaat/Shehba by the Turkish border .
On Sunday a General Mobilisation was declared in Rojava amid heavier Turkish backed attacks
The daring breakout from Rojava by the autonomous SDF Rojava multi-ethnic coalition of militias could even led to military reconciliation with Damascus as Assad forces fled.
Disaster in Tel Rifaat as Turkey lets Jihadis swarm into enclave- SDF fighting back and begins massive evacuation of refugee IDPs
december 2nd -20.00- ‘The Turkish jihadi mercenaries have “conquered” part of the enclave of Tel Rifaat (Syria).
Tel Rifaat is a town and small enclave in the Shehba district which was left as a dumping ground for destitute refugees after Turkey’s invasion, ethnic cleansing and resettlement with its Islamic proxies of the nearby Afrin area.
Tel Rifaat is isolated and right beside the Turkish Invasion HQ in Azaz. /see map. It is defended precariously under shelling by the local YPG/J-SDF and has various IDF refugee camps like Shebha still holding up to 180 thousand Kurds from NATO/ Turkey’s invasion and ethnic cleansing of nearby Afrin, totally abandoned by the responsible international West.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region 2/12/24- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Monday said it is working with “relevant parties” in Syria to safely evacuate the people of the strategic town of Tal Rifaat in northern Aleppo province to northeast Syria (Rojava) amid intense attacks by Turkish-backed militants.“Our forces have bravely defended our people in Aleppo, Tal Rifaat, and the Shahba region. We are coordinating with all relevant parties in Syria to ensure the safety of our people and facilitate their evacuation from Tal Rifaat and Shahba to our secure regions in northeastern Syria,” said a statement from Mazloum Abdi, commander-in-chief of the SDF.While the Kurdish-led force is still in control of the Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods in Aleppo city, its attempts to establish a corridor connecting Rojava with Aleppo and Tal Rifaat were “disrupted” by Turkish-backed militants, according to Abdi.- RUDAW
********
Having looted and destroyed Afrin the Islamic militia’s have agitated for years for permission to attack the Kurdish refugees in Shehba/Tel Rifaat.
Thousands of women refugees joined a demonstration in Tel Rifaat town of the Shehba Canton on Sunday 10th Nov 2019 in protest at the Turkish state’s invasion and genocidal practices in northern Syria. 40% of the population of Efrin (Afrin) now survive in this semi no-man’s land, defended by the multi-ethnic SDF of AANES, after expulsion by the Turkish invasion, plantation and Turkification of their homes and properties
Finally on 28th Nov 2024 the Syrian State forces on the border fled. Next day Kurdish SDF forces arrived to attempt a defense of the refugees and begin evacuation. But the order had already been given.
On Sunday 1st December 2024, 20.00 hours we receive the first news that Tel Rifaat has been occupied by the Jihadis, amid serious fears for the safety of tens of thousands of Kurdish families via the fascist imperialist Turkish/NATO genocidal regime.
2022.. ASSORTED TURKISH PAID JIHADIS ARRIVED, HOPING TO ATTACK TEL RIFAAT
Previous attempt to invade Tel Rifaat in 2022. On the left Turkish kids confront Jihadis awaiting attack permission on the border. On right 58 meter long mass mural painting organised by revolutionary women in Shahba Camp.
********
SDF reinforcements aim to hold back the jihadi/Al Qaeda offensive until the Damascus/Russian/ Irani counter offensive arrives.
video of huge Kurdish Rescue Convoy which crossed Syria to Aleppo
The aim of the Kurdish expedition is to protect the 2 Kurdish districts in Aleppo city from massacre by the Jihadi terrorists, as well as the people of the Tel Rifaat enclave, where
While the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its Russian support withdrew from the entire front, Kurdish forces maintain it where they have a presence.
Not only that, but the SDF has created a corridor that has allowed them to contact the two Kurdish neighbourhoods of Aleppo.
The Kurds also occupied the Aleppo International Airport, which State forced had also fled from, possibly along with Russian troops.
The current situation is developing on several fronts:
Syria, Russia and Iran have already rushed to confront the Turkish and US (and probably Israeli) funded HTS/Al Qaeda warlord’s breakout from the Idlib statelet. The Rojava multi-ethnic SDF forces have also broken out and are confronting the Jihadis in Aleppo city and Tel Rifaat
Rebel factions successfully seized control of most of the city of Aleppo, Syria, on November 30, 2024, after intense clashes and fierce battles with Assad regime forces. (Photo by Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto) (Photo by Rami Alsayed / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP)
The interplay of external forces mirrors broader trends of rivalry among major powers, increasing the likelihood of a large-scale conflict
In recent days, northern Syria has witnessed intense fighting, marking the most violent clashes since March 2020, when a ceasefire was brokered with the involvement of Russia and Turkey.
On the morning of November 27, anti-government groups launched an offensive in the Aleppo and Idlib provinces. According to reports, the operation involves Islamist factions, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group banned in Russia, as well as armed opposition forces such as the US and Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army.
Infiltrators celebrate in Aleppo City as Clashes continue between government forces and the ex Al Qaeda armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib, Syria, November 29, 2024
By the morning of November 28, opposition forces declared the capture of about a dozen settlements, including strategically significant areas such as Urm al-Sughra, Anjara, and Al-Houta, located west of Aleppo..
Additionally, they claimed to have seized the 46th Brigade Base, the largest military base of the Syrian army. Rebel sources reported capturing five tanks, an infantry fighting vehicle, and a stockpile of missiles.
On the same day, insurgents conducted a precision strike on a helicopter at the An-Nayrab airbase. Reports from Anadolu and CNN indicated that key positions, including Kafr Basma, Urum al-Kubra, and several strategic highlands, fell under rebel control.
On November 28, the group Al-Fateh al-Mubin announced the capture of Khan al-Assal, located just 7 kilometers from Aleppo, along with ten tanks.
The rebels claimed that panic and declining morale were spreading among President Bashar Assad’s forces.
Meanwhile, the offensive also advanced south and east of Idlib, a rebel stronghold since 2015. The rebels reported taking Dadikh and Kafr Batikh, and dozens of villages near the vital M5 highway.
Over the course of three days, militants reportedly captured at least 70 settlements, spanning approximately 400 square kilometers across both provinces.
By the evening of November 29, participants in the operation declared the capture of Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city.
should you delete twitter and get bluesky? (or just get a bluesky in general)? here’s what i’ve found:
yes. my answer was no before bc the former CEO of twitter who also sucked, jack dorsey, was on the board, but he left as of may 2024, and things have gotten a lot better. also a lot of japanese and korean artists have joined
don’t delete your twitter. lock your account, use a service to delete all your tweets, delete the app off of your phone, and keep your account/handle so you can’t be impersonated.
get a bluesky with the same handle, even if you won’t use it, also so you won’t be impersonated.
get the sky follower bridge extension for chrome or firefox. you can find everyone you follow on twitter AND everyone you blocked so you don’t have to start fresh: https://skyfollowerbridge.com/
learn how to use its moderation tools (labelers, block lists, NSFW settings) so you can immediately cut out the grifters, fascists, t*rfs, AI freaks, have the NSFW content you want to see if you so choose, and moderate for triggers. here’s a helpful thread with a lot of tools.
the bluesky phone app is pretty good, but there is also tweetdeck for bluesky, called https://deck.blue/ on desktop, if you miss tweetdeck.
As a Bluesky elder (derogatory) (no you will not find me), it’s important that you all know several other things about Bluesky.
We collectively bullied Jack Dorsey off the site because he was upset that we wanted moderation tools to limit racism, transphobia, etc. Now the moderation tools are powerful and we use them extensively. There have been bumps along the way, but… lol. lmao, even
The site has long been run by strange transgender people over 30. The user base expands, but they are the heart of it. More websites, organizations, systems of government, and other things of that nature should be organized thusly.
The first and most famous meme on the site was a sexy picture of Alf whose hog everybody wanted to see. When people say Alf Hog, this is what they’re referring to. Multiple sitting congressional representatives are explicitly aware of Alf Hog.
Posts are called skeets. You will learn to accept this.
These four devilish anti-fascists were arrested in May after heroically preventing the authorities from transporting a busload of asylum seekers to a prison barge.
Yesterday, all charges against them were dropped! Thus ends the second trial of the 50+ arrestees from the action and so far it’s anti-fascists 2 authorities 0!
May 2024: the good people of Peckham, south London, using their bodies to physically prevent a busload of asylum seekers from being transported to a prison barge.
No reasonable person would characterize another person’s desperate attempt to flee dangerous conditions and find safe refuge a crime. Logically then, UK authorities can’t be considered to be reasonable.
Because this past spring they decided to round up a busload of asylum seekers in Peckham, south London to cart them off to a prison barge!
Luckily, the asylum seekers’ friends and neighbours were not having it and as soon as the bus was full and ready to head to prison, dozens of them physically surrounded the bus, preventing it from going anywhere.
This led to a tense stand-off with police but in the end, the asylum seekers were released and able to return to their homes and the bus drove off empty.
Leave it to the Met, however, to add a sour note to what should have been a good-news story by fabricating charges and arresting 44 of the people who defended their friends and neighbours.
The Defence Fund stepped in to help pay for legal defence of our comrades, and so far the results have been excellent!
The first five defendants had all charges dropped against them minutes after their trial began, when prosecutors failed to submit any evidence to support the charges they were arrested on!
Syria, Russia and Iran have already rushed to confront the Turkish and US (and probably Israeli) funded HTS/Al Qaeda warlord’s breakout from the Idlib statelet, which has now seized most of Aleppo city…
Infiltrators celebrate in Aleppo City as Clashes continue between government forces and the ex Al Qaeda armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib, Syria, November 29, 2024
The interplay of external forces mirrors broader trends of rivalry among major powers, increasing the likelihood of a large-scale conflict
In recent days, northern Syria has witnessed intense fighting, marking the most violent clashes since March 2020, when a ceasefire was brokered with the involvement of Russia and Turkey.
On the morning of November 27, anti-government groups launched an offensive in the Aleppo and Idlib provinces. According to reports, the operation involves Islamist factions, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group banned in Russia, as well as armed opposition forces such as the US and Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army.
By the morning of November 28, opposition forces declared the capture of about a dozen settlements, including strategically significant areas such as Urm al-Sughra, Anjara, and Al-Houta, located west of Aleppo..
Additionally, they claimed to have seized the 46th Brigade Base, the largest military base of the Syrian army. Rebel sources reported capturing five tanks, an infantry fighting vehicle, and a stockpile of missiles.
On the same day, insurgents conducted a precision strike on a helicopter at the An-Nayrab airbase. Reports from Anadolu and CNN indicated that key positions, including Kafr Basma, Urum al-Kubra, and several strategic highlands, fell under rebel control.
On November 28, the group Al-Fateh al-Mubin announced the capture of Khan al-Assal, located just 7 kilometers from Aleppo, along with ten tanks.
The rebels claimed that panic and declining morale were spreading among President Bashar Assad’s forces.
Meanwhile, the offensive also advanced south and east of Idlib, a rebel stronghold since 2015. The rebels reported taking Dadikh and Kafr Batikh, and dozens of villages near the vital M5 highway.
Over the course of three days, militants reportedly captured at least 70 settlements, spanning approximately 400 square kilometers across both provinces.
By the evening of November 29, participants in the operation declared the capture of Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city.
The Free 