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
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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
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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.
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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:
The YJA Star guerrillas (Yekîneyên Jinên Azad ên Star or Free Women’s Units-Ishtar) drew attention to violence against women in the patriarchal system on the occasion of November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Highlighting that millions of women are subjected to massacres, rape, harassment and violence in the patriarchal system every day, the YJA Star guerrillas stated that this brutality against women is part of life and is intended to be legitimized.
Stating that they have taken a pioneering role in all aspects of life and war, the women guerrillas stressed that systematic violence can only end through the joint organization and self-defense of women.
The guerrilla said that in many parts of the world, policies of femicide are being carried out against women, and that these policies can be overcome with resistance and solidarity.
YPJ soldier with freed girl after the epic battle to free Manbij… Illustrating the inspiring change from medieval Sharia law to anarcha-feminism.
The YJA Star guerrillas emphasized that they fight not only for the women of Kurdistan, but also for all oppressed and violent women, giving the following message on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25:
“YJA Star is an army that defends all oppressed women, the women of Kurdistan and Turkey first and foremost, as well as Afghanistan, India and Europe. We will defeat the invaders with the motto ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ (Woman, Life, Freedom).
We follow the path of selfless comrades like Asya, Rûken and Sar, who sacrificed their lives for freedom without a moment’s hesitation. As YJA Star fighters, we will strike a blow to the male-dominated system in every action we take.
The YPJ, part of the Syrian Democratic forces (SDF) of the Autonomous Administration of Noth East Syria (AANES)
We call on all young women to join the ranks of YJA Star, to join the life beautified by the Apoist philosophy (referring to Apo, Abdullah Öçalan) and to crown the struggle with success”.
YJA Star is the female armed militia of the Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan (Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK): Sozdar Avesta, member of the Presidential Council (made up of 6 people*) of the Koma Civakên Kurdistan (KCK) which includes, among others, the PKK and the YJA itself, has expressed a similar sentiment:
“Women must strengthen their self-defense and be more aware and organized.” Avesta, whose real name is Nuriye Kesbir (1948), joined the PKK in 1973 and has focused on defending the Kurdish Yezidi minority.
ACTIVISTS SPEAK OUT– Abdullah Öcalan is still jailed because he is the Key to peace. He is uniquely trusted for his practical revolutionary ideas and for leading 2 long ceasefires with the endless Turkish repression.-
Afrin ”terrorist women” demonstrate for murdered sons and freedom of their leader Ocalan
Abdullah Öcalan is the political leader of the Kurdistan liberation movement and the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party), and launched the proposal of Democratic Confederalism that inspired the 2012 revolution in Rojava (western Kurdistan located in Syria) and the political model that has since been built with the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
For many international activists, the ideas of Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdistan liberation movement are a source of inspiration.
“It is the most alive revolutionary movement in the world at the moment, the most confrontational and the one with the most real power of change,” says Maddi.
Maddi came into contact with the Kurdistan liberation movement ten years ago in what she defines as “a change of political cycle” in Euskal Herria.
“It was not only the end of the armed struggle, but also the dismantling of an entire political movement that was articulated in society,” explains this young activist who, in search of new horizons, participated in a brigade that went from Euskal Herria to Rojava. Ana and Sílvia also share the experience of having been in Rojava where they went to learn about the role of women in the resistance against the Islamic State and the political paradigm and social model that made it possible.
Ona, who was also able to see it first hand, highlights how she was marked by learning about a “democracy that is not representative, but based on people taking responsibility for resolving their own basic needs and in which it is understood that without the liberation of women we cannot liberate the whole of society.”
For them, learning about this thought and this practice has meant a new way of understanding militancy as “a life choice, with more initiative and its own strength,” says Maddi.
“If you are looking for a path of determination in the struggle, without giving up, the Kurdish movement is an example,” adds Sílvia.
7 Oct 2019. Yesterdays massive protests against imminent illegal Turkish Invasion in Sere Kaniye/Ras al-Ayn border.
Erdogan is still being courted by both the US and Russia who see Turkey as strategic, he has defied with impunity the now embattled Trump on the S400 deal and on buying Iranian oil, and now demands permission to use Syrian air space to again bomb the Syrian people before invading.
But over and over he previously claimed he wants to expel the local Kurdish population. ”cleanse Rojava” and restore the Ottoman Empire and is proving his wish in ‘turkifying’ Afrin, so this new senseless invasion would be more ethnic cleansing and attempted genocide.
Erdogan has gained much needed support (his AKP party lost Istanbul city council) by complaining often about the 3.5m Syrian refugees in Turkey, although they are less than 5% of the Turkish population in a huge area. Turkey has already received 6,000,000,000 euros by blackmailing EU taxpayers to support them.
Refugees used again as Human Blackmail by Erdogan to extract money and impunity for Rojava invasion
Meanwhile they are forced to work black for starvation wages, boosting the economy and forcing salaries down for everyone. (The over 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey (actually a tiny minority in a population of 81 million compared with the IDP’s hosted in Rojava and formerly Afrin) are being cruelly exploited as virtual black slave labour while being subsidised with billions of euros by the EU taxpayer with continuous blatant blackmail threats to ” flood Europe” with them.)
And now he is using them as a ridiculous excuse for a new illegal invasion, this time in NE Syria. (The idea of ‘settling’ 2,000,000 refugees in an already occupied rural semi desert region with no resources might appeal to Erdogan’s favourite historical figure: Adolf Hitler).
Lebanon for example has nearly half its population Syrian refugees and gets little aid or attention. Afrin, before the ongoing invasion by Turkey, had nearly doubled its population hosting a huge number of Arab, Christian, Assyrian and Turkmen refugees and was hailed as a model of direct democracy, gender equality and religious and ethnic tolerance.
Despite a siege blockade the Afrin population nearly doubled (172k to 323k ) while Turkey’s has only increased by 4.4% (3.5 million out of 80 million). (The total population of Afrin as of 2005 was recorded at only 172,095 people Wikipedia.) The Turkish takeover has forced a mass exodus of refugees from Afrin amidst documented reports of mass murder, widespread looting , kidnapping, rape, a continuing guerilla war and pillage by the Turkish contracted Jihadi mercenaries and Turkish military.
Once invaded Turkey will NEVER LEAVE, and a guerilla war will continue indefinitely. For example, Turkey refuses to leave Nth Cyprus, or its illegal bases in Iraq,or Afrin, Al Bab, Jarablus, Azaz.. or of course the Syrian province of Hatay, now 80 years invaded and ethnically cleansed.
Erdogan forced more than half Afrin’s population to flee and they still survive in tent camps, seizing their property and importing thousands of jihadi mercenaries, Al Qaeda ex ISIS guerillas, and sponsored the Al Qaesa mini state in Idlib….
…and now has the utter hypocrisy to complain about refugees and announce a new invasion ‘to settle them in a safe area’.
¡Guerra a la guerra, sus cómplices y patrocinadores!
read in English / Catalan below
Concentración contra la industria armamentística: Viernes, 6 de septiembre 2019, 19h en Roc Boronat con Tangér (Metro Glories i Llacuna, Barcelona)
Hace siete años comenzó en Rojava, en el norte de Siria, una revolución que iba a cambiar radicalmente la vida de millones de personas. Después de liberarse de la dictadura del régimen de Assad, la población kurda comenzó a organizarse en consejos, comunas y cooperativas autogestionadas, mientras que la organización autónoma de mujeres se convirtió en la fuerza motriz de la revolución social.
Se desarrolló un proyecto multiétnico y multirreligioso, que hoy conocido como la Administración Autónoma del Norte y Este de Siria garantiza la coexistencia pacífica de millones de kurdos, árabes, asirios y otros pueblos.
Desde sus inicios este proyecto, único no sólo en el Oriente Medio sino a nivel mundial, ha sido una amenaza para el status quo de las potencias regionales y globales, como también una espina en el ojo de los yihadistas.
Durante todos estos años las combatientes voluntarias de las YPJ/YPG/FDS mediante el sacrificio de miles de mártires y apoyadas por la valiente resistencia de la población, consiguieron derrotar a los yihadistas de al-Nusra, al-Qaida y luego de Daesh y liberar el territorio.
Context: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were started in 2015 to expand the Rojava Revolution by inviting male and female militias of all races and religions to join in expanding and defending the struggle.
Turkey again makes daily threats to eliminate the70,000 strong force, financing and supplying ISIS remnants,as well asHTS Al Qaeda, Islamic militias andinfiltrating terrorist gangs, while Assad forces conspire with tribal leaders to foment resistance. The SDF still has ‘protection’ by none less than a small force of the USA military, for their own imperialist reasons, though Trump still plans to pull out.
Press reports suggest Erdogan may take advantage of the truce in the Turkish supplied Idlib war to invade Rojava (AA) on the pretext of creating a 32km ”safe zone” which would include the main Kurdish cities, in a dirty deal with the US.
In preparation for a planned Turkish military operation east of Euphrates, the media campaign to create Arab–Kurdish strife continues through creation of more fake videos
”Media fabrications by the Turkey-loyal [ie mercenary] groups continue spreading videos showing men dressed as members of the Syria Democratic Forces torturing and beating citizens, in order to create Arab–Kurdish strife in the east Euphrates area and northeast of Aleppo”.
”The latest of these is a video showing members dressed as SDF, speaking in Kurdish, and torturing an Arab family, who they beat, insult, and do immoral acts to. Also the video shows a car belonging to Asayish [SDF security] with SDF flag next to it, which was met with angry reactions on social media.