EBÎR MUHEMED

Qamishlo- In 2014, ISIS attacked the villages and towns in the Cizir Region, North and East Syria. On March 24, 2014, the Women’s Defense Units (YPJ) and the People's Defense Units (YPG) liberated 200 villages in the region from ISIS.

Til Marûf, located approximately 28 kilometers southeast of the city of Qamishlo, was one of the villages liberated by the YPJ/YPG. When ISIS took control of the village, they destroyed mosques, cemeteries and masjids and burned the houses of villagers down. Many people, including women and children were kidnapped by ISIS.

It was important for ISIS for its location

ISIS attacked the village because it was important for ISIS for its location; the village is close to the M4 Highway running through northeast Syria from Tall Kochak (Til Koçer) at the Iraqi border through Qamishlo.

180 families live in the village now

Before the attack of ISIS, 750 families lived in the village but now only 180 families live in the village. When you enter the village, you can see the destroyed mosques and burned down houses.

‘They looted and burned our houses’

55-year-old Fensa Hesen still lives in the village with her family. In 2014, she witnessed the atrocity of ISIS. She had been arrested by ISIS for 18 days. She told us what she had faced in detention.

“At around 3 am, men with long beards in black clothes attacked my house. They forcibly entered my house and arrested men and women in the house. They looted and burned our houses. They beat villagers and kidnapped some of them. My son was also beaten by them. Many girls and women were humiliated and kidnapped by ISIS. Then, the YPJ and YPG fighters liberated our village from ISIS.”

‘They must be prosecuted’

Due to the attack of ISIS on the village, hundreds of people were forcibly displaced. “Before the attack of ISIS, our village was a peaceful village. Many displaced people have not returned to the village because their houses were burned down by ISIS,” she told us. After the village was liberated from ISIS, the people staying in the village worked hard to rebuild their houses for a year. “There are ISIS sleeper cells waiting to attack again. If ISIS members go unpunished, these sleeper cells will be active and we will be attacked again. Daesh members must be prosecuted for their inhuman crimes against us.”