SIBELIA EL-IBRAHIM

Raqqa- In 2016, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) launched the Operation Wrath of Euphrates to liberate Raqqa from ISIS. The city was completely liberated from ISIS on October 18, 2017 and the liberation of the city was announced on October 20, 2017. As the seventh anniversary of Raqqa’s liberation is approaching, NuJINHA spoke to the women of Raqqa, who faced the inhumane practices of ISIS when the city was controlled by ISIS.

 ‘My son never returned’

Fatima Habib El-Şeyh, mother of 11, told us that she lost her son when the city was controlled by ISIS. “We did not go out for a while not to see ISIS members and then we started living in rural areas not to their inhumane practices. One of my sons went out to go to the mosque. He asked me to prepare something to eat for him. However, he never returned. I did not receive any information from him so I went to the detention center. At first, they (ISIS members) denied that my son was held in the detention center. After a while, I went to the detention center again and they told me that they had sent him to a repentance course and that he would return after completing the course. Seven years have passed and my son still has not returned home. I feel that my son is still alive. I will wait for his return. All I want is to see him again,” she told us.

 ISIS killed her mother

The mother of Farah Khaled Al-Ali was killed by ISIS when she was 14. Although she was also a child, she took responsibility to raise her siblings. Telling her story, she said, “My mother Abeer Ali Al-Nahed was arrested and killed by ISIS when she was 30. I do not remember every detail but I remember that ISIS members raided our house and the face of my mother. My mother was released after a week in detention. However, ISIS members conducted a dawn raid several days later and arrested my mother. They used a white minibus. Their faces were pale and terrifying; they wore face masks and held guns. When my family members asked where my mother was, they were told that she had been held in the stadium used as a prison by them. We looked for her for years; however, we could not find her.”

‘The liberation of the city was like a rebirth’

Speaking about the operation launched by the SDF to liberate Raqqa, Farah Khaled Al-Ali said, “We were oppressed in our city by ISIS for years. The operation of the SDF gave hope to us. When I heard about the operation, we felt happy because we thought that we could find our mother. The liberation of the city was like a rebirth for us because we were free from injustice, fear and terror. ISIS members should be held accountable for their crimes. They deprived my siblings of their mother's love. I want to see my mother just once again.”

‘The smell of death was spreading out’

Fayda Al-Ali Abdullah also talked about the atrocity of ISIS and said, “We were like the living dead. There were dead bodies everywhere. The smell of death was spreading out in the city. My son was arrested by ISIS when he was 14. My husband died after the arrest of our son. The people of Raqqa knew that the arrested people would never return. I looked for my son for a long time; however, I could not find him.”

All she wants is to find the missing people

When the SDF launched the operation to liberate Raqqa, ISIS started a wave of arrests in the city. Speaking about those days, Fayda Al-Ali Abdullah said, “They arrested children, young people, men, women and old people. We felt very happy when the city was completely liberated from ISIS. We thought we would finally get rid of fear, death and injustice. We experienced a tragedy but now we have a peaceful and safe life. Now, all I want is to find my son and the missing people. I will have hope that my son will return one day.”

‘I have been waiting for my son's return for seven years’

The son of Khadija Hamoud Al-Hamoud (50) also went missing after being arrested by ISIS in Raqqa. “I lost my eldest son when he was a child at the beginning of the Syrian crisis. My second son drowned in the river. My other son was arrested by ISIS when he was 20. When our city was controlled by ISIS, we were always in fear. The Syrian Democratic Forces rescued us from the atrocity of ISIS. I have been waiting for my son’s return for seven years. I lost my two children but I saw their dead bodies. I have not seen my third son's dead body. For this reason, I have hope that my son will return home because I feel that he is still alive.”