MEMEHAN HELBIN ZIDAN

Wan – Militants of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, ISIS, and Turkey-backed mercenaries continue to commit violations in North and East Syria. On January 6, these extremist groups launched attacks on the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, then expanded their assaults to various areas across North and East Syria. As the attacks escalated, residents of Tabqa, Raqqa, Ain Issa, and the countryside of Kobani were forced to flee toward the city of Kobani.

The city of Kobani in Rojava has been living under a suffocating siege for more than two weeks, deprived of food, medicine, electricity, and communications, with children and women suffering the most.

Despite the agreement reached between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian interim government, which was supposed to lift the siege on February 2, the crisis has been worsening day after day. Even worse, a humanitarian convoy consisting of 25 trucks loaded with food supplies and basic necessities, sent by the “Amed Protection and Solidarity Platform,” was stopped by the Turkish gendarmerie at the entrance to the city of Suruç and prevented from entering, exposing the scale of the tragedy and revealing complicit stances.

“The Agreement Does Not Mean the End of the Danger”

Zainab Durmaz, a member of the Free Women’s Movement from Wan, affirmed that Turkey is a partner in the crimes committed by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham militants.

“The jihadists primarily targeted women and children. They killed in the name of religion while the world stood silent, leaving the Kurds without support,” she said.

She explained that “the agreement does not mean the end of the danger; challenges still exist and there is no room for complacency. Borders cannot separate the Kurdish people—the heart that beats in Rojava is the same heart that beats in North Kurdistan. Just as an agreement was reached in Syria, the Turkish state must take a similar step toward a solution in North Kurdistan.”

Zainab Durmaz stressed that “Kobani is a victory achieved by women through their blood and struggle,” noting that “the water and electricity crisis must be resolved immediately, as life does not wait. The entire Kurdish people must rise against these attacks; no one has the luxury of silence or comfort while Kobani is suffocating under siege. We have sacrificed a great deal for it, but what is required today is greater and more profound.”

“We Support the Path of Peace”

For her part, Tolin Nezirbor, a member of the Free Women’s Movement, condemned the international silence regarding what Rojava is facing, emphasizing that responsibility lies with everyone.

“We must not remain silent or allow these crimes to be forgotten. Every pain there must remain alive in memory,” she said.

She added, “We support a path of peace, but Turkey has not uttered a single word against these attacks because it simply supports them. No cause in the world can justify the killing of women and children.”

She affirmed that Rojava and North Kurdistan are one body, sharing the same pain.

“Turkey should have stood with Rojava, not blocked the passage of aid trucks. Those trucks did not carry weapons or bombs; they carried basic necessities.”

She referred to the report issued by the Jineolojî  Academy on the crimes committed in Rojava, stressing that it is a highly important document that must be relied upon to expose the truth and hold perpetrators accountable.

Tolin Nezirbor concluded by saying:

“Kobani is the victory of women; it is hope, resistance, and strength. We must raise our voices against the siege and the attacks. Some speak out, and some are afraid—but fear saves no one; it leads to death and annihilation. The whole world rose up against these crimes, but the voice of North Kurdistan was not loud enough. We failed to convey the heartbeat of Rojava here. We must break the barrier of fear, because silence is betrayal, and fear is the path to disappearance