SORGUL ŞÊXO

Zirgan (Abu Rasin)- Zirgan, a town located in the Jazira Canton of North and East Syria, and its villages have been under bombardment by the Turkish state since October 2019. The Turkish state has carried out many attacks on the villages of Dada Ebdal and Um Hermela, killing civilians, including children and women, displacing hundreds and destroying many buildings.

She return home after years of displacement

Herba Berqos is a woman of Zirgan’s Dada Ebdal village. She returned to the village after years of displacement although her home was destroyed in a Turkish bombardment. “When I returned to my village, I decided to rebuild my house although it will cost much. After we were displaced from our village, I started to work as an agricultural worker with my daughters. We knew that we would return home sooner or later. Now, we start working early in the morning until the late hours in order to build our house.”

Herba Berqos fled from her village with her family when the Turkish state launched its attacks on Zirgan in October 2019. “It was like a nightmare,” she said. “We took shelter in schools, slept outside for days and got bitten by rats, snakes and scorpions.” Herba Berqos and her family live in a rental house in the village. “Sooner or later, we will rebuild our house.”

Herba Bergos called on the people of the village to return to their village. “I will collect stones and use mud and cement to rebuild our house. I hope that the displaced people will soon return and rebuild their houses together.”

‘We rebuild our house’

The house of Xezala Mihemed in the village of Um Hermela was bombed at midnight and her daughter was trapped under the rubble. She pulled her daughter alive from the rubble. “The bombardment started while we were sleeping at home. I was injured while my one and a half year old daughter was trapped under the rubble. I pulled her alive from the rubble. We worked for years to build our house but it was destroyed in several minutes. We have been rebuilding it. We will rebuild our house whenever it is destroyed by the Turkish attacks. We will never leave our village.”

‘The Turkish state must be held accountable for its crimes’

Xezala Mihemed called on the Turkish state to leave their homeland. “The Turkish state has killed innocent people, displaced thousands and destroyed houses. The Turkish state must be held accountable for its crimes in Syria. The Turkish state must leave our homeland now.”