Silva Ebrahim

Kobani-The women of Kobani, who go out at night to protect their neighborhoods from any looming danger, assert that they are not war mongers nor lovers of weapons. But if war is imposed on their land, they will be on the lookout for it.

Since the first day of the general mobilization following the attack launched by HTS jihadists on northeastern Syria, the region's residents have answered the call to arms, taking up weapons to protect their neighborhoods from any potential attack by jihadists or sleeper cells seeking to cause chaos.

In Kobani, which saw attacks reach its walls and became completely besieged by HTS jihadists, its residents and women took up arms to protect the city. Despite 33 days having passed since the siege was imposed on the city and the advent of Ramadan, the residents continue to carry their weapons, patrolling the streets to protect their city from any threat or danger.

The mothers of Kobani go out after Iftar with their weapons on their shoulders, their pledge to their sons to protect the city carried in their hearts. With this spirit and determination, they stop cars to ensure they are free from any threat that could endanger the neighborhood and the city.

Salima Ramadan, a sixty-year-old woman standing on one of the main streets in Kobani, says: "We do not fear the siege, because this is not the first time this policy has been imposed on us, and because we have learned to face all circumstances forced upon us, we continue our resistance."

She affirmed, "We do not mortgage our protection and existence to any state or any external forces. We bet on victory through the will of our sons and our revolutionary people," recalling Kobani's resistance against ISIS in 2014: "We will triumph just as we triumphed before. We are not accustomed to defeat; we are accustomed to progress and victory."

Salima Ramadan has three sons fighting on the frontlines: "My sons, alongside their fellow fighters, protect the city from any potential attack, and we mothers inside the city maintain stability from any threat," stressing that civilians should not fear any attack because they are always ready for protection and defense.

"Defense and protection are our decision."

Adla Muhammad, like her counterpart, carries her weapon and the responsibility of protecting her neighborhood on her shoulder, supporting her daughter who has taken to the trenches and frontlines as her position for protection. She says: "We are not war mongers nor lovers of weapons, but if any attack is imposed on us, we are on the lookout for it."

She added: "We await the halting of the war machine and the prevention of genocide against the Kurdish people through agreements and dialogue. But if they fail or are violated, defense and protection is our decision, from which there is no retreat."

She pointed out that as Kurds, "we are people of right and land like all other peoples. We want our rights guaranteed in the Syrian constitution, our representation in parliament, our regions protected by our own sons, and our schools in our language. We accept nothing less than that, and we are ready to preserve and protect under any circumstances."