It has been 6 years since ISIS attacked Kobanê, one of the cantons of North and East Syria, in 2014. The fight against ISIS in Kobanê opened a new page in the Middle East, especially in Syria. It was proved for the first time in Kobanê that ISIS, which brought states to its knees, can be defeated. While the resistance was a source of inspiration all over the world, the peoples of the world who came together around Kobanê began to wish for a new life. While this new page opened in Syria provides a unity of struggle for all peoples, it was led by Kobanê.

 

KOBANÊ...

 

In Kobanê, the place where the first spark of the Rojava Revolution was lit, "democratic autonomy" was declared together with the cantons of Cizîre and Afrin. Heading here after Shengal, ISIS launched a comprehensive attack against Kobanê on 15 September 2014. Planning to bring down the city in a short time, ISIS encountered one of the rare resistance seen in history and all its plans were turned upside down. ISIS, which terrorized the whole world, experienced its first defeat here with months of resistance in Kobanê.

 

RESISTANCE TO THE END!

 

12 fighters in the village of Serzûrî, approximately 35 kilometers east of the city, determined the path of the resistance in Kobané.  Hundreds of ISIS members attacked these YPG and YPJ members under the command of Rodi Afrin with tanks and artillery on the second day of the clashes. The 12 fighters who did not obey the instruction of 'retreat' from the headquarters, did not let ISIS pass for 24 hours in a village school they were stationed. The following words of Rodi Afrin showed the determination of the resistance that will be engraved in the history of Kobanê: "We will resist to the end and we will not let the enemy pass. We know that we will fall martyrs, but there are those who will walk in our footsteps."

 

The resistance continued with the unique heroism of hundreds of fighters who lost their lives such as Arîn Mîrkan, Gelhat Gabar, Êrîş Efrîn, Zozan Kobanê and Baran Kobanê in the city center of Kobanê.

 

RESISTANCE GROWS 

 

The resistance in Kobanê band together millions of Kurds around the world. On September 22nd, while attacks continued, PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan said: "The fall of Kobanê means the fall of all of Kurdistan. Everyone should act accordingly", and made a call to the people to step up the resistance. The first seeds of the unity of Kurds planted with Öcalan's words when he said: "The key to the Kurdish problem is Kobané."

 

TO THE UNIVERSAL STRUGGLE

 

The whole world rose up for Kobané besides the Kurds living in Suruç, right across Kobané. Witht he call of thousands of people including Nobel Price winners and philosophers, committees were established in Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands, Cyprus, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Greece, Spain, Czech Republic, England, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, India, USA, Argentina, Ecuador, Honduras, Canada, Australia, Venezuela, Pakistan and Chile and millions took the streets.

 

WORLD KOBANÊ DAY

 

While the struggle waged by the insurgents who flocked to Kobanê from all over the world gained a universal dimension, the date of November 1 was declared as “World Kobanê Day” with the calls of world famous names to support this resistance.

 

Just before that day, the Prime Minister of the period Ahmet Davutoğlu and Interior Minister Efkan Alâ made statements that any action will be intervened by the law enforcement, with the fear of what happened between October 6-8. Accordingly, law enforcement units were positioned in town squares and streets in many cities, especially in the cities of the region, on the morning of November 1. However, all these warnings and precautions could not deter hundreds of thousands from taking to the streets on World Kobanê Day.

Having witnessed an unprecedented resistance with this support, Kobanê was cleared of ISIS after 134 days on January 26, 2015. After Kobanê, other cities and regions where ISIS was dominant were purged step by step.

 

PYD Kobané Co-Chair Ehmed Şexo, both a withness of the resistance in Kobané and an organizer of the resistance said: "Turkey was behind this. They came with various different names before. When they couldn't succeed they activated ISIS. No one believed Kobané could succeed with the light arms it had when Rakka, Mosul and Tebqa fell. Some even told that Kobané couldn't resist more than 24 hours. However, the people of Kobanê and the fighters surprised everyone with their resistance and prevented these attacks. All was blown off course. The Kobanê resistance drew the attention of the world. They too supported this resistance. However, our people of the North laid the foundations of this resistance. Everyone was united around this line of resistance. The resistance brought victory and the World Kobanê Day was declared. Terrorism, which has plagued the world, was defeated in Kobanê and gradually destroyed."

 

THEY SHOWED THEIR TRUE COLOURS

 

Şexo said that the powers who activated ISIS and was frustrated with the defeat, showed their true colours and they themselves took direct action. 

 

Şexo who stated that the attacks against Efrîn, Serêkanîyê and Girê Spî continued to cause reactions around the world, said: "The attacks of the ISIS and the new wave of attacks were no different than each other. Because the forces behind them were the same. No matter how it changed its name, colour and shape, this is the truth. The attack against Rojava, is an attack against the world. The peoples stood against this and declared November 2, World Rojava Day.  We will destroy the goals and dreams of the Turkish state with the resistance and the solidarity of the peoples."

 

MA / Nazım Daştan