Listen here to the daily update:
Dear friends and comrades,
here is our daily update from Rojava, the heart of the women’s revolution.
In today’s update, we want to begin by reporting on the threat facing the Yazidi population in Shengal. Yazidis in Shengal are under existential threat.
These days, the population in Shengal is preparing for further attacks. The Iraqi military has deployed forces to Shengal and demanded that the Yazidi security forces surrender their weapons. These Yazidi People’s Defense Forces, including the autonomous YPS, were established after the 2014 genocide and have since been actively protecting Yazidi society. The 2014 genocide against Yazidis was one of the most brutal in the world. Women were raped, abducted, sold as sex slaves, and hanged in public. In addition, the release of IS prisoners in Syria in recent weeks, as well as the transfer of IS prisoners to Iraq, increases the risk of an IS resurgence and thus renewed attacks on Sinjar. Furthermore, Harkan Fidan, the Turkish Foreign Minister, is calling for an invasion of Sinjar to implement so-called “anti-terror measures.” It is no secret that the Turkish state itself supports IS and shares the same Islamist and fascist mentality. Therefore, we must now do everything in our power to prevent the Yazidi population from suffering further genocide. We must report on the situation in Sinjar worldwide and build international pressure. The Iraqi central government must officially recognize the Yazidi Defense Forces and integrate them into the state as an official structure.
First Figures on War Casualties
The Rojava Center for Strategic Studies (Navenda Rojava a Lêkolînên Stratejîk, NRLS) has released initial figures on the war’s casualties. According to these figures, at least 1,200 civilians have been killed since the Syrian Transitional Government began its attacks on the Kurdish neighborhoods of Aleppo on January 6. In addition to the fatalities, more than 2,000 civilians have been abducted. The whereabouts of 526 of those abducted are unknown. Relatives are still anxiously awaiting information. Furthermore, 270 bodies of those killed have not been returned to their families. Around 1,000 prisoners are being held in detention centers in Aleppo, where there are reports of severe torture. Protest in Qamishlo A large protest took place today in Qamishlo regarding the whereabouts of these prisoners. “We want freedom for our children.” The sign held aloft by a mother read: “FOR THE SOCIAL DEPENDENT RESPONSE TO THE SOCIAL DEPENDENT RESPONSE.” The families of imprisoned Syrian Democratic Forces members were appealing to the public and the international community. They emphasized that their children’s suffering in the prisons of the transitional government must not continue any longer.
War Cemetery in Til Hemîs Desecrated
In Til Hemîs, near Qamishli, Syrian regime supporters destroyed graves in the war cemetery. They are believed to have traveled from Deir ez-Zor specifically for this act. The footage shows damaged graves and broken headstones. The cemetery in Til Hemîs contains the remains of fighters from the region who fell in the fight against ISIS and in the defense of northeastern Syria against Turkish invasions. This act in Til Hemîs, a town south of Qamishli, is not the first incident of its kind. War cemeteries in Afrin and Serêkaniyê have also been desecrated in the past. Similar attacks occurred in cities like Tabqa, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, Manbij, and al-Shaddadi, as well as in the Sheikh Meqsud district of Aleppo, following the entry of jihadist militias.
Integration Agreement – Healthcare System
Meanwhile, integration negotiations between the Self-Administration and the Syrian Transitional Government continue in Syria. Today, the Syrian Ministry of Health decided to integrate personnel from northeastern Syria into its directorates. Medical professionals from northern and eastern Syria will be transferred to the Raqqa, Hesseke, and Deir ez-Zor regions. The healthcare system in Rojava is under immense strain due to the war of aggression and siege tactics employed by the Syrian Transitional Government. Both war wounded and targeted attacks on infrastructure make providing medical care extremely difficult.
While this is certainly a positive development, initially bringing continuity and stability to healthcare in northeastern Syria, the Syrian interim government deliberately cut off the electricity and water supply to the hospital in Kobani. We must continue to expect such attacks. The siege of Kobani has now lasted for four weeks. Therefore, we must continue to make our voices loud and demand an end to the siege of Kobani.
Revolutionary greetings from Rojava
