Rojava condemns renewed attacks by ISIS-linked militants, ‘massacre’ of Kurdish family
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Northeast Syria (Rojava) is facing ongoing attacks by armed factions that are “ideologically and organizationally” linked to the Islamic State (ISIS), the enclave’s Kurdish-led administration warned on Monday, condemning a “horrific massacre” committed against a Kurdish family earlier that day and censuring the international community’s silence regarding repeated violations against civilians in Rojava.
In a statement on its official Facebook page, the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) said, “As the liberation anniversary of the city of Kobane from the terrorist ISIS organization approaches… our region today faces extremely dangerous circumstances, as it is subjected to ongoing attacks by factions that include elements and groups linked ideologically and organizationally to ISIS.”
The DAANES added, “These attacks are nothing but an attempt to reproduce terrorism in new forms and to complete what ISIS failed to achieve militarily,” noting that “the resistance of Kobane… was a clear declaration that the will of the people is stronger than terrorism, and that the project of darkness represented by ISIS has no future.”
Kobane holds deep significance for the Kurdish community. In 2014, the city became the epicenter of a brutal ISIS assault, as the group controlled vast swathes of territory across Syria and Iraq. By mid-September, ISIS militants had captured village after village, tightening their grip around Kobane and forcing thousands of civilians to flee to neighboring Turkey.
With support from the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and reinforcements from the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces, the People’s Protection Units (YPG) eventually repelled the militants in January 2015.
Of note, the YPG represents the backbone of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which serve as the de facto army of Rojava and key ally of the US-led Coalition, playing a key role in ISIS’s territorial defeat in Syria in 2019.
However, since mid-January, the Syrian Arab Army and affiliated armed groups have advanced into areas held by the SDF in eastern Aleppo, as well as parts of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and the Kurdish-majority Hasaka province.
The DAANES reported on Monday that these groups carried out a “horrific massacre against a Kurdish family in the village of Kharab Ashk” near Kobane, condemning it as “a flagrant violation of all moral and human values.”
The Rojava administration also affirmed that “military attacks” by Damascus-backed armed factions in Kobane and the Jazira region - including areas east of the Euphrates in Hasaka province - “are still ongoing,” despite the mid-January ceasefire announced by Damascus.
Earlier, the SDF accused Damascus-backed militants of carrying out “a massacre against the Bozan family” in a village southeast of Kobane, in which five family members were killed and five others injured by shelling.
The DAANES condemned “international silence regarding these repeated crimes and violations” against civilians in Rojava, reaffirming “its continued commitment to defending its people, its democratic project, and the values of coexistence, no matter the challenges.”
In a statement on its official Facebook page, the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) said, “As the liberation anniversary of the city of Kobane from the terrorist ISIS organization approaches… our region today faces extremely dangerous circumstances, as it is subjected to ongoing attacks by factions that include elements and groups linked ideologically and organizationally to ISIS.”
The DAANES added, “These attacks are nothing but an attempt to reproduce terrorism in new forms and to complete what ISIS failed to achieve militarily,” noting that “the resistance of Kobane… was a clear declaration that the will of the people is stronger than terrorism, and that the project of darkness represented by ISIS has no future.”
Kobane holds deep significance for the Kurdish community. In 2014, the city became the epicenter of a brutal ISIS assault, as the group controlled vast swathes of territory across Syria and Iraq. By mid-September, ISIS militants had captured village after village, tightening their grip around Kobane and forcing thousands of civilians to flee to neighboring Turkey.
With support from the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and reinforcements from the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces, the People’s Protection Units (YPG) eventually repelled the militants in January 2015.
Of note, the YPG represents the backbone of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which serve as the de facto army of Rojava and key ally of the US-led Coalition, playing a key role in ISIS’s territorial defeat in Syria in 2019.
However, since mid-January, the Syrian Arab Army and affiliated armed groups have advanced into areas held by the SDF in eastern Aleppo, as well as parts of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and the Kurdish-majority Hasaka province.
The DAANES reported on Monday that these groups carried out a “horrific massacre against a Kurdish family in the village of Kharab Ashk” near Kobane, condemning it as “a flagrant violation of all moral and human values.”
The Rojava administration also affirmed that “military attacks” by Damascus-backed armed factions in Kobane and the Jazira region - including areas east of the Euphrates in Hasaka province - “are still ongoing,” despite the mid-January ceasefire announced by Damascus.
Earlier, the SDF accused Damascus-backed militants of carrying out “a massacre against the Bozan family” in a village southeast of Kobane, in which five family members were killed and five others injured by shelling.
The DAANES condemned “international silence regarding these repeated crimes and violations” against civilians in Rojava, reaffirming “its continued commitment to defending its people, its democratic project, and the values of coexistence, no matter the challenges.”