(en) Anarchists SOLIDARITY OF ROJAVA* - Koban?, nearly two months of resistance (fr, pt)

[machine translation]

This item was published on the website of the Libertarian Communist Organisation (OCL) on 
November 10 and offers an overview of both the organization of everyday life and 
resistance to Koban? but also on developments policies and the latter battle it leads. 
---- Koban?, nearly two months of resistance ---- 9 November, YPG announced that the 
jihadists have been forced to withdraw from a central area of Koban? they controlled and 
back towards the eastern part of the city they still occupy. Before fleeing, they would 
have blown up a mosque that served as their headquarters. ---- Moreover, defenders of 
Koban? are increasing from 48 hours attacks and incursions outside the city, in the 
direction of some villages, and that on all fronts, west, south and east. ---- Two recent 
articles on the Battle of Koban?, one on how to organize daily life and resistance in 
Koban?, addressing some of the other recent political developments that accompany and 
characterize this battle.

_________
A report on the besieged city of Koban?

?zg?r G?ndem

On November 7, 2014

For nearly two months, the fighters of the Islamic State (IS) besieged the Kurdish town of 
Koban? in Western Kurdistan. Ersin ?aksu is one of the few journalists covering the 
besieged city of Koban? daily .

I arrived on September 19, four days after the attacks began on SI Koban?. Most civilians 
I've seen have since disappeared. Some of them fled to Turkey, others have unfortunately 
been killed in the fighting.

A Koban? and 360 surrounding villages lived about 400,000 people. Now only 4000 people 
live in safe areas of the city center. 5,000 other civilians still live in Til Sheir, a 
village east of Koban?. The area is mined and is located between the barbed wire on the 
border with Turkey and a railway line.

When the IS began with attacks, many people fled their business in this area. There are 
whole families, but their eyes are directed towards P?rs?s (Suru?) the border town on the 
Turkish side.

The only possible link between Koban? and P?rs?s is the mobile phone. People on both sides 
are worried vice versa. While civilians remained in Koban? part of the fight against the 
SI, their families and parents as refugees P?rs?s fight for survival.

The Koban? is like a pile of rubble caused by mortar attacks, suicide bombings SI with 
explosives loaded into vehicles and airstrikes IS the anti-coalition. Before the war, the 
east was one of the richest parts of the city.

While the southern part of the city is not as damaged as the eastern part, the destruction 
are everywhere visible. These parts of the city were the scene of fierce street fighting 
and none of the doors of the houses are opened. All units are interconnected by large 
holes in the walls. It is possible to go from house to house through the hole, then into 
another part of town, four or five blocks away.

In every street, there are wrecked vehicles. Since the fighting began, the streets are not 
cleaned and the city was invaded by flies. But now that the weather has become cooler 
stench is less intense. Food and water shortages have dramatically worsened the situation 
for stray dogs and other animals living in the street. Most civilians are either elderly 
or women with young children. Although they are not allowed to go to the front and fight 
against the SI, some break the ban.

Xale Osman, 67, has armed itself and fight alongside his two son. "While young people die 
here, do you really think I'm afraid of death? " me-he asked.
Civilians leave their homes at night, only in case of emergency. If someone gets sick, 
local militias are notified and a vehicle defense units (YPG / YPJ) comes and takes people 
where they can be treated.

In case of attack or other threat to the SI, the YPG / YPJ declare an emergency short-term 
and take people in other houses until the danger has passed.
A Koban? there is a huge solidarity. Traveling through the city gets easier every day, 
because the first vehicle that we meet on the road, stops and prompts you to install.

It is perhaps this that explains precisely why solidarity Koban? could resist so long. 
There are few people who still live in their own homes. If necessary, the doors of the 
houses are open at all times for those in need. Those who are still in their homes, share 
the cheese, pickles, jam and dried vegetables, they had grown for the winter, with people 
in need.

Although people have little to survive, they share between them. For example, if a car is 
necessary, YPG / YPJ opens a garage and in the name of the owner of the vehicle and the 
license plate and the vehicle can be used.

There is no business in the city. The only store is still open bakery. The bread is 
distributed free to the public. Other foods, especially canned stocks and those of 
humanitarian aid are distributed evenly among the inhabitants certain days. Water is 
distributed in large bottles. The local government also distributes meal every three days. 
Five households share a 50 kg bag of flour.

There are civilians who voluntarily put themselves forward and perform volunteer work. 
They repair vehicles, weapons and generators in a city that has no electricity for 18 
months. In many cases, they help doctors to carry the wounded, carrying weapons and 
ammunition to the front line, cook for fighters or sew clothes for them. As winter is 
slowly here, diseases and hygiene have become a real problem.

There are only five doctors in the whole city, and because of the lack of medical 
equipment and medicines doctors in most cases can not treat the wounds temporarily. The 
three hospitals of the city of Koban? were destroyed by bombings and doctors treating the 
wounded in a small building. Many of those who are sick, refuse to go to the doctor. An 
elderly woman explains that the medical equipment is anyway already rare. "The drugs 
should not be wasted on us. Our kids are fighting and getting hurt. Medical care, the 
drugs should be used for them. "

While the cemetery Koban? became a battlefield, the dead are buried in another part of the 
city. Xatun, a woman told me after the funeral of a relative - a young fighter - they do 
not have time to grieve properly. "We do not cry now. If Koban? is free, I'll cry twice. 
Once the tears of sadness will sink to the young people we buried. And tears of joy 
because they have sacrificed their lives and thus released Koban? " .

?zg?r G?ndem, 07.11.2014, ISKU
ISKU | Informationsstelle Kurdistan

Quick translation: XYZ / OCLibertaire

source: here

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Koban?, ISIS and Turkey

Amed Dicle

On November 9, 2014

Kobane resistance is in its 56th day. ISIS is aware that it has been broken Koban?. The 
psychological impact of this loss is clearly visible among the leading groups. This 
reality is even more visible on the first line and identifiable in internal 
communications, walkie-talkie, ISIS .

However, ISIS is still in Koban? and the battle continues. As we have said before, as ISIS 
is able to stay in Raqqa in Jarablus and Tel Abyad, Koban? remain a war zone. At the same 
time, while the ISIS continues to suffer losses Koban?, it is getting weaker in the places 
mentioned above. That, in a nutshell, means that victory against the ISIS Koban? lead to 
long-term defeat of ISIS in the rest of Syria. This process has begun and can last for 
much of next year.

I think ISIS is adamant to stay in Koban? because it is too aware of this issue. Because a 
possible retreat from the urban center of the surrounding countryside Koban? to ensure the 
complete annihilation of the ISIS. This will mean they lose the psychological advantage 
over YPG / YPJ, the Peshmerga forces and the forces of El Burkan Firat ["Volcano 
Euphrates" local fighters officially affiliated with the Free Syrian Army], while making 
as ideal targets for air strikes from the coalition. A retreat would mean suicide for 
military ISIS. However, the insistence of the ISIS to stay in Koban? mean the same thing; 
we can say that indeed they were defeated.

ISIS attacked Koban? to the interests of other forces and is now in trouble. The force has 
made Koban? a target for ISIS and offered him all possible support in its efforts was and 
is Turkey.

The Turkish state wanted Koban? grave, and still wants. There are two reasons for this. 
The first is that Koban? is the cradle of the Revolution Rojava. He wanted to inflict a 
fatal blow against the cradle of the revolution. Turkey does not want the Syrian Kurds get 
their rights or status as a people, and she was ready to work with ISIS for this purpose. 
Second, Turkey wanted to make the presence of the ISIS its borders leverage for diplomatic 
referred regarding the Syrian crisis.

So what does the AKP government done to achieve these goals? Let us remember: first, he 
thought the attack against ISIS Koban? would mean the fall of the city in a very short 
time. Under the guise of welcoming refugees from Koban? he would use it against the 
Kurdish liberation movement and world powers. The first scenario envisaged did not 
materialize. Ankara's plans were sabotaged by resistance Koban?.

The next attempt was put into practice with the invitation of Salih Muslin [co-president 
of PYD] Ankara: Ankara had even said: "We will provide any assistance possible we'll hit" 
. They wanted to raise expectations among the Kurds. However, after the visit of Muslim 
[co-president of PYD], the support of Turkey in favor of ISIS has intensified. Erdogan's 
statement that "Koban? can fall very soon" showed his optimism and faith in the ISIS. This 
has once again exposed the policy of Turkey towards Koban?.

Despite this, the Turkish government tried to save time with new moves. They said that the 
Peshmerga and ASL should be allowed to enter Koban?. In saying this, Turkey believed that 
the Kurdistan Regional Government was not going to send peshmerga Koban?, and in any case 
that the PYD not accept any peshmerga to Koban?. We must remember that even a Kurdish side 
has issued a statement on the issue, Erdogan had issued predictions about whether the 
Kurds would accept such a measure.

However, no Kurdish forces had made any comment about sending Peshmerga forces in Koban? 
[*]. Erdogan wanted to cause infighting among the Kurds.

When left for Koban? peshmerga, the Turks were expected Suru? for three days, during which 
the ISIS intensified its attacks on the border post Mursitpinar. Their goal was to seize 
the point of crossing the border to stop the peshmerga and help to actually enter the 
city. Once again, the Ankara plan failed. The crossing of the border Mursitpinar was 
heroically defended by fighters YPG and all attacks were successfully repulsed.

Currently, the rise of international pressure and the legendary status Koban? put Turkey 
in a difficult situation. Turkey has fallen into the hole it has dug itself. Despite this, 
it is too early to say whether Turkey has changed its policy regarding Koban?. And to be 
honest, if Turkey does fundamentally change its policy towards the Kurds, it seems 
impossible to change their approach Koban?. It seems that Turkey remains adamant on 
continuing his irrational anti-Kurdish policy in the near future.

Kurdish hatred Turkish policymakers is poised to make their life difficult. This can only 
lead to political extinction. Cultural disappearance military, political and economic 
colonialism can only mean that the release of Kurds and other oppressed communities. 
Resistance Koban? has ensured that this new era is now at hand ...

Quick translation: XYZ / OCLibertaire

source: here

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[*] NdT.

It is not correct to say that the Kurds Koban? welcomed unreservedly the arrival of 
reinforcements and peshmerga ASL (including Erdogan wanted to raise the quota of these 
1400 men). They know that their Kurdish brothers in Iraq would be better to go and fight 
the ISIS on the Iraqi front, and that ASL would be more useful in attacking the ISIS 
elsewhere, including lock Tall Abyad, in eastern Koban?, which blocks the junction with 
the canton of Jazira. But this was the views from the commander-es of YPG / YPJ not 
officially committing the direction of PYD. In fact, the arrival of a few hundred fighters 
and ASL 150 Peshmerga especially well equipped with weapons (some tanks, artillery and 
anti-tank missiles ...), ammunition and equipment, enhances objectively combat capability 
of resistance Koban? without changing really the balance of political forces in the city. 
Even if there is a joint military command (YPG-Peshmerga-Burkan El Firat), it is the YPG / 
YPJ that hold the wand, who know the city, who have mastered the operations ... It's 
another failure for Erdogan.

Source: http://oclibertaire.free.fr/spip.php?breve575

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* Who are we? http://rojavasolidarite.noblogs.org/
We are anarchists, libertarians and anti-authoritarian together to give our support to the 
social revolution currently underway in Rojava and to assist in the possible Kurdish 
populations threatened by reactionary forces, whether Daesh the neighboring countries or 
coalition forces.
We stand by the experience of self-organization that is taking place in Rojava, with the 
support and under the protection of PYD and its self-defense structures (YPG / YPJ) who 
are our major progressive forces in the region.

Activists are calling our individual initiative, members of political organizations or 
participate in squats.
Here the non-exhaustive list of websites with us:

Look of the black group Anarchist Federation
Salvador Segui-federated group Anarchist Federation
Libertarian Communist Organization
Libertarian Alternative
Coordination anarchist groups
The conquest of bread, bakery self-managed