“My son fell protecting the world from ISIS”

The Rojava revolution brought about a profound social change. While the Assad regime always focused on playing Syria’s different ethnic and ideological identities off against each other in order to stabilize its own rule, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria relies on the equal integration of all social components. Imran Khalif is an example of this. The Arab SDF fighter sacrificed his life in January in the fight against the ISIS attack in Hesekê.

Khalaf was born in the village of Bikifri Harb, about eight kilometers from Dirbêsiyê, as a member of the Arab tribe of Harb. He grew up in a family of four and attended middle school. He then started working to support his family. He was the father of two children. In order to protect the region from the threats of ISIS and Turkey, he joined the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in 2021. After completing his training, he participated in the defense of the Xiwêran neighborhood against the large-scale ISIS attack launched on January 20, 2022.

His father, Suleyman Khalif, told the ANHA news agency that his son was at home when the ISIS attack on the Sina prison in Hesekê began. He left immediately, he says, to make contact with the other fighters on the front lines. The father recalls, “His mother and I told him to stay at home until the situation calmed down, but he refused, explaining that he wanted to reach his friends there. After he left for Hesekê, we heard a big explosion. That’s when we tried to reach him. But we could not reach him because his phone was switched off. Later, we learned that he had fallen fighting ISIS.” Khalif says that the whole village is in mourning over his son’s death. As a father, he feels pride because his son was involved in saving the region and the world from the threat of terror one more time.

An uncle of the SDF martyr, Saleh Khalif, describes his nephew as follows: “Imran loved his work. He helped his father at home. That’s why everyone loved him very much.” Saleh Khalif appeals, “If the international community continues to be silent and does nothing about ISIS attacks, these attacks will happen again.” He calls for the establishment of an international tribunal for the trials of ISIS jihadists captured in northern and eastern Syria.