Since 27 November 2024, Syria has witnessed extremely serious developments that continue to unfold. Alongside certain positive developments, the process has also produced deeply negative outcomes. What has fundamentally given this period a positive character, however, has been the spirit of resistance demonstrated by fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), as well as the unwavering support shown by the peoples of Kobanê in particular and the wider population of North and East Syria.
The Tishrin Revolutionary People’s War, which began with the popular embrace of resistance in Tishrin, Qereqozax, and Deir Hafir, evolved into a historic turning point. This process fostered unity across North and East Syria while pushing existing adversities into the background and reinforcing collective determination across the region.
In the initial phase, the atmosphere was marked by intense uncertainty and deep concern. As Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) advanced, the Assad regime in Damascus entered what appeared to be its final days in the pages of history. At the same time, attacks targeting North and East Syria intensified once again, carried out by the Syrian National Army (SNA) and the Turkish state. These assaults were aimed not only at the gains of the North and East Syria Revolution, but also at undermining Kurdish–Arab relations throughout the region.
Events in Tell Rifaat and Shehba, followed by the realization of occupation, generated profound anxiety and gave rise to days dominated by fear-filled responses to the unfolding process. Yet suddenly, images of resistance emerging from Tishrin and Qereqozax flooded all media outlets. These images showed the bodies of mercenaries, vehicles destroyed by SDF and YPJ forces, and the remnants of warfare left behind. They marked the first clear signs of major success and powerful resistance.
Over a period stretching from weeks into months, all attacks launched by Turkish state-backed mercenary groups seeking to occupy Tishrin and Qereqozax were repelled by SDF and YPJ forces. The resistance that began in these areas soon started to spread across the entirety of North and East Syria, transforming into a collective struggle embraced by the wider population.
The Martyr Aziz Ereb Operation unified North and East Syria
For nearly two weeks, fighters of the SDF and the YPJ repelled all attacks carried out by mercenary groups targeting the Tishrin Dam, directly intervening in the course of events. The self-sacrificial action carried out by Martyr Aziz Ereb in Qereqozax became a powerful source of inspiration for all SDF and YPJ forces.
With great determination, the resistance forces of SDF and YPJ defending Tishrin launched an operation aimed both at strengthening defensive positions and pushing the enemy back. With the beginning of this operation, all negative perceptions surrounding the process disappeared. Across every city in North and East Syria, a strong sense of unity emerged against the attacks.
Through the Martyr Aziz Ereb Operation, SDF and YPJ fighters further embodied their true identity as forces of resistance, while forging an even stronger bond with the peoples of North and East Syria. The spirit of the 19 July Revolution, familiar to all in the region, appeared to come back to life.
Those days were marked by moments when every frame of Tishrin was transformed into a fortress of resistance. They were historic moments in which Martyr Ronahî, Yektas, and Hebûn turned every corner of Tishrin into a position of resistance.
Every wall, every rock, every tree and hill in Tishrin, down to the very body of the Tishrin Dam itself, was filled with resistance. This resistance evolved into a social struggle that spread across all peoples of North and East Syria. The struggle now brought all cities of Rojava together along a shared line of resistance.
Especially with the decision to initiate a Revolutionary People’s War, a new phase began in which the people demonstrated a level of determination and resolve equal to that of the military forces. With the start of this process, the North and East Syria Revolution opened an entirely new chapter in the pages of history.
The resistance that unfolded reached a point where neither SDF and YPJ as military forces nor the peoples of the region needed to refer to the examples of Vietnam or Palestine in discussions on revolutionary people’s war. In light of the historic resistance displayed by the people in Tishrin, it would be more accurate to define this struggle as the Revolutionary People’s War the Tishrin Revolution.
The ‘freedom march’ of 8 January 2025
Several scenes from this process became etched into collective and historical memory. The first of these was the march toward the Tishrin Dam by people arriving from Kobanê and other cities. Under relentless artillery fire and aerial bombardment, the people continued their freedom march with slogans echoing through the air. That determination stood out as one of the most striking scenes from the very first day of the revolutionary people’s war.
As the people began their first march toward the Tishrin Dam, the Tishrin Revolutionary People’s War effectively came into being. Describing this moment remains deeply challenging. The scene resembled a freedom march in its purest sense, evoking the freedom marches once described by Abdullah Öcalan in reference to the leadership field. Above all, it was the freedom march of the peoples of North and East Syria, led primarily by the people of Kobanê.
Elderly people and children were among those leading this freedom march. Those who took part in this historic procession confronted the war at its most intense frontlines, refusing to allow it to reach their cities. Artillery shells and bombs rained down from the sky on the advancing crowd, and martyrs fell even before the destination was reached.
Air strikes rendered roads impassable, yet the march of a people who challenged death in the name of freedom did not stop. All of this unfolded on the very first day. The scene itself constituted a complete and unmistakable image of a revolutionary people’s war.
Understanding the willpower and sacrifice demanded by the revolution and the revolutionary people’s war requires only an understanding of the Tishrin Revolution. Within the Tishrin Revolutionary People’s War, the march itself became an epic process of resistance.
We are greater than death
Many scenes have left an indelible mark on our memory. One of the most striking moments came when the people resumed their freedom dance after an enemy attack carried out while they were dancing. Hundreds of people were present. Women, children, and elderly people gathered on the Tishrin Dam, joining hands and dancing the govend (traditional Kurdish circle dance) in defiance.
Through this dance, the people strengthened the brotherhood of peoples while also becoming a vital source of morale for their sons and daughters who were resisting on the front lines. Many of those standing hand in hand on the dam had never met or known one another before. What unfolded there was a powerful scene of social unity, collective togetherness, and shared purpose. On that dam stood the tangible reality of the Tishrin Resistance, symbolizing the brotherhood of peoples.
Unable to tolerate the people’s determination and their embrace of the fighters’ resistance, the enemy once again escalated the attack and bombed the dance with a drone. Cries immediately filled the air, and the wounded were carried into the dam building amid chants of “Em ji mirinê mezintir in (We are greater than death).”
After a brief moment of panic and confusion, the people returned to the site and continued the freedom dance. The scene defies easy description. You dance hand in hand with others; some are martyred or wounded, blood fills the ground. Yet you return to the dance to carry forward the struggle of those who fell or were injured. This reflects an immense will and an unwavering resistance, without hesitation, without asking whether another strike might come. This is what a freedom dance must look like. Such moments were among those that carried the Tishrin Revolution toward victory.
Throughout this resistance process, every threat and hardship faced by the peoples of North and East Syria was answered through the living embodiment of the slogan “Em ji mirinê mezintir in.” This was not merely a slogan; it expressed a collective stance, a form of resistance, and a shared identity.
The resistance was never confined to Tishrin alone. For four months, daily ceremonies were held in martyrs’ cemeteries, civilian battalions were formed in villages, and meals were prepared in homes for the front lines. The Tishrin Revolution fully mobilized the peoples of North and East Syria, organizing them into a single, united body.
This was precisely what the revolution demanded: organizing oneself and one’s surroundings intellectually, practically, and physically as a whole, and fixing one’s focus on victory. The Tishrin Revolution was a revolution of victory and profound gain. It stands as a living memory and a direct witness to what the peoples of the region were willing to give up when necessary, and what they were able to achieve in return.
After the Kobanê Revolution, the Tishrin Revolution became the greatest material and moral achievement attained by the peoples of North and East Syria. One year has passed since the Tishrin Resistance, yet it continues to live on in our thoughts and in our hearts.
This resistance has been etched into world history and collective memory as a new Stalingrad, a new Dimdim Castle resistance.