The Turkish state, along with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the ISIS, carried out a massacre in the village of Xerab Hişkê (Kharab Hishkeh). Five members of the targeted family were killed, with their bodies still buried beneath the rubble, while five others, among them children, were injured. Despite a ceasefire that had been declared and publicly endorsed by the parties, the groups have continued their attacks with unabated brutality.
Those wounded in the attack, along with their relatives, spoke to the ANF, describing the violence they were subjected to during the massacre.
The fire was burning me, I thought it was a dream
Fatme Hec Mehmûd, who lost her leg in the attack, said that as her body was burning, she thought she was dreaming, but when she looked around, she realized the walls were gone and children were crying. She described what happened as follows: “I was studying at Kobanê University together with my three brothers. Because of the extraordinary situation, my family asked us to go to the village. Our village was called Xerabî Sarûncê. However, because the attacks had begun, we stayed at my cousin’s house that night. We were sleeping in one room, and my two brothers were in another. We went to sleep around 10:30 p.m. At around 11 p.m., there was a huge explosion. I felt as if I was on fire. I thought I was dreaming. But when I looked around, I saw that all the walls had collapsed. The children were crying. I could not reach them because rubble was pinning my leg. When they lifted the concrete blocks off my leg, I screamed. My brothers from the other room ran in to help.”
I waited for injuries from 11 p.m. until 9 a.m.
Fatme Hec Mehmûd continued her account as follows: “Three of us were pulled out from under the rubble. Everyone else was still trapped beneath it. Because clashes had broken out, we could not rescue them. From 11 p.m. until 9 a.m., we waited for the road to be opened and for the fighting to stop. Only then were we able to reach Kobanê.”
Barî Hecî Mehmûd, a relative of those who were injured, said the world must rise for Kobanê in the face of the brutal attacks targeting civilians. He said: “I was at work when I saw on the news that my relatives had been massacred. They were all my family, my cousins, and my siblings. We still have not been able to retrieve the bodies of our martyrs who remain under the rubble. We were only able to save the wounded. If we had been able to reach the injured immediately, they might not have been killed.”
He added that the attack was carried out by the Turkish state and said: “This attack was carried out by the Turkish state. The Turkish state is targeting everyone. We are calling on the international community to mobilize Kobanê. Kobanê is a city that defends the whole world. This war must be stopped now.”