In a statement given in English, YPG fighter Baran said that he joined the ranks of the YPG during the 2014 Kobanê Resistance. Originally from North Kurdistan, Baran explained that while growing up and receiving his education in the United Kingdom, he closely followed ISIS’s attacks on Kobanê, and after these attacks decided to join the YPG.
HTS and its links to radical groups
Baran emphasized that HTS, which was part of ISIS and was defeated in Kobanê, has deep and ongoing ties with Al-Qaeda and many similar radical militant organizations. “HTS, which was part of ISIS at that time, today acts with the same mentality and methods and has established a state structure in Damascus,” he said.
Massacres carried out by Damascus forces and ISIS gangs
Speaking from Kobanê, Baran drew attention to the massacres carried out against Druze in Suwayda, Alawites on Syria’s western coast, and Kurds in Aleppo. He stated that after HTS, under the leadership of al-Jolani (al-Sharaa), settled in Damascus, it tried to present an image of reform and change, but despite removing ISIS flags and uniforms from public view, its policies of massacre continue.
Kobanê must be on the global agenda again
Baran recalled that during the Kobanê resistance, the YPG defended not only the Kurdish people but all peoples of the world against ISIS barbarism. He stressed that, as in that period, global public attention must once again be turned toward Kobanê today.
Call for social mobilization
Calling out from the Kobanê frontlines, YPG fighter Baran stated that participation in social mobilization and resistance should not be limited to social media posts alone. Emphasizing that everyone should do the best they can from where they are, Baran called for active and concrete participation in the resistance.