Salih Muslim, Co-chair of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), argues that Turkey and other international powers either supported or failed to prevent the emergence of ISIS, leading to targeted attacks against Kurds in northern Syria.
Speaking to Emrullah Acar from the Mezopotamya Agency on Saturday, Muslim argued that the resistance against ISIS in Ayn al-Arab (Kobanê) marked a turning point, disrupting ‘New World Order’ plans to marginalise the Kurdish people.
The Kobanê resistance refers to the Kurdish-led defence of the Syrian town of Ayn al-Arab in Arabic (Kobanê in Kurdish) against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) from September 2014 to January 2015. Situated near the Turkish border, Kobanê became a focal point of the struggle against ISIS, symbolising both Kurdish resistance and international opposition to the group’s expansion.
“History is now defined as ‘before and after Kobanê’,” Muslim stated, noting that the Kurdish resistance against ISIS in the city changed regional dynamics. He accused what he defined as the ‘New World Order’, that is, international actors and some regional powers, and Turkey in particular, of deploying ISIS as a tool to “wipe out the Kurds” and exclude them from the future of the Middle East. He further claimed that the attack on the city was premeditated, with decisions made in international meetings, such as one in Germany in June 2015, involving multiple hegemonic powers and “some Kurdish collaborators.”
Muslim emphasised that the aim of Turkey’s policy was to prevent the consolidation of Kurdish autonomy in northern Syria. “Kobanê changed history in two ways,” he said. “It gave great motivation to the Kurdish people and disrupted the plans of those who intended to deny them their rights.” He suggested that Turkey’s ongoing military operations in northern Syria were an attempt to take “revenge for ISIS.”
Muslim also recalled a crucial call by the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Abdullah Öcalan on 22 September 2014, during the attacks, urging the Kurdish people to defend Kobanê. “The fall of Kobanê will mean the fall of all Kurdistan,” Öcalan had said. Following this call, thousands of people from across the four parts of Kurdistan moved to the city to support the resistance.
Reflecting on the enduring significance of the Kobanê resistance, Muslim declared, “Kobanê belongs to all those who shed blood for it.” He stressed the importance of remembering this resistance, stating, “If we forget Kobanê, we will fall into a worse situation than before.” Muslim concluded by asserting that the Kurdish people, who lead the democratisation process, “will be the winners” and that a “democratic nation will be the solution to all the chaos”.
Background
In mid-2014, after capturing large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria, ISIS turned its attention to Kobanê, a strategic town in northern Syria. The town had come under the control of the Kurdish Peoples’ Protection Units (YPG) in 2012, following the retreat of Syrian government forces during the civil war. For ISIS, the capture of Kobanê would be strategically significant as it would consolidate its territory along the Syrian-Turkish border and further its aim of establishing a caliphate.
ISIS launched a major offensive on the city on 15 September 2014, surrounding it on three sides with heavy weaponry, including tanks and artillery seized from the Iraqi army. The battle quickly became a symbol of resistance, drawing international attention due to the fierce defence mounted by the Kurdish fighters, primarily the YPG and the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), who were vastly outnumbered, while ISIS was far more heavily armed.
Despite the extreme imbalance, the Kurdish fighters, bolstered by volunteers from across the Kurdish regions of Syria, Turkey, Iraq and Iran, managed to hold off the ISIS advance. The town’s defenders received limited but crucial support from US-led coalition airstrikes, which targeted ISIS positions around Kobanê.
The resistance in Kobanê captured global attention and became a symbol of defiance against the brutality of ISIS. The battle was viewed as a test of the commitment of the US-led coalition to fighting ISIS. The Kurdish resistance also highlighted the role of Kurdish women fighters, who played a prominent role on the front lines, garnering admiration and solidarity from around the world.
On 26 January 2015 after 134 days of intense fighting, the Kurdish forces declared victory, marking a turning point in the war against ISIS and shattering the group’s aura of invincibility. It also helped galvanise the Kurdish cause, leading to increased international recognition and support for the YPG and YPJ, which later formed the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that continued to fight ISIS in Syria.
The Kobanê resistance became a defining moment for Kurdish aspirations to autonomy and self-governance in Syria. It also exposed Turkey’s reluctance to support Kurdish groups. The battle highlighted the importance of the Kurds in the fight against ISIS, and positioned them as key players in the region’s ongoing conflicts.
Today, Kobanê remains a symbol of Kurdish resistance and resilience, representing both the struggle against extremism and the broader fight for Kurdish rights and autonomy in the Middle East.
