KOBANÊ - Hîva Hiso stated that women were in the front line of the Kobanê resistance against the attacks launched by ISIS on September 15, 2014 and protected their lands, and continued, ‘’Erdoğan said, ‘Kobanê has fallen, it is falling’. However, the resistance of the freedom fighters invalidated Erdoğan’s expectations and did not allow Erdoğan’s word to succee’’.

 

Against the ISIS attack on Kobanê in September 2014, the city was liberated under the leading of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) and People’s Defense Units (YPG). The resistance in Kobanê produced an effect in many parts of the world. November 1 World Kobanê Day was declared by leading names and intellectuals from many parts of the world.

 

One of the women who participated in the liberation of Kobanê is Hîva Hiso (45-year-old), who has eight children. Hîva fought to protect their lands by being in the front line against the attacks launched by ISIS on September 15, 2014. Hîva, who took part in Kobanê’s freedom war, told JINNEWS about their struggle.

 

‘I promised not to leave the fighters alone’

 

Telling her participation in the war, Hîva said, ‘’When the war reached the city centre, the people were forced to and migrated to Northern Kurdistan. So I sent my spouse and children to the North. It is hard for a mother to stay away from her children. But land is valuable. I promised not to leave the fighters alone, I would not turn my back on them. I more or less kept my word to the extent of my power. When the war became intensified , I looked after the veterans and the injured. We did not only resist against gangs, we also resisted hunger, cold and thirst. When I looked at my friends, I took the spirit of resistance and strength from them. Women were in the front line of the Kobanê resistance. Many people have been martyrs in war. The thing that caught my attention and impressed me was that the injured made their self-treatment for themselves and had hurry up. ‘Why do you want to get up so quickly?’ I asked once. They replied, ‘We want to recover as soon as possible and fill the gaps in the positions again’. After the war in Aleppo, I took part in public order. Later, the war intensified and we migrated to Kobanê. Then I became a member of Kobanê Public Security. I continue this duty to this day’’.

 

‘The enemies have been defeated’

 

Hîva, who fought when the war intensified, continued her speech as follows, ‘’The most violent war took place at the customs street and at the gate. During the war at the gate, Erdoğan said, ‘Kobanê has fallen, it is falling’. However, the resistance of the freedom fighters invalidated Erdoğan’s expectations and did not allow Erdoğan’s word to succeed. At that time, we were surrounded, only one street remained. No one believed that Kobanê would win a victory. The will and faith of the fighters brought victory. I saw with my own eyes that ISIS gangs crossed the border. ISIS gangs were training in Turkey and passing to Kobanê. As a result of the actions of Kobanê fighters, ISIS was defeated. With insufficient means, we resisted against the heavy weapons with rifles. Our will was stronger than the enemy’s tanks and artilleries. ISIS gangs had settled in mosques with heavy weapons. They were also located on the train line. There was only a few feet between us and them. We fought at close range, especially in city wars’’.

 

‘We were not afraid at all’

 

Hîva finally concluded her words as follows, ‘’We will liberate other places, just as we liberated Kobanê. We were hungry, thirsty and sleepless for days, but we were never afraid. We pushed the ISIS gangs back to the Iraqi city of Baxoz. If the Turkish state is attacking us today, it is because they cannot accept the defeat of ISIS. The Turkish state waged a dirty war against all the people in the places it occupied and lost this war. Now it is putting its private war policy into action. Their aim was to change the demographic structure by disrupting the security and stability in the region and by displacing the people living here’’.