BERÇEM CÛDÎ

Kobanê – Eight years have passed since the resistance against ISIS took place in Kobanê. Many women played an important role in this resistance by supporting the fighters. Mother of five, Semîra Ehmed (57) is one of these women. NuJINHA spoke to her about the resistance.

“My conscience did not allow me to leave Kobanê”

Indicating that her conscience did not allow her to leave Kobanê when the resistance started, Semîra Ehmed said that women made history in the resistance.

“ISIS began to attack Kobanê on September 15. After the attacks, many people began to leave the city. At that moment, I had a very different feeling; my conscience did not allow me to leave Kobanê. So I decided to stay and support the fighters along with several mothers. We cooked for the fighters, washed their clothes and helped injured fighters. Our support encouraged the fighters. They told us that they felt stronger and the solidarity of the mothers.”

“Whenever Kobanê is mentioned, everyone remembers hope, faith and success”

Speaking about the important location of Kobanê, Semîra Ehmed said, “Because of its location, Kobanê has been subjected to many attacks and threats for years.  There are many reasons for these attacks. One of these reasons is that it is the first city visited by leader Apo (Abdullah Öcalan) in Rojava. The people of Kobanê welcomed leader Apo and his ideology. The 19th July Revolution started in Kobanê. For this reason, Kobanê is an important city and has been subjected to attacks. Whenever Kobanê is mentioned, everyone remembers hope, faith and success. The city is an important city because the resistance of Kobanê united the four parts of Kurdistan.”

“We will succeed with the spirit of the resistance of Kobanê”

Emphasizing that ISIS was a nightmare for the whole world and spread fear all around the world, Semîra Ehmed said, “ISIS took the control of Mosul, Tabqa, Raqqa and many other areas in a day. Nothing could stop its atrocity. On September 14, 2014, the people of Kobanê and fighters stopped ISIS. Yes, that day is a painful day for us but we defeated ISIS in North and East Syria on that day. For eight years, we have faced many attacks and threats. We, as women, have resisted the attacks with the spirit of the resistance. We will succeed with the spirit of the resistance of Kobanê.”