The human factor dedicated to victory made the Kobanê resistance successful. The war that began in mid-September 2014 and ended with victory in January 26, 2015 was a story of how to achieve victory. Neither planes nor tanks were the decisive factor; it was the human factor dedicated to victory. Many of these humans sacrificed their lives and left their mark on the Kurdish people and the peoples of the world. Survivors such as Öcalan Amara and Kandil Yılmaz continue to work for the revolution. Both Amara and Yılmaz are from Kobanê.

Öcalan Amara was born to a crowded and impoverished family in the Xızıne village of Kobanê in 1994. Amara’s family could only send their daughter to school for two years due to economic problems. One of Amara’s uncles lost his life in Kurdistan in 2009.

Struggling with economic problems, Amara’s family settled in a village near Raqqa and began to work in fields. The family migrated to Kobanê before ISIS gangs occupied Raqqa.

Öcalan Amara joined YPG ranks as soon as he returned to Kobanê from Raqqa. He describes those days in this way: “When I was in Raqqa, I saw and understood that Kurds should not be and do not deserve to be oppressed.”

Amara received his military training in Kobanê and joined the battles in Girê Spî and Sirrin. After becoming an experienced fighter, he joined the war against ISIS and al-Nusra gangs threatening in Kobanê. Amara describes those days in the following way: “I joined the war front after receiving military training. Every gang group wanted to take Kobanê. For this, they used the two important centers of Girê Spî and Sirrin. ISIS gang groups took action for this purpose with one goal in mind. They said that they wanted to be in Kobanê on the first day of the holiday. They took action and attacked Kobanê. I participated in the defense of east Kobanê for two months until November 25 when I got wounded. I got injured and a comrade with whom I received training fell as a martyr due to shell fragments. I received medical treatment in North Kurdistan for a month before I returned to Kobanê. When I returned, I saw that my comrades had the upper hand and I was very happy. By then, we had began to attack the gang groups in Kobanê city center and I was at the Kaniya Kurda front. After we liberated Kobanê city center, we did not stop and launched operations in villages. I participated in these operations and joined the war in the southern front. Here, there was a cement factory that the French had built a long time ago. I was shot in foot when we launched an offensive in order to take the factory in March. I went back to North Kurdistan and received treatment for four months.”

HIS FAMILY NEVER LEFT THE BORDER

As Amara Öcalan fought during Kobanê resistance, his family stayed on the Rojava side of the border and did not leave Kobanê. Recalling that some people said “Kobanê will fall within three days”, Amara said the same people confessed that they were defeated a few months ago.

Amara stressed that the resistance and woman comrades such as Arin that blew themselves up against the enemy made this victory possible. He recalled that when the operations to liberate Kaniya Kurda and Mistenur hills and the villages of Kobanê began, the entire world except for the Turkish state knew that Kurds would be victorious.

A FIGHTER THAT DEFENDED KOBANÊ AT DIFFERENT FRONTS

Hawar Ahmet İbrahim, code named Kandil Yılmaz, is another fighter of Kobanê resistance. Yılmaz is from the Sheikh Kamer village of Kobanê and has two sisters and three brothers. One of Yılmaz’s sisters is in the ranks of the YPJ.

The father of Yılmaz, who went to school for five years, also served the revolution during the resistance and is now working at a logistical institution behind the frontline in order to fulfill people’s needs.

Yılmaz has difficulty speaking because he was semi-paralyzed after a head injury. Yılmaz joined all of the fronts of Kobanê resistance and contributed to the city’s liberation. He said the fighters only had Kalashnikovs and one DShk weapon, which he used during the war.

Yılmaz joined the operations to liberate the villages of Kobanê afterwards and was injured when his beloved DShk rifle exploded. He returned to Rojava after receiving medical treatment. When we ask him how the war was, he says “It was good” in Kurdish. When we say “What if you fell as a martyr?” he says “No problem.”

Both Öcalan Amara and Kandil Yılmaz are staying at “House of the Wounded” where injured fighters rest and receive treatment and training. Unable to participate in the fighting, Yılmaz follows the war closely and smiles even more after each victory.