YPJ Commander Klara Raqqa who is from Raqqa herself and is in the battle coordination for the Wrath of Euphrates Operation spoke to the ANF about the current situation in the operation, the importance of the YPJ in it and the newly founded Syrian Women’s Council.

“THE OPERATION IS ADVANCING TOWARDS THE SUCCESS IT AIMED FOR”

The Raqqa operation continues in its fourth month. Your forces have achieved control over a majority of the city. What can you say about how the operation is going?

From the beginning of this operation until the advance, with what has been aimed up to now, even though the city hasn’t been completely liberated, we can say in the light of the resistance and the efforts that the operation is advancing towards the success it aimed for. Especially considering the latest in the operation: The are inside the old city walls has been completely liberated, and the clashes have been concentrated around the Watani Hospital and the Harun Rashid Park. We can say that 70% of the city has come under SDF fighters’ control.

“ALL ISIS TACTICS VOIDED”

What were the biggest hurdles throughout the operation?

Of course there were some issues. Because urban warfare isn’t the same as open field warfare. A battle in a city does not go down as in the deserts of Raqqa. The fighting was different in the villages, but in a city like Raqqa in particular, the ISIS gangs had been preparing for years. That brought problems in itself. We have lost many of our esteemed comrades in this operation. ISIS used many different tactics against us.

How is ISIS fighting against you?

Nobody believed that the SDF fighters could enter Raqqa and advance successfully within. But after the SDF fighters entered Raqqa, especially after several neighborhoods were taken, ISIS gangs did have many attempts. They carried out violent attack after attack for a while. Now the only tactic they have left is the suicide bomb attacks, they continue to try with explosive laden vehicles. ISIS has preparations all around Raqqa. In every street, every house we enter, we come across these contraptions. They devised electric powered automatic weapons. They had many mines laid and tunnels dug. But we can say this: Despite all their preparations and their attacks, now they have 30% of the city left. Clashes continue like this still.

How much longer will the operation continue?

We can’t give a certain date for the end of the operation. Because there are many options in a war. Maybe it will be over in a month, maybe it will take two months. But we will be heralding the liberation of Raqqa soon.

“WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION GAVE US SPIRITUAL STRENGTH AND MORALE AS WELL”

There were women from very diverse backgrounds in the Raqqa operation. What effect did this have on you as the YPJ?

Like we said, there has been a great resistance and great efforts in this operation. But the most striking in this operation and the spirit that allowed the successful advance of this operation was the YPJ participation. From the beginning of the Wrath of Euphrates operation, the YPJ played its role in this operation with great morale, a spirit and a historic awareness. It wasn’t just the YPJ, in both the rural battle and the urban operation process, hundreds of young Arab women joined in, they formed their units. Many women from other minorities joined as well. International women from other countries joined in too. Of course for us it was important both historically and spiritually. Especially for national unity, and the unity of gender, it played an important role in particular for creating the gender identity. This created a strength for us.

“RAQQA WILL BE THE VENGEANCE FOR ALL WOMEN”

At the start of the Raqqa operation, the YPJ said “Raqqa will be liberated at women’s hands. Why Raqqa in particular?

We have been asked “Why Raqqa?” many times. We said this when we launched the Raqqa operation as well: Raqqa will be liberated at women’s hands. On this essential point, the YPJ played an active role and suffered a great price as well. Many of our leading comrades, many commanders marched onto ISIS positions without rest and without batting an eye, and they have been martyred. One of them was Comrade Şevin. There were Comrades Zozan and Sozdar and many female commanders who led the operation and created the success with great spirit. That strengthened the spirit of vengeance in the operation. YJŞ also participated in the operation. Among the incoming YJŞ fighters, there were Êzidî women who had been captured by ISIS. Why did we say Raqqa would be liberated at women’s hands? Because when ISIS gangs first attacked Shengal, they were ordered to “attack women first”. Like in the middle ages, like it has been for millennia, they thought women were weak and defenseless, they thought of women as spoils of war. The patriarchal mindset reached a peak with ISIS today in front of the whole world to see. They attacked ten-year-old girls and seventy year old grandmothers. They tortured all women, and most tragically, thousands of Êzidî women were brought to Raqqa to be sold in slave markets. They murdered and tortured women. This was a cause for vengeance for us as the YPJ. That is why we said Raqqa city will be liberated at women’s hands. This will be the vengeance of Shengali women. It will be the vengeance of all women who have been attacked.

“WE ARE KILLING BARBARISM AND HEGEMONY”

The hegemonic mindset’s peak is represented by ISIS now. That is why, when we launched the Raqqa operation, we made a declaration that for us every liberated woman is the liberation of a society. We get asked this question a lot, “How will women take up arms and how will they have an army?” The YPJ’s bylaws and program is out there. It represents an example for a newly formed society. A society built on ethical and political principles, a political and ecological society based on the equality of the sexes. Rather than just women taking up arms for revenge, the most important thing for us is the YPJ’s ideology and philosophy while fighting. Because without the philosophy and the ideology, then YPJ is no different from a men’s army. For that reason, what is important is the ideology and philosophy the YPJ fights with. Why do so many young women take up arms and fight an organization like ISIS? Why are they sacrificing their lives? The price that has been paid up to date with this awareness can be seen throughout the world and in the Middle East, especially in Syria. It is to create an international and Middle Eastern and Syrian gender awareness in all women. This has been displayed in the fight against ISIS gangs, because the YPJ fought not only in Raqqa, but in various fronts in Rojava, in Shedade, in Hawl, and Kobanê and Shengal in particular. Now YPJ is fighting in Raqqa. Under the lead of the YPJ, barbarism and hegemonic mindset is being killed. This is a legacy.

“WOMEN WILL TEND THEIR OWN WOUNDS”

The Syrian Women’s Assembly was recently founded in Manbij. What do you think about the level women have reached in Syria?

The city of Manbij was also liberated with the lead of the YPJ. It is a multi-ethnic city. Many constituents of Syria are present in Manbij. In this sense, such a congress to be held in Manbij is important for us.

The conflict and the war in many countries and Syria in particular for the last seven years hasn’t been easy or ordinary. Of course it was women who suffered most in this war, who suffered rapes and deaths, who were left starving. Of course we are not just talking about the Kurdish women here. We are talking about women in general in all of Syria. It was all the women in Syria who faced such tyranny. To find a solution to the crisis in Syria with the lead of the YPJ, first a unity should be created in the society. In this sense, this congress is important for us. As it was said in the congress as well, first women need to tend their own wounds. It is the women who play a role for peace and who lead the efforts in society. It is the women who create the principles and morality of the society. Like we said, women are the school in a family. It is women who will lead a solution for the crisis in Syria. Because it is women who suffer and women who strive. In this sense, if women in Syria can create a women’s unity, it will affect the Syrian society. A correct solution will be able to be created. We say this many times, all women have the strength to do a lot. If women can create unity among themselves, then they can create a stronger effect on society, and can lead the society or the nation with the correct awareness and mindset. In this sense, we can’t separate the forming of such an assembly from YPJ’s efforts and leadership. Because it’s not just the women of Syria that see this, women throughout the world can see. They take strength from this fact and they speak. The YPJ doesn’t represent just the Kurdish women anymore. It represents the women of the world. This was our fundamental goal: To be an army to protect women in all aspects. Our goal is to create a women’s identity with the lead of the YPJ. Today the lead of YPJ has created an effect in the society with the Raqqa operation. Even though Raqqa hasn’t fully been structured yet, the forming of the civilian councils and the committees and the training sessions bring the creation of a new mindset. For years, society was ruled with the hegemonic mindset, the Syrian society in particular was ruled with the Baath mindset. There were always some groups dominating the society. But today, the society is conducting itself. Of course it is important to create the right kind of mindset and to implement it correctly. And that of course won’t happen in a day. It needs effort and sacrifice for people to reach the right thing. This is what we believe.

Today the YPJ and the YJŞ planted their flags in Raqqa together. For us, it is very important that the two flags fly over Raqqa together for this goal and the shoulder to shoulder battle is carried out with the same mindset. In this sense, we can say that even though Raqqa hasn’t been fully liberated yet, the goal has been reached. This will also give the people the faith in victory for the future.