Afrin resident Şîrîn Îbîş, displaced twice due to attacks by Turkish-backed forces, recounted her harrowing journey while affirming her unwavering hope for a better future. "Even in uncertainty, we won’t lose hope," she said, adding: "We will resist and win, because this land is ours."

On 29 November, the Turkish state’s Syrian National Army (SNA) launched an assault on Shehba. In response, the Afrin-Shehba Canton Assembly decided to evacuate residents to ensure their safety. One of those displaced, Şîrîn Îbîş, shared her story of loss and survival with ANF.

From Afrin to Shehba

Originally from the village of Ramudê in Afrin, Îbîş described the hardship and suffering brought on by war. In 2018, just three months into her marriage, she was living in Karababa when the Turkish army’s attacks on Afrinn upended her life. "Everything fell apart when the attacks began. – she said - We had to flee due to the shelling of our village. Without a car, my husband and I set out on a motorcycle. We reached Raco, but the situation there was equally dire. Airstrikes began before we could stay even a day, so we escaped to Afrin. But there, my husband and I were separated."

Her family lived in Jinderes, but also had to flee. "I had a brother and my mother there. We escaped to Shehba with the help of someone who had a car," she told ANF. Amid the chaos, the woman lost contact with her husband and moved in with her family. The occupation of Afrin by Turkey and its gangs devastated her mother, who passed away not long after. "My mother couldn’t bear the occupation of Afrin; she died from sorrow," she said.

Under threat in Tall Refaat

For seven years, Şîrîn Îbîş lived in Tall Refaat as a displaced person, enduring constant danger. "The attacks never stopped," she said, describing how a mortar shell recently struck near her house. "A few days ago, I was at home alone with my young child. Shrapnel entered the house, and I was trembling with fear."

The years of violence and displacement have left deep emotional wounds. Reflecting on her pain, she asked: "Why us Kurds? Why are we targeted? God created us as Kurds, but they want to erase us."

Despite her hardships, Îbîş remains determined to survive. "We don’t even know where we will go, but we are trying to hold on," she said.

Describing her family’s grueling journey, Îbîş said they walked to Fafîne, hoping to join relatives, but found themselves alone. "We had small children with us, and we were in terrible condition. Eventually, we managed to reach Tabqa."

"How will our women and children be safe?"

Even after reaching Raqqa, Îbîş and her family found little solace. "We are staying in a stadium now,” she said, detailing the immense struggles and uncertainties they face. “I don’t know what will happen to us. Everything feels like a nightmare. With each passing day, the weight of our losses grows heavier."

Once a landowner in Afrin, she mourned the loss of everything her family had built. "We had olive groves, a home, a life. Now we have nothing. How will women and children live safely in such conditions?"

Recalling the chaos as the attacks began, Îbîş described how the sound of gunfire forced them to leave their home. The decision to evacuate Shehba for safety was made quickly. "We went first to Fafîne, then to Ehdas Junction. People fled in panic, uncertain of what lay ahead."

"We barely escaped death"

Şîrîn Îbîş and her family narrowly avoided death. "Some good people tried to help us by giving us a ride, but armed groups pursued us. Their bullets came so close we could hear them whizzing by. My husband, my child, and I jumped on a motorcycle and barely escaped with our lives."

Although consumed by uncertainty, Îbîş refuses to let despair take hold. "Living in this state of limbo is eating away at us, but we will never lose hope," she said with determination. 

Her voice resolute, she concluded, "We will resist, and we will win."