The resistance mounted by the people of Afrin against the Turkish state and allied Al-Qaeda/ISIS/Al-Nusra gangs continues on its 43rd day. Women are resisting on every frontline against the invasion.

Women are organizing under HPC-JIN (Social Defense Forces – Women) and taking their place in all fields with the awareness of self-defense since the first day Rojava Revolution began. It is possible to come across women’s self-defense forces in every district and village of Afrin. With their ages ranging from 18 to 70, women wearing HPC-JIN jackets are to be seen everywhere with arms on their shoulders in both emplacements and inside the city. HPC-JIN member women state that with the beginning of the resistance of Afrin, all women in the canton are demanding to take up arms in thousands.

“ERDOGAN WON’T SEE AFRIN IN HIS DREAM EVEN”

HPC-JIN member women keeping watch in emplacement in Afrin’s Shera district spoke to the ANF.

Fatma Mıstafa, mother of four, stated that women are receiving military training to carry out self-defense against invasion attacks. She said; “This is a must for women to defend themselves, their children and their homes. We have trained every woman aged between 40 and 80. The attacks are brutal but we are taking up arms to defend ourselves against attacks. We were on the frontline in Aleppo and Tal Rıfat. We are resisting and defending ourselves day and night.”

“NO STATE HAS RAISED A VOICE AGAINST THIS BARBARITY”

Stressing that those affected by wars the most are women and children, Mıstefa told that; “It was mothers to suffer the most in Kobane, Aleppo and Shengal. For this reason, women themselves demand to receive arms training. The Turks are attacking savagely without distinguishing children, elderly and animals. They are attacking with rockets and heavy weapons. We are only defending ourselves with light arms. We have no other weapons. We will continue to resist. Victory will be ours. Erdogan won’t see Afrin and its trees in his dreams even. What does he want from us? We never attacked them. There are no military bases but only civilians in villages that are under constant attack with Turkish warplanes, tanks and artillery. No state has raised a voice against this atrocity of the Turks so far. This is their shame.”

68-YEAR-OLD WANTS TO GO TO THE FRONTLINE

Mevlude Osman, who lost one of her sons in the fight against ISIS, is one of the women receiving self-defense training. 68-year-old Osman states that she has learned how to manage an arm, and that she desires very much to go to the frontline. Osman told that; “We are protecting our borders. Turkey, together with ISIS gangs, is attacking us and the whole world is blind, deaf and dumb in the face of attacks. We are in our village, in our country. Those protecting the borders are our children. The Turks are crossing the border and attacking us together with ISIS. In response to this, we have all taken up arms and are defending our land.”

Another woman who has taken up arms in Afrin is Serwa Êzîme who underlined that they will continue to defend their villages and lands. She said; “What does Erdogan want from us? We are not going to leave our land even if only one of us remains alive. What does Erdogan want from our children and lands? We will stay here and resist until the last drop of blood.”