Syria’s Kurds- Guarantor of Security and Protector of US interests
http://dckurd.org/2017/11/26/syrias-kurds-guarantor-of-security-and-protector-of-us-interests/
Since the formation of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in October of 2015, this multi-ethnic and multi-religious alliance of armed groups in northern Syria has achieved successive victories against the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), the terror group that, just years ago, was conquering land unchallenged and posing a major threat to international security. The establishment of the SDF occurred after the heroic resistance and ultimate victory by the Kurdish fighters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and its female fighting force, the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ). ISIS sent waves of fighters to the Kobani front but was nonetheless ultimately repulsed and defeated and, according to some reports, they lost 25% of their fighters in this battle. Following the landmark defeat of ISIS in Kobani, the US-led coalition facilitated the establishment of the SDF. Inspired by the Kurdish people’s resistance, the SDF was initially a majority Kurdish force but, with time and successive victories, is now 60% Arab fighters along with Kurds, Christians, and Turkmens.
Over the past two years, the SDF was able to liberate thousands of square miles from ISIS including the de facto capital of ISIS territory (the so-called “caliphate”), Raqqa, and several other strategic towns and cities including Manbij, Tabqa, and al-Hawl. The support provided by the US-led coalition to the SDF was essential and, without it, ISIS would still exist and as major military power and governing entity as it did in 2014. In Operation Wrath of Euphrates, the campaign to liberate Raqqa, the SDF fought for 11 months and liberated about 4,500 square miles from the control of ISIS. In this military operation, ISIS lost 1,367 fighters, and tens of thousands of people were liberated the control of the terror group. In the campaign to liberate Manbij, the SDF eliminated over 4,000 ISIS members, captured tens of terrorists, and seized tens of car bombs and thousands of small arms. Today Manbij is part of the Northern Syrian Federation along with other Provinces and enjoys stability, where women are free and governing themselves. The concept of democratic self-governance taught and practiced by the Syrian Kurds is a significant factor that helped the SDF achieve stability in newly liberated areas following years of oppression and torture in these regions. The success of the SDF in both winning battles and protecting the peace and promoting the growth of a democratic society has given birth to the best case scenarios in Syria, a country still wracked by the most violent of civil wars – in northern Syria, one can find an example secular, decentralized self-rule free divorced from the chauvinism and brutality that is characteristic of not only ISIS, but also the murderous, Arab supremacist Assad regime and other terror groups such as al-Qaida and Ahrar al-Sham...
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