The people of Afrin were forced to leave their homes and move to Shehba after the occupation of Afrin by the Turkish state in 2018. People have been fighting against the attacks by the Turkish state and its gangs ever since. At the end of 2024, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched its attack against the Assad regime, while gangs supported by the Turkish state attacked Shehba. On 1 December, people had to leave Shehba as safety was not guaranteed anymore. Journalist Roj Deniz talked to ANF about the resistance she witnessed.

On 27 November, while the Syrian regime rapidly withdrew without opposing any resistance to the attacks by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the people of Afrin fleeing Shehba maintained their spirit of resistance against the attacks by Turkey-backed gangs. The people of the canton, organised as part of the Revolutionary People's War, did not give up the struggle for a single day. From 2018, they insisted on resisting despite the harsh conditions, because their ultimate goal was to return to Afrin. On 1 December 2024, the self-government decided to leave Shehba because safety conditions were not guaranteed anymore.

‘The threat against Sherawa never ended’

Journalist Roj Deniz said that when the war spread to the west of Aleppo, Roj Deniz said: "the six villages of Sherawa - Bircqasê, Kilotê, Başemrê, Zirnatê, Meyasê, Gundê Mezin,- as well as Nubul and Zehra were in a strategic position. They are located west of Aleppo. Therefore, they were always under threat."

Resistance never stopped

Journalist Deniz continued: "These six villages have been under threat since the day we left Afrin in 2018. While one side was surrounded by the occupying Turkish state, the other side, where Nubul and Zehra are located, was surrounded by the Syrian regime. Therefore, there was always resistance in these villages. They were always under threat and living conditions were very difficult."

Journalist Deniz said: "We have tried to be the voice of the people of Afrin since the occupation. We wrote about their sufferance, we caught their tears with our cameras, we recorded their laughter. We told about the resistance of the fighters in Sherawa."

Deniz underlined that "we realised that we had to play a different role, with every changing situation. That is why I decided to go to the front line. As I said, these 6 villages were always under threats, but in recent times the threat had grown even bigger. These villages were of great importance for the Turkish state because they were strategically located, and Turkey needed them to implement its future military plans. The capture of these six villages meant the occupation of Nubul and Zehra.”

Journalist Deniz underlined that the Turkish state has tried to capture these villages since 2018, and added: "However, thanks to the resistance carried out by the Afrin Liberation Forces (HRE) and the people, the Turkish state failed to conquer these 6 villages until people left Shehba."

On 27 November 2024, the regime's forces withdrew from their positions in Shehba, Nubul and Zehra without any resistance, said journalist Deniz, adding: "We witnessed first-hand that the Syrian regime withdrew without even firing a bullet, leaving behind their tanks, artillery and other military equipment."

Only the people of Shehba and the HRE remained after the withdrawal, said journalist Deniz, adding: "Many times, false news was spread about the evacuation of Sherawa and Til Rifat. We were among the people and were able to expose this false information. There was a huge difference between what we saw with our eyes and the lies spread by the Turkish state. While the fighters were fighting on the front line, in the background, the people were greeting the resistance with great enthusiasm.

It was impossible to be caught in the flood of fear at these moments. On the one hand, the sound of bullets was coming. On the other hand, the enthusiasm of the people was improving our determination to continue. We couldn’t even think about taking a step back. This morale and enthusiasm continued until 1 December. The decision to withdraw was taken for the safety of the people, to prevent another massacre and to prevent a second Afrin."

‘People have not lost hope to return to their land’

Journalist Deniz said: "Many families living in Sherawa could not flee because they could not find the means and continued to live under a serious threat. We had the opportunity to cover all the hardships and to closely witness the suffering and resistance of the people. The people of Afrin had to migrate once again from Shehba, where they have been resisting since 2018. The people were struggling because they hoped to return to Afrin. Once again, they were forced to migrate, but they haven’t lost their hope. They continued to resist. The people who migrated from Shehba headed towards Tabqa and Raqqa. Some travelled towards Cizre Canton. The people of Afrin quickly attempted to reorganise themselves. They showed their determination, and continued to say that their resistance will continue until they return to Afrin."