Established in the town of Sirrin in Kobanê on April 5, 2016 by the people of Manbij that escaped from ISIS gangs, Manbij Political Council brings together Arab, Kurdish, Turkmen and Circassian peoples who are now able to return to their lands after two and a half years.

Manbij Political Council Co-President Sozdar Xalid is from Manbij and was forced to leave his hometown in 2013 in order to avoid being massacred by Al-Nusra gangs. Xalid fled to North Kurdistan but returned to Kobanê a year later after leaving his family in North Kurdistan.

How, why, and out of which need did the Manbij Political Council emerge?

The council was formed in response to the calls of the people of Manbij. First, the military council was established in order to satisfy the need for security. Then, the political council was created in the town of Sirrin in Kobanê on April 5.

The council was established during a fragile period of time. Many people from Manbij endured cruelty because they were trapped inside the city and others longed for their land for two and a half years. The assembly was formed in order to respond to these needs, and was established with the participation of Manbij’s Arab, Kurdish and Turkmen peoples that had been forced to migrate. All of these people that representing Manbij are in the political assembly.

The Assad regime had control of Manbij at the beginning of the Arab spring. Later, the free army took control of the city. 77 military battalions emerged in Manbij in this period, and began to rule and organize on the basis of an Islamic regime. With so many rulers, the people were being oppressed. Al Nusra took advantage of the chaos and took over Manbij. Later, ISIS took over and has been ruling the city for two and a half years. Civilians from children to the elderly have been suffering under ISIS’ regime of cruelty. The gangs have been firmly controlling all social groups and carrying out atrocities ranging from cutting the hands of children to stoning women or forcing them to wear black veils.

The liberation of Manbij was discussed as soon as ISIS gangs took over the city. After discussions on how social life would be organized after the liberation of Manbij militarily, a need for a political council emerged.

Now that you have arrived at the liberated areas, what are peoples’ needs?

It was a necessity that forced us to establish the political council in Sirrin, outside of Manbij. However, we were always geared towards Manbij. We arrived here as soon as it was liberated during the operation. We moved out center here and began to investigate and satisfy peoples’ needs. We are supplying people with basic needs such as food and medical treatment. Kobanê canton, which is also in need of help, has helped us satisfy peoples’ needs. The most important need of the people here is bread, and the second one is petroleum. Peoples’ lives were very difficult here during the ISIS occupation. Bread was too expensive and hard to find. We set up a bakery in order to satisfy peoples’ need for bread.

You carry out your work among the people, and people come to your center and speak with you. Do they accept the operation and the assembly established for them? How do they approach? What are the conditions of women?

We were not expecting this much interest in us. 99 percent of the people in liberated areas show interest in our work. Organization of assemblies in villages increases rapidly. Regarding security, people want to protect themselves through self-defense organizations. They want to arm themselves in order to join the fight against ISIS.

We do our work among the people, and they are very happy about the operation and the liberation of Manbij. They shed tears of joy. They say that they had been waiting for the military forces carrying out the operation for quite a while now. They see these forces as their own soldiers, and say that they are forgetting their time under ISIS cruelty with the happiness of freedom.

Women are the group that got affected by ISIS cruelty the most. From curfews to stonings and being forced to black veils, they suffered the most. Therefore, women are the most excited and happiest group regarding the liberation. In some villages that we have went to, young women took off and burned their black dresses and said that they could still not believe that they were liberated.

What are the goals of the council now?

Our main goal is to ensure that people govern themselves in Manbij city and its villages. We plan to set up schools, establish people’s assemblies, and form committees such as those on health and the economy. This council will be the beginning of a new life on these lands. Manbij is a historical city and people from different nations live in it. In addition to people’s self-governance, the equal and fraternal coexistence of people is an important issue.