In the city where the temperatures routinely go over 50° C, the non-stop advance of the fighters have already liberated several neighborhoods from ISIS. In every neighborhood, there are intense clashes until ISIS is cleared, and there are unforgettable memories in every corner.

We have a hard time relaying every moment we witness. We consider it our duty to tell the world that it’s not just armed clashes happening here, because they deserve it. Humanity and history must know this. The young fighters in the prime of their life have a right to be known and to be understood. The struggle and the resistance by these young fighters, their loyalty to each other, their courage, their sacrifice leave all who witness it amazed. We in turn try to tell the tale of all that we see and witness. We are aware that our storytelling is lacking quite a bit in the face of their epic resistance, but doing even as little as we do means putting down a few notes in history.

A RACE TO HELP

To understand what is happening on these lands, perhaps it would be enough just to witness the struggle the fighters had the other day to save their wounded friend.

There were intense clashes in the Suk El Hal neighborhood to the east of Raqqa. The fighters had entered the night before, and had taken many positions by the morning. We were three press member, there to film the fighters in the front positions. Some extraordinary activity was immediately sensed in the positions we visited. A group was in a rush to get on the road. They said a friend of theirs was wounded in he Suk El Hal neighborhood and that they were to go in to save him. We wanted to go with them, it was very important to record these moments, even if it was just from a distance. This time, they didn’t stop us. Their group commander said: “You can go, but you will stay away and film from a distance. Promise not to get close.” So we promised. And we got on an armored vehicle along with the fighters. When we made it to the grounds, the fighters rapidly dismounted the vehicle and took the attack position. ISIS gangs had opened fire from every direction. There was a constant torrent of bullets over the fighters. But they managed to break the line of fire and arrived by their wounded friends. It was like in the battle field, they forgot the meaning of fear. We held our breath as they ran through the bullets, but they did not hesitate. It was like they were racing against each other, anxious to reach the wounded friend at once.

CLASHES UNDER INTENSE FIRE

The armored vehicle was positioned some 150 meters away, behind a thin brick wall separating two houses. The fighters determined the location of their wounded friend in no time. Shortly after, the gangs opened fire on the fighters. They had to run fast through enemy fire to get to the wounded man just past the position. And the worst part was that they didn’t know what awaited on the other side. Whatever it may be, all the fighters had accepted the risk to save the wounded friend. As they started to cross over one by one, the enemy fire intensified. The fighters had Kalashnikovs and heavy raxts on their backs, and had been clashing in the intense heat for minutes. They ran to the wounded man, firing their Kalashnikovs all the while. The PKS guy responsible for the cover fire was under the same risk as the fighters, because he had a very limited area to maneuver. They fought, they clashed with the enemy, and they braved the torrent of bullets. They did what they had to do.

RESHO’S STEPS

There was a young man named Resho among them. He could not be stopped. He wanted to go get his friend at once. Despite his friends yelling, Resho did not stop and was the first fighter to cross the line of fire. Resho reached the wounded man in a fury, and dumbfounded the enemy. The gangs didn’t know where to fire. Resho’s steps were the victory of faith. ISIS had crumbled beneath his steps. Then his friends followed in his steps. Following half an hour of clashes and struggle, the fighters emerged from behind the position with the wounded friend by their side. It was indescribable. Words are never enough to describe the wounded man holding on to life with the morale from his friends, the PKS guy still clashing with the enemy lighting up with joy...

The fighters immediately placed their wounded friend in the armored vehicle and got back in with all the unit gathered. Everybody was hugging and kissing the wounded man. On the way back, the loud noise from the engines was drowned in the chants of “Bijî berxwedana YPG-YPJ-SDF”.

The wounded man was taken to the first aid station at once and then transferred to the nearest hospital after his checkup. We later learned that he was doing alright. With today’s events, we understood once more that it will be the victory of faith and Kalashnikovs in Raqqa!