The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) released a statement marking World Kobane Day, which includes the following:

“Today, November 1st marks the World Day of Global Solidarity with the Kobane Resistance against ISIS mercenaries who launched, on September 15th, 2014, a fierce terrorist attack on the region with obvious and explicit regional support. Our YPG and  YPJ fighters, in addition to hundreds of Kurdish and international volunteers, showed living paradigms of sacrifice and redemption that will continue to inspire our fighters, our people, and all other people yearning for freedom and free life.

On this occasion, we recall all our heroic martyrs, and we salute the world’s peoples from Amed to Afghanistan, Argentina, and all the countries around the world that demonstrated and took to the squares and streets, declaring their solidarity with the resistance of our fighters. In addition, we salute the personalities, associations, organizations, and syndicates that mobilized all their resources and powers to draw the attention of the international community and urge it to support that great resistance. The screams of millions of demonstrators in the world expressed the unity of nations yearning for freedom in the face of ISIS oppression and its supporters.

There is no doubt that exceptional steadfastness and sacrifices were and still are the precepts for our fighters to confront the evil forces and their remnants. The legendary resistance in Kobane achieved the victory of determination and miracles in the face of a terrorist force armed with heavy weapons such as ISIS, which had defeated regional armies that had all the material power and resources, while our fighters were crawling on their chests towards enemy tanks and blowing themselves up to stop them due to the lack of sufficient weapons and ammunition to stop the massive ISIS attack.

However, our fighters’ will for life and resistance was greater than all weapons, plots, and the regional support of ISIS, so the commando operations were repeated, starting with the Sarzuri resistance operation, then the commando operation of the two martyrs Rivana and Arin Mirkan, and the commando operations of our comrade Avesta Khabur in Afrin and our comrade Barkhdan Amed in Tel Abyad / Girê Spi, in addition to dozens of living examples of commando operations conducted by our comrades. The audacity of combat operations carried out by our fighters – despite the lack of capabilities – to confront ISIS on the front lines and behind the enemy lines in Kobane and achieve victory despite the enormous sacrifices was the message of our people in the North and Eastern Syria to all the world’s peoples and countries that the victory over ISIS is possible despite its numerical and technical superiority and ridding the world of its evils is also possible if there is national, moral and humanitarian determination.

The Kobane Resistance established a new phase of interaction and unity among all peoples of different languages and affiliations, entered its international dimension that fits the sacrifices of our comrades, removed the despair of many who failed to confront ISIS, and restored the reassessment of humanity, freedom and mercy values. Therefore, the international, popular, and official move was an echo of that resistance, loyal to the pure blood shed on the rocks and plains of Kobane, and the beginning of the end for the terrorist organization of ISIS. 

The defence of Kobane was the defense of humanity and the women’s revolution that started in North and Eastern Syria, inspired women all over the world, changed the reality of many of them, and became one of the eternal values in the region and the world.

Today, eight years after the declaration of the Global Day of Solidarity with Kobane, the region is still subjected to retaliatory threats, foremost of which are the threats of a new invasion by the Turkish occupation. The revenge for the defeat of ISIS is the core aim of those Turkish threats and attacks. Hence, we once again call upon the world’s peoples and countries that expressed loyalty to our martyrs eight years ago to reiterate their loyalty and pressure the international community to put an end to the Turkish attacks and prevent the Turkish gangster mentality from giving way to ISIS to resurge and attack the region and pose a threat once again to global peace and security.

On this basis, we salute once again all the good efforts of the world’s peoples towards our resistance against terrorism and occupation, and we affirm that these efforts can never be forgotten, and they are a source of pride and accomplishment for our forces and our people. We also reiterate our pledge to effectively defend our regions, foremost of which is Kobane, against any threat, whether from ISIS or its supporters.”