Kurds and Arabs are living together again today in the Um Hosh village which was liberated on August 30 as part of the operation launched by the Revolutionary Forces on August 29, 2016. But, even though it has been a year since the liberation, the village is still being bombed almost daily by the Turkish state and the gangs that handed the village over to ISIS in the first place. The villagers of Um Hosh say they won’t bow down to the Turkish state, like they didn’t bow down to ISIS.

One village of the Shehba Canton that has lived through great suffering and is now targeted by the Turkish state and their gangs is Um Hosh. The Um Hosh village is under the Ahraz district, and was handed over to ISIS on August 10, 2015 by forces that called themselves the FSA, namely the Liva Tawheed, Ahrar Sham, Jabhat Al Nusra, Sultan Murat and Nurettin Zenki.

As a result of almost all groups coming together in 2013 to attack the Jabhat Al Akrad and Kurds, most of the Kurds in the Um Hosh village sought refuge in Efrîn, and the remaining few Kurds had to flee during the ISIS rule. But the Um Hosh Arabs who stayed in the village suffered the worst under ISIS atrocities. Kurds and Arabs are living together again today in the Um Hosh village which was liberated on August 30 as part of the operation launched by the Revolutionary Forces on August 29, 2016. And now the village is under attack almost daily by the Turkish state and their gangs.

TALKING ABOUT THE ATROCITIES

On the first anniversary of the liberation, the Arabs we met on the streets of Um Hosh talked to us about the ISIS atrocities and the Turkish state’s attacks.

Mohammad Abbar said they suffered greatly by ISIS’ hands and added: “They forced the men to wear ankle-length dresses and grow beards. They covered the women completely with chadors, not allowing their faces to be seen. They usurped our freedom. If we didn’t dress and act like they wanted, they accused us of being Assad’s agents. And they behead those who they accuse as such.”

NOW THE TURKISH STATE

Muhammed Abbar said they took back their freedom after Um Hosh was liberated from ISIS by the Revolutionary Forces on August 30 and continued: “Our situation improved vastly. We are free again. ISIS had banned even smoking. Women can go outside now. Women get what is rightfully theirs. We have communes, we have laws. And now, the Turkish state is attacking us with artilleries. But we won’t leave our homeland. Even if they shoot missiles and drop bombs from planes, we won’t give up our homeland.”

THEY TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME, THEY TOOK MY TWO SONS

Another Arab from Um Hosh, Ahmet Rislen, said the following: “When ISIS entered here, we fell into dire circumstance. They took all the state property, all the electricity and the water. We didn’t even have motors to pump water from the wells. Because they took them. ISIS took my two sons two years ago, and we don’t know what happened to them. Our situation improved greatly after Um Hosh was cleared of ISIS.”

WE WON’T LEAVE OUR LANDS

Ahmet Rislen stated that their biggest problem after the liberation from ISIS has been the Turkish state and that Um Hosh is bombed every day. Rislen continued: “Turkey bombs us every day. The houses close to us all have holes on the walls due to the bombings. Turkey constantly hits Um Hosh, we are afraid but the people stay in their homes. The Turkish state’s bombs fall on our village every day. Yesterday, there were 30 bombs that fell on and around Um Hosh. Today there were 20. In the Turkish state attacks, many civilians lost their homes. Yesterday there were many bombs that fell into the dam. But whatever they do, we will stay in our lands.”