On the occasion of 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Zinarîn Kobanê, a commander of the Women's Defense Units (YPJ), spoke to ANF about the women's struggle and the attacks on Rojava.

If we look at the world situation on 25 November, we see that war is spreading everywhere. What kind of war is this?

On 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we remember all women who lost their lives in the resistance. We salute all women on the front lines. To do justice to the commitment of these women, we must strengthen our fight and our resistance.

We call the current state of war the Third World War because this is no ordinary war. There is a war in our region, in the Middle East and throughout the world that is spreading and deepening day by day. It is waged in many ways, using political, military, psychological methods and tools of special warfare. There is enormous chaos. All these wars were deliberately started, they are being deliberately deepened, and everything is being done to deepen them further. For this purpose, peoples and societies are also attacked through the spread of racism, fundamentalism and sexism. Of course, women are the first victims of these attacks.

The attacks on Rojava also continue. What connection do they have to the hegemonic powers?

We see that the war against Rojava is deepening. The attacks are increasing day by day. This increase applies to both air strikes and ground attacks and special warfare. These methods attempt to put pressure on our people and thus ensure that people have to live in constant unrest and fear. This war is not only being waged by regional powers and states. The international hegemonic powers in particular play a major role in this. The biggest victims of this war are women.

Despite all these attacks and oppression, women have developed a strong consciousness, shown the power of self-defense and demonstrated a determined attitude. In fact, the basis of the attacks is the fear of this attitude and this will. This fear underlies many attacks on Rojava's achievements. The Turkish state is therefore using all means of dirty warfare. He wants to destroy the achievements that were achieved in Rojava with great effort and sacrifice.

Not only in Rojava, but in all wars, women and children are the first to be targeted. To defeat a society, weaken its will and bring it under control, women must first be attacked. This is the only way society can be controlled. The most effective weapons of the dirty war are sexism, fundamentalism and racism. They impose the framework of a national policy on everyone.

What should women in the occupied and attacked territories do about this war?

Our people were forcibly expelled from the regions of Afrin, Serekaniye and Girê Spî. In these areas, women are murdered, robbed, raped every day. These practices against women have continued from the first day of the invasion until today. The occupiers are doing everything they can to keep society, and especially women, in constant fear. In this way, the damage suffered by women increases day by day. Of course, when women in one place are harmed, the children, society and even humanity are also affected and corrupted. The only way to stop this behavior is for women to organize, empower themselves and increase their self-defense. Both as women and as a society, we need to be aware of these policies. As women, we suffer great losses. We pay a high price. Women are exposed to attacks from all directions and are under massive fire every day. All kinds of attacks are carried out to scatter and divide us, so as women we must be aware and vigilant of this.

Despite the Turkish state's attacks on Rojava and the chaos and wars taking place today, women's resistance continues. How do you assess this determined attitude of women?

In Afghanistan, despite all kinds of oppression and violence, women continue to rebel and refuse to accept the system. There is also a great resistance in Iran. Jina Amini has become a symbol. This resistance, which emerged under the slogan "Jin Jiyan Azadî" and has spread worldwide based on Rêber Apo's philosophy, continues despite oppression, violence and massacres. The women who are organizing under the leadership of the YPJ in Rojava have developed into a great force. They are waging a great war. If today there is great resistance led by women in the world and in the region, then of course we have those who started the freedom movement to thank for that and who fought against both the systems of domination and patriarchy and left us a great legacy. This is our mentality and philosophy today.

In our society, patriarchy tries to organize and spread itself in many different ways. We are tackling it with a strategy, tactics and plan that is in keeping with the spirit of the phase. The war against us naturally encompasses the entire society, and within this, women, i.e. the YPJ, are particularly targeted. Şervîn Serdar, Mizgîn, Jiyan Tolhildan, Nûcan, Hêlîn and hundreds of our comrades who followed this path became targets. We must be aware of one thing, there is a war ahead of us about being or not being. If we organize ourselves accordingly and strengthen our defenses, we will succeed. This fight must not only be waged in the military dimension, but at every level. It is a major struggle that is required on both a military and political, social and diplomatic level.

The YPJ organized itself in self-defense against the patriarchy. What is the YPJ's perspective in light of the attacks?

Women must no longer place expectations on other forces, especially the patriarchy that has dominated women for thousands of years. Every woman who lives in the revolution must feel responsible for this revolution and this struggle. The Rojava revolution is a women's revolution. It is every woman's duty to defend this revolution. You must act accordingly and organize yourself accordingly. This is not just the task of women in Rojava, but of all women in the world.

We must realize that we are all one. Each of us is a representative of this struggle and philosophy. It is our job to act with this awareness.

As YPJ, we see it as our primary task to respond to any attack on women. That's why we have a responsibility to defend all women, wherever they are. We will continue to act militarily until the end. Every woman should feel responsible in society to educate themselves, raise their awareness and participate in all kinds of demonstrations and actions. Young people who see this reality should join the ranks of the revolution. Freedom and victory can only be possible in this way.