Fear, uncertainty persists in legendary city of Kobani that resisted ISIS
So far, the local administration in Kobani has continued its work, and the Syrian army forces are only positioned on the border.
Muslim said Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters had left Kobani and that local internal forces run the security of the region.
“The Syrian government forces are positioned on the borders. But civilian services are still provided by the local administration.”
Nevertheless, some people, like Soz Kobani, are afraid the Syrian government could “return and reimpose their institutions” in the future.
“The young people will all leave, no one will stay,” he said. “They will not hesitate to conscript me—I know people who have been conscripted for eight years within the Syrian armed forces!”
Soz Kobani noted that he could not serve because he financially supports three families.
Many Kurds have bad memories of Bashar al-Assad’s rule in the region before the Kurds took control of most of the Kurdish enclaves in 2012.
Hassan himself was jailed “in almost all Syrian prisons” after he gave his children Kurdish names. Other Kurdish politicians have disappeared in the regime’s jails.
“The people are rightly afraid, but we have 11,000 martyrs and 27,000 wounded, we rebuilt the city of Kobani after its destruction,” Hassan said.
“Therefore, we will not accept a return to the time when the Ba’ath party was ruling and oppressing the people. Yet, we are concerned that we will be left alone again.”
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany