Syrian Kurdistan is located in the north-west of Shamm (the local name of Syria) and covers vast territories. In the past few years, the region has often been the focus of world news because of the fighting in the Syrian Civil War.
Today, Kurdistan is one of the hottest spots on the planet. However, this is a very interesting place from a tourist point of view. Many monuments of antiquity and centuries-old culture of the Kurdish people have been preserved here.
Description of the region
Syrian Kurdistan is more a self-name of the northern regions of Syria. By constitution, the region is part of the Syrian Arab Republic. But for almost 4 years, the territory has been de facto managed by local organizations. The Syrian enclave of the Kurds is just part of the so-called Greater Kurdistan. That is, the territory in which the Kurds live. The territory of Kurdistan is included in 3 states: Syria, Turkey, Iraq. And not in one of them does not have independence. At the same time, the Kurds have been leading a rather long struggle for the creation of a national state. Almost 5 million people live in Syrian Kurdistan, the vast majority of whom are Kurds. Rozhava or Western Kurdistan (as it is located in the west relative to other territories with a Kurdish population) are used as a self-name for the region.
Political structure
The main languages are Kurmanji and Arabic. Agriculture is developed, which brings the main profit. In some areas, oil is produced. After the outbreak of war, most of the finances are spent on defense and weapons. Therefore, the authorities decided to exempt all private and legal entities from taxes. This stimulated the development of small businesses and the creation of many small cooperatives. At the same time, the state took upon itself the responsibility of regulating prices and combating the emergence of possible monopolies.
Religion in Kurdistan plays a less significant role than in neighboring Arab states. In fact, power in Rojava is absolutely secular. Back in the 20th century, Kurds began to massively separate various leftist ideas, including communism and Marxism-Leninism. Before the war, radical combat groups already existed. The recent conflict has also sharply raised the wave of civic nationalism and the desire to unite all Kurdish territories into a single national state. Kurds are the second people in the world that do not have one.
The beginning of the civil war in Syria
The conflict in Syrian Kurdistan began at the same time as unrest throughout the country. In mid-2011, anti-government protests raged across Syria. The Kurds also supported them. However, the requirements were different. First of all, there were calls for autonomy or even independence of the region. There was cooperation with the Syrian opposition.
However, by 2012 the situation sharply worsened. After clashes with the police, opponents of the government launched a series of terrorist attacks. Arms depots were looted. Around this time, radical Islamic fundamentalists joined political events in the country. Fighting began between the formed Syrian Free Army and government forces with the support of pro-Assad paramilitarist formations.
The war in Syrian Kurdistan with Islamism
Since radical Islamism was never popular among Kurds, Syrian Kurdistan remained neutral for a long time. At the same time, local groups seized power and established the Supreme Council, which is the power in the region. At the same time, the Kurds do not deny that they are part of Syria and cooperate with Bashar al-Assad in many matters. Some areas of Kurdistan remain under the control of the Syrian government. The National Council of Syria does not recognize the independence of Rojava, but does not call for action. The government has repeatedly stated that it is ready to compromise and give the Kurds wide autonomy within the framework of the Syrian constitution.
Active fighting
In 2013, the group "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" was activated in Syria. All world media reported ISIS after a successful attack by militants on Mosul. For a record short time and with a small amount of weapons and personnel, the militants were able to capture and hold on to one of the largest cities in the country. Since that time, the active expansion of ISIS began. The Islamists controlled vast territories of Iraq and Syria. After a while, they approached the northern regions of the country.
To protect against Islamists, the local population began to actively join the militia. The conflict in Syrian Kurdistan broke out fully in late 2013. At this point, ISIS completely cut off the northern regions from the rest of Syria. The western part of Kurdistan was cut off from the rest of the territory not only by terrorists, but also by the Syrian Free Army (SSA). ISIS fighters launched an active attack on Kurdish territories in the area of the city of Kobani. In a short time they managed to push the front line for many kilometers in other places.
Peshmerga
The main military force of Kurdistan is Peshmerga units. They were created over 100 years ago and mean tribal militia. To date, according to various sources, the number of these units is estimated at 150-200 thousand people. They are fighting with the militants of the "Islamic State" in Syria and Iraq. Rojava receives serious material and technical assistance from Iraq.
On the territory of Syrian Kurdistan, there are units of the national militia, which in essence are the military wing of the Syrian Democratic Party. Most fighters of these units adhere to leftist ideology. A large flow of volunteers comes from the territory of Turkey, which is populated by Kurds. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is engaged in the transportation there . The local population also collects regular assistance to fighters and civilians affected by the hostilities.
War with islamism
ISIS militants are particularly cruel to the Kurds. Dozens of evidence of indigenous genocide leaked to the media. For this reason, as well as due to PKK relations, hundreds of volunteers arrive in Kurdistan every month. These are mainly left-wing people. The Communist Parties of many European countries organized the movement of volunteers to fight ISIS. This is primarily Germany, Spain and Italy. The media regularly got information about the arrival of Russian volunteers.
It also became known that a group of Frenchmen who had previously helped the separatists in the Donbass also arrived in Syria. A long siege and fierce battles for the city of Kobani prompted the world community to express solidarity with the besieged. Everyday life of Kurdish fighters in Syrian Kurdistan takes place under regular bombardment of terrorists.
Syrian Kurdistan v. Turkey
The Turkish government has long been in conflict with the Kurds. In Turkey itself there is a huge number of Kurds who still do not have autonomy. Because of this, uprisings took place at different times, which the Turkish authorities suppressed with cruelty.
The PKK regularly fires with Turkish police in urban neighborhoods. Turkey has repeatedly demanded that the United Nations recognize the Kurdish rebel groups as terrorist. President Erdogan personally said that he would not allow the creation of a Kurdish nation-state near his border. In response to this, the Kurds resumed active sabotage on the territory of Turkey itself. In a protracted government operation against the Kurds, more than a hundred military personnel have already died. The rebels are actively supported by Syrian Kurdistan. Whether there will be peace and freedom in the region is still unclear.