“When we say defense, most people think of weapons, but this is not all” – HPC, North and East Syria’s Civil Defense Forces

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HPC members guarding community croplands near Heseke, June 2023 Introduction While North and East Syria’s (NES) Women’s and People’s Defense Units (the YPJ and YPG) have taken worldwide headlines for their role in…

AANES’ Social Contract, 2023 Edition

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In October 2013, the first talks to begin sketching a "Social Contract" for the newly-autonomous regions in northern Syria began and the outcomes were presented to the region’s people for their analysis. During 2014,  over 50 organizations…

Explainer: Deir ez-Zor

  Abu Khawla, leader of the Deir ez-Zor Military Council. On the 27th of August, with the advent of a "Security Enhancement Operation" in the Deir ez-Zor area, reportedly targeting ISIS sleeper cells and drug dealers, the Syrian Democratic…

Incessant War: Turkey’s Drone Campaign in NES, 2022

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After several failed attempts to secure a greenlight from the United States of America (US) and Russia for a ground invasion in NES, Turkey has relied increasingly on drone attacks as a strategy to weaken the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)…

Explainer: Afrin, 5 years under Turkish occupation

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The Afrin region, in the far north-west of Syria, was one of the 3 original Kurdish cantons of Rojava. Rojava alludes to the Kurdish-majority populated areas in Syria, comprising the western part of Kurdistan. In 2012, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA)…

Turkey’s attacks in North and East Syria, al-Hol camp, and the battle against ISIS

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From the start of Turkey's recent escalation of its attacks on NES, figures within the SDF and Global Coalition have emphasized how Turkish offensives derail the fight against ISIS, directly and indirectly. In a new explainer, RIC outlines the…

A Month on from Tehran – Turkish Attacks from 19/7-18/8/2022

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0 People Killed 0 People Injured 0 Civilians Killed 0 Civilians Injured 0 Drone Attacks On the 19th of July, 2022, a meeting between the heads of state of Turkey, Iran and Russia took place…

The SNA Encyclopedia: A Guide to the Turkish Proxy Militias

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Download the full report here. This report is a compilation of open-source information about the current state of the SNA militias active in the Turkish-occupied territories of Syria (as of August 2022). It updates the already existing…

The Rojava Revolution – A Decade On

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Part I History of the Revolution: Much Achieved, Still Much to be Done 1. Introduction The ‘Rojava Revolution’ began exactly ten years ago, on July 19th 2012, when three predominantly Kurdish-inhabited areas of Syria declared their…

La batalla de Heseke. Desarrollo y análisis

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En números (últimos del 26 de enero), según las Fuerzas Democráticas Sirias (SDF): Población penitenciaria original 4000 (700 menores)Presos entregados desde dentro de la prisión y reingresados: 3500Prisioneros fugados retenidos: 100Presos…