Syrian
Democratic Forces (North Press)
(North Press) – The Kurdish National Congress of North America (KNCNA), a nonprofit
organization founded in 1988 focused on Kurdish rights and the attainment of an
independent Kurdistan, held an online seminar on North and East Syria titled “Where’s
Rojava Today?” on Saturday. The seminar’s panelists included Syrian Democratic Council
Representative to the US Sinam Muhammad, Middle East Scholar Dr. Amy Austin Holmes,
Rojava Activist and KNCNA Member Dr. Ihsan Efrini, and Kurdish Journalist and Analyst
Mutlu Civiroglu.
The organization has been organizing conferences since 1988, and wanted to organize a
conference in Washington, but “because of [coronavirus], we couldn’t go ahead, therefore
we thought about a webinar,” Ihsan Efrini, a native of Afrin currently residing in
Canada, told North Press. “In 2019, Rojava was trending, but it seems like people have
forgotten the region. There is still a lot happening in the region that needs to be
talked about,” he added about the need for such a conference to take place.
Sinam Muhammad opened the discussion by talking about the dissolution of the Syrian
opposition and the invasion and occupation of her native Afrin. “Afrin was a painful
moment not only for Afrinis, but for all people in Syria, and also Arabs. They felt that
they were also under attack and worried about Turkish intervention in Syria, and this is
what Turkey did [in Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad].” Muhammad went on to discuss the
completion of the first stage of the intra-Kurdish dialogue, stating, “It was so good
that we reached an agreement together with the help of the United States, and I would
like to thank Mr. William Roebuck this effort.” She added, “it is good for Kurdish
parties to have unity…in order to have a stronger administration and stronger political
solution to present to the future constitutional committee of Syria.”
Dr. Amy Holmes discussed several subjects, chief among them the unity of the Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF) as one of its key characteristics from which it draws its
strength. “The SDF is a multi-ethnic force…and a multi-religious force, with Muslims,
Christians, and Yezidis,” said Dr. Holmes, who previously completed a thorough and
comprehensive study on the SDF in all regions of northeastern Syria.
“When Turkey invaded in October 2019…many people thought that the SDF would
disintegrate, or that, for example, the Arabs in the SDF would defect – that they would
go back to the regime with Assad, or that they would join Turkey…but really, nothing
like that happened. There [were] no major defections within the SDF as the result of the
Turkish intervention,” Holmes explained, later telling a personal anecdote about an Arab
individual from Sere Kaniye who joined the SDF in 2015, as well as mentioning Kurds who
joined the SDF to liberate Arab-majority areas such as Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor. “The SDF
has maintained its unity even in the face of this Turkish aggression,” she
continued.
Mutlu Civiroglu further commented on the talks, saying that “the initiative has brought
a very optimistic atmosphere to the region…[it] has caused happiness among the people:
activists, local people, military people, and politicians.” Civiroglu also mentioned
local concern about the Caesar Act, saying “the other major topic in the region was the
Caesar Act, and its impacts on the region under the Syrian Democratic Council or Syrian
Democratic Forces’ control – how will the region be protected?”
The seminar lasted around an hour and a half, with each panelist sharing their views and
answering viewer’s questions in the end. Many topics, including the intra-Kurdish
negotiations, entry of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq-based Rojava Peshmerga into Rojava,
the Turkish occupations of Afrin, Serekaniye, and Tel Abyad, and the efforts and unity
of the Syrian Democratic Forces, were discussed during the meeting.
Reporting by Lucas Chapman
Personal Website of Mutlu
Civiroglu 