Forced to flee Tal Abyad, Syrian woman tells story of PYD oppression
Fatma Ali lost her husband and was forced to flee with her children after the PKK's Syrian offshoot, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), invaded her hometown of Tal Abyad. Now, the 32-year-old mother of five is struggling to survive in the Turkish province of Şanlıurfa after escaping war-torn Syria.
The Syrian civil war, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and forced millions of others to migrate to other countries, is creating even more squalid conditions for people in the region as PYD terrorists continue to torture the innocent.
One of those women is Fatma Ali, who became a victim of both the civil war and the terrorist groups that came as a result. Having lost her husband during a bombardment three years ago while he was working in a field, Fatma was forced to flee home two years ago after the PYD occupied her hometown.The family, which eventually settled in Turkey's Şanlıurfa province where she currently lives in a tent, is struggling to survive with the support of local authorities and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Fatma expressed the difficulty of raising five children in a foreign country as a single mother.
"Before, we had our fields [to make a living]. We were living in good condition and were very happy. Then, my beloved husband was killed. Just a few hours before his death, he even told me to take care of our children. That same day, in the mid-afternoon, I learned that he died. For him to rest in peace, my children must be in a good situation. Now, I have a duty: I have to take care of my children for the sake of my husband, who became a martyr," she said.
"When I heard that my husband was dead, I thought of killing myself but I fear Allah. When I was thinking of death, I thought of my children and tried to be patient. After a while, Daesh gave up our city to the PYD without a fight. As soon as the PYD came in, they started to torture people and forced those who did not support them to leave the city. There was almost no one left in the city and they brought in other people from different regions and forced them to resettle in our homes. Those days were very bad for us," she explained.
"We have been waiting for these terrorist organizations to leave our hometown for the longest time. I don't know how but I believe we will return to our homes one day," said Fatma, explaining that many regions of Syria were liberated as a result of Operation Euphrates Shield and people in the region have slowly begun to experience peace.
"I hope that Tal Abyad will also be liberated one day," she added.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, while Turkey also considers the PYD as a terror group. The PYD has been forcing the locals into mandatory military service while Arabs and Turkmens there are being exposed to forced immigration, arbitrary arrest and torture in areas controlled by the PKK in northern Syria.
The Syrian civil war, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and forced millions of others to migrate to other countries, is creating even more squalid conditions for people in the region as PYD terrorists continue to torture the innocent.
One of those women is Fatma Ali, who became a victim of both the civil war and the terrorist groups that came as a result. Having lost her husband during a bombardment three years ago while he was working in a field, Fatma was forced to flee home two years ago after the PYD occupied her hometown.The family, which eventually settled in Turkey's Şanlıurfa province where she currently lives in a tent, is struggling to survive with the support of local authorities and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Fatma expressed the difficulty of raising five children in a foreign country as a single mother.
"Before, we had our fields [to make a living]. We were living in good condition and were very happy. Then, my beloved husband was killed. Just a few hours before his death, he even told me to take care of our children. That same day, in the mid-afternoon, I learned that he died. For him to rest in peace, my children must be in a good situation. Now, I have a duty: I have to take care of my children for the sake of my husband, who became a martyr," she said.
"When I heard that my husband was dead, I thought of killing myself but I fear Allah. When I was thinking of death, I thought of my children and tried to be patient. After a while, Daesh gave up our city to the PYD without a fight. As soon as the PYD came in, they started to torture people and forced those who did not support them to leave the city. There was almost no one left in the city and they brought in other people from different regions and forced them to resettle in our homes. Those days were very bad for us," she explained.
"We have been waiting for these terrorist organizations to leave our hometown for the longest time. I don't know how but I believe we will return to our homes one day," said Fatma, explaining that many regions of Syria were liberated as a result of Operation Euphrates Shield and people in the region have slowly begun to experience peace.
"I hope that Tal Abyad will also be liberated one day," she added.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, while Turkey also considers the PYD as a terror group. The PYD has been forcing the locals into mandatory military service while Arabs and Turkmens there are being exposed to forced immigration, arbitrary arrest and torture in areas controlled by the PKK in northern Syria.