Jia Gol
Appearances
Global News Podcast
Bibas family funeral takes place in Israel
As we cross the ancient Tigris River over a floating bridge from Iraqi Kurdistan, the minibus carrying us and several other civilians shakes and rattles. We are heading to the Kurdish-controlled north-eastern region of Syria. Syrian Kurds call it Rojava, meaning the west of Kurdistan.
Global News Podcast
Bibas family funeral takes place in Israel
Ten years ago, the so-called Islamic State militants, ISIS, swept through the northeast, reaching the iconic city of Kobani on the border with Turkey. ISIS imposed a tight siege over the city that lasted months. I joined hundreds of Kobani's residents as they celebrate the 10th anniversary of their liberation from the terror of ISIS.
Global News Podcast
Bibas family funeral takes place in Israel
Not far from Kobani, fighting rages on between the Kurdish-led SDF and Turkey-backed Syrian forces. Turkey sees one large armed component that is part of the SDF alliance as a terrorist organization. It wants to expel the group from its borders. For weeks, Turkish drones have been targeting SDF supply routes. and even civilian anti-war protests have come under attack.
Global News Podcast
Bibas family funeral takes place in Israel
This is Leo Bonsi, a 28-year-old German peace activist who has been volunteering at a woman's shelter here for two years. She was injured in a recent attack. On her hospital bed, she shows us a video of two projectiles flying down from the air and hitting the ground in the middle of a group of people dancing. The protest was held near a strategic dam where fighting has been ongoing.
Global News Podcast
Bibas family funeral takes place in Israel
Human Rights Watch condemned the drone attacks on ambulances and the killing of civilians as apparent war crimes committed by the Turkish-SNA correlation. But the Turkish government denies targeting civilians and infrastructure, instead accusing Kurdish forces of using civilians as human shields. Back in Kobani, locals fear that the battle could reach the city at any point.
Global News Podcast
Bibas family funeral takes place in Israel
Syria's new president, Ahmed al-Shar, has called on all armed groups in Syria to lay down their weapons. But for the Kurdish forces who face an existential threat to their presence in the northeast, this may not be an option. Damascus and the Kurdish-led SDF forces have been negotiating a solution for the northeast. But Commander Mazloum Abdi tells me the situation remained tense.
Global News Podcast
Bibas family funeral takes place in Israel
In one of Kobani's cemeteries, I join mourners as they bury two Kurdish fighters killed in a recent attack. Stability in Syria may be on the horizon, but for the Kurds, the future is uncertain.