A group of Kurdish fighters.
A couple days ago, the news broke that ISIS militants had burned a Jordanian pilot alive, and the King of Jordan responded to the news with airstrikes, as well as a public vow to wipe ISIS off the face of the Earth. After hearing this promise, social media exploded with admiration for the Jordanian King’s resolve and bravery. Up until recently, a lot of people didn’t recognize any clear leadership in the fight against ISIS. However, these people have failed to recognize the efforts of one group who has been fighting relentlessly with ISIS for months now: the Kurds. I recently came across an article that discusses how the Kurds have been fighting against this menace that seems to be engulfing the Middle East.
Five months ago, ISIS attacked the Kurdish city of Kobane. American military pundits expected the city to fall within days, followed by gruesome images of beheadings and tortures. However, it never fell. Tales of Kurdish bravery, as well as women fighters, trickled out into the media, although these were overshadowed by stories of the horrors of ISIS, as blood and gore seem to drive more ratings than stories of valor. Western audiences were told stories of Europeans and Americans coming to Syria to join the jihad, although nobody talked about hordes of men and women who were rushing to fight against it. Many of them have been sharing their stories on social media, revealing that they’re joined by a large number of like-minded people. Furthermore, a large number of them are seasoned veterans determined to fight evil.
After five long months of fighting, Kobane was finally freed from ISIS. While people in the region were celebrating and dancing in the streets, the media was mostly silent. The Kurds have been fighting for a long time against this new face of terrorism, and so far have lost over 1,000 soldiers in the process.
