"We are mobilizing to Kobanî. Here's why."

A decade ago, Kurdish forces — led by the YPG/YPJ — mounted a remarkable resistance at Kobanî. For 133 days, these fighters held their ground against a brutal siege by Islamic State forces that threatened not just the city but the region at large. Through tremendous sacrifice, the defenders of Kobanî achieved what many thought impossible, defeating ISIS and creating a beacon of hope for progressive forces worldwide.

The victory in Kobanî, however, did not bring peace to its defenders. In the years that followed, the Erdogan regime launched repeated military campaigns against predominantly Kurdish communities, driven by irredentist ambitions that sought to crush the democratic experiment in Rojava. Recent years have seen Turkish drones and artillery rain on civilian populations, while cross-border military operations have displaced thousands along the way.

But today, we see early signs of reprieve. Recent developments suggest a potential shift in Turkish policy, with preliminary talks between the Erdogan government and Kurdish representatives opening new possibilities for a cessation of hostilities. The proposed framework includes provisions for constitutional reform, language rights, and political amnesty – steps that could begin to redress decades of systematic repression.

That is why, at the invitation of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, the Progressive International has traveled to Kobanî: to honor its sacrifice, and to bring international support to the fragile diplomatic process that may bring peace to its peoples.