by Our Correspondent in Doha
We are not defeated, we are only waiting for the right time.
Over the last few weeks, the ongoing Turkish-backed offensive led by Hayat-Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has dramatically reshaped the political landscape of Syria. The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in large parts of the country has been celebrated by many in the West, but beneath this façade of “victory” lies a bitter truth: a sinister campaign aimed at erasing Kurdish autonomy in northern Syria is well underway. The relentless advance of Turkish forces, alongside their jihadist proxies, into the Kurdish Autonomous Area in North Eastern Syria (AANES), better known as Rojava, has gone largely unnoticed in Western media, with the international community once again turning a blind eye to the suffering of the Kurdish people.
In recent days, Turkey has continued its military campaign, capturing key Kurdish cities such as Tel Rifaat and Manbij—the last Kurdish-held city west of the Euphrates River. These cities, once symbols of Kurdish self-rule, are now being swept into the Turkish orbit, as Erdogan’s forces, alongside ruthless jihadist militias, bomb and massacre their way through the region. Mass executions, rapes, and widespread displacement have already been reported. Eight members of a family were killed in a single day in Ain Issa, and the destruction of vital infrastructure, like the Qereqozac bridge, underscores the brutal and systematic nature of this offensive. Yet, in the West, the focus remains largely on the “victory” of HTS over Assad’s forces, with scant attention given to the fate of the Kurdish people, whose survival is at stake.
This offensive is not just a military assault—it is an act of imperialist aggression, orchestrated by Erdogan’s regime, with the aim of expanding Turkey’s influence in the region and extinguishing any hope for Kurdish autonomy. The Turkish president has long viewed the Kurdish forces in Syria, particularly the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as a direct threat to his own power. Erdogan has consistently attempted to crush the Kurdish movement, both within Turkey and beyond, and has allied himself with the most barbaric jihadist forces, including ISIS and HTS, to achieve this goal. In his eyes, the Kurds’ fight for self-determination represents a threat to his dream of a “Greater Turkey” and his authoritarian regime, which is already under pressure from a significant Kurdish minority at home.
The Turkish state’s history of hostility towards the Kurds is well-documented. Erdogan’s government has repeatedly engaged in military offensives against Kurdish populations, from bombing Kurdish cities in Turkey to orchestrating the bloody siege of Afrin in 2018. This offensive, code-named “Operation Olive Branch,” resulted in the deaths of thousands of Kurdish civilians and displaced over 150,000 people. The international response to these atrocities was shockingly muted. Now, with the renewed push into Kurdish-controlled areas in Syria, Erdogan’s ambitions are becoming clearer: to erase Rojava and destroy the last semblance of Kurdish autonomy in the region. The fate of the Kurdish people is once again a mere pawn in the geopolitical machinations of regional and global powers.
But the Turkish onslaught is not the only betrayal the Kurds face. The international community, led by Western imperialist powers, has abandoned the Kurdish people time and time again. The Kurds have long been used as pawns in the wider struggle against ISIS, with the U.S. and its allies offering military support in exchange for Kurdish blood. When the Kurds were the most effective ground force against ISIS, the West celebrated their heroism. The Syrian Democratic Forces, primarily composed of Kurdish fighters, bore the brunt of the fight against ISIS, losing over 11,000 fighters in the process, compared to just eight American casualties. Yet, despite their sacrifices, the Kurds were never truly valued by the imperialist powers. They were mere tools in the broader geopolitical struggle, and when their usefulness was exhausted, they were discarded.
The betrayal reached its apex in 2018, when the U.S. gave a tacit green light to Turkey’s invasion of Afrin, despite repeated pleas from Kurdish leaders for American intervention. Washington’s response was a cold, callous dismissal of Kurdish concerns. The Pentagon’s advice to Kurdish leaders was clear: Afrin was not “strategically important.” This abandonment was not an isolated incident; it was part of a wider pattern of betrayal by the West, which has consistently failed to support Kurdish aspirations for self-determination. The U.S. and its allies have instead prioritised their own strategic interests—maintaining relations with Turkey and securing their own footholds in the region—over any commitment to Kurdish independence.
Now, as Turkish-backed militias continue their advance into Kurdish territory, the U.S. once again sits idly by, brokered into an embarrassing ceasefire that forces the Kurds to surrender vital cities like Manbij. This betrayal is further exemplified by the fact that the West continues to support Erdogan’s regime, despite its ongoing human rights abuses and the brutal suppression of Kurdish populations both within Turkey and Syria. The U.K. and Europe, meanwhile, have resumed arms deals with Turkey, enabling Erdogan’s war machine to continue its assault. The hypocrisy is staggering: the same powers that preach human rights and self-determination are complicit in the destruction of the Kurdish dream.
Erdogan’s strategy is clear: to solidify Turkish control over northern Syria, align the jihadist forces of HTS with his own ambitions, and crush the Kurdish forces that have long been a thorn in his side. By backing jihadist proxies and using them to wage war on Kurdish civilians, Erdogan is not only undermining Kurdish aspirations but also destabilising the region further. This is not a war for peace or democracy; it is a war for domination and control, and the Kurds are once again the victims.
The only solution to this tragic situation is a revolutionary one. The Kurdish struggle for autonomy cannot be won through reliance on imperialist powers or by compromising with reactionary forces like Erdogan’s regime. The Kurdish people have been betrayed by the U.S., Europe, and Turkey, and it is clear that these powers are not interested in granting the Kurds their rightful place in the region. The only way forward is through revolutionary struggle—uniting the Kurdish masses with the oppressed peoples of Syria, Turkey, and the wider Middle East.
The failure of Kurdish leadership to break with imperialism and build a broader, class-based movement is evident in the current crisis. While the PKK and the PYD have garnered sympathy for their fight against ISIS, their nationalistic framework has isolated them from the wider masses in the region. The Kurdish leadership has made a fatal error by accepting U.S. military support without securing any genuine political guarantees. This lack of a revolutionary, socialist programme has left the Kurdish struggle vulnerable to betrayal by imperialist powers. If the Kurds are to survive and thrive, they must embrace a broader, class-based struggle against the capitalist and imperialist regimes that oppress them.
It is clear that the path to Kurdish liberation lies not in military struggle alone, but in the mobilisation of the oppressed masses of the region—Kurdish and non-Kurdish alike. Only by uniting all the exploited peoples of Syria, Turkey, and beyond can the Kurdish people achieve their rightful place in a democratic, socialist Middle East. The region is ripe for revolutionary change, with massive inequality, widespread disillusionment, and a growing resistance to authoritarianism and imperialism. The Kurdish people have shown time and again that they are capable of resisting tyranny, but now they must fight not only for their own survival but for the survival of all oppressed peoples in the region.
The betrayal of the Kurds by imperialist powers is nothing new, but it is a lesson that must be learned by all who seek to build a better world. The Kurdish people’s struggle for self-determination is part of the broader fight against imperialism and capitalist oppression, and it is a struggle that must be supported by all who stand for justice and equality. Only through revolutionary unity, across national and class lines, can the Kurdish people and the oppressed masses of the Middle East achieve the freedom and dignity they so rightfully deserve.
The road ahead will be difficult, and the stakes are high. But if the Kurds are to have any hope of achieving their dreams of freedom, they must look beyond the broken promises of imperialism and build a new, revolutionary future. It is only through this struggle that the Kurdish people can break free from the chains of oppression and realise their right to self-determination. Only then will they truly be able to build a society based on justice, equality, and solidarity for all.
