Dead or Alive : Crossing the Border

The advancement of the terrorist group ISIL started a year ago when it took over the villages at Ceylanpinar checkpoint. The fast progressing group has recently been trying to take over Kobane, which is a very significant point for the ethnic Kurdish in the area. Since the beginning of the clashes, approximately 200.000 refugees passed through Suruc to Turkey. Significant number of the refugees is staying in Suruc. They have been placed to the tent areas, construction areas, mosques and to a wedding hall in the city. The Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) has been trying to provide for the refugees by working with AFAD and Kazilay (Turkish Red Crescent) since the Turkish government has failed helping to this fast migration. The refugees who stay outside of the camps live without hygiene and security; various accidents happen. Most of the border villages close to Kobane have been emptied by the army. In the villages which are still inhabited, the villagers coming from the eastern part of Tur-key (Sirnak, Diyarbakir, Siirt, Van, Igdir) keep watch. The night watches are to pre- vent the ISIL members’ entrance, exit and to keep an eye out for the possible attacks to the village. YPG fighters come shortly to some of this villages to rest. They meet some of their needs such as resting, food and minor medical treatments there. As the clashes around Kobane intensified, the dead bodies that arrived at Suruc, the city on the Turkish side of the border, became more and more. The bodies of the fighters from this border town who joined the fight against the IS have been buried and the funeral ceremonies were accompanied by loud protests. The relatives and the compatriots of the deceased were apparently furious at AKP government and President Erdogan for the government neither supported nor protected the Kurdish people in the region. On the contrary, they believed that the government showed sympathies towards the IS. Consequently they expressed their anger with chants slogans against the authorities.