International Freedom Battalion

International Freedom Battalion
Tabûra Azadî Ya Înternasyonal
Participant in the Rojava conflict and the Syrian Civil War

Banner used by the International Freedom Battalion
Active 10 June 2015–present
Ideology Revolutionary socialism
Proletarian internationalism
Groups MLKP,
TKP/ML TİKKO,
United Freedom Forces,
Reconstrucción Comunista,
TKEP/L,
RUIS
Area of operations Rojava, Syria
Allies People's Protection Units,
Women's Protection Units,
Kurdistan Workers' Party
Opponents  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Battles and wars

Syrian Civil War

The International Freedom Battalion (Turkish: Enternasyonalist Özgürlük Taburu, Kurdish: Tabûra Azadî Ya Înternasyonal‎) is an armed group consisting of leftist foreign fighters fighting alongside the People's Protection Units in the Syrian Civil War in support of the Rojava Revolution and against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.[1][2][3] The formation of the International Freedom Battalion was announced on 10 June 2015 in Serê Kaniyê (Ras al-Ayn). The Marxist–Leninist Communist Party (Turkey/Northern Kurdistan) had been the main force behind the establishment of the group. Inspiration for the group came from the International Brigades of the Spanish Civil War. The group contains Turkish, Spanish, Greek, German, Albanian, Circassian, Arab, Armenian, and Laz fighters.[4] The political ideologies among many of the fighters include Marxism–Leninism, Hoxhaism, Maoism, and anarchism.

Groups

The International Freedom Battalion is made up of fighters from left-wing armed groups, most of whom had been fighting with the YPG before the creation of the International Freedom Battalion. These groups include:

Marksist-Leninist Komünist Partisi

Marxist–Leninist Communist Party (Turkish: Marksist-Leninist Komünist Partisi, abbreviated as MLKP) is an underground Hoxhaist communist party from Turkey. MLKP fighters had been reportedly been sent to Syria to fight with the People's Protection Units since 2012. MLKP fighters have also joined Kurdistan Workers' Party fighting in Northern Iraq in defence of the Yezidi minority in Sinjar.[5] In April 2015, it was announced that MLKP founded a permanent military training centre in PKK-controlled areas of the Iraqi Kurdistan.[6] In March 2015 a 19-year-old German woman, Ivana Hoffmann, was killed whilst fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant making her the third western fighter, as well as the first female western fighter, to die while fighting alongside the YPG, her death was reported by many mainstream news sources.[7] MLKP's female organisation, Komünist Kadın Örgütü, is also involved in fighting.[8] MLKP was heavily involved in forming the International Freedom Battalion and has the largest amount of fighters in the group.

TKP/ML TİKKO

Liberation Army of the Workers and Peasants of Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye İşci ve Köylü Kurtuluş Ordusu, abbreviated as TİKKO) is the armed wing of the Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist–Leninist (Turkish: Türkiye Komünist Partisi/Marksist-Leninist, abbreviated as TKP/ML), a Maoist insurgent organisation in Turkey. On March 25th 2016, the TKP/ML TİKKO headquarters in Serêkaniyê were targeted by a motorcycle bomb causing slight injuries to 2 members and damage to the headquarters, 2 suspects were detained by Asayiş.[9][10]

Birleşik Özgürlük Güçleri

Main article: United Freedom Forces

The United Freedom Forces (Turkish: Birleşik Özgürlük Güçleri, or BÖG), inspired by the International Brigades of the Spanish Civil War, were founded in December 2014 in the town of Kobanê as an organization of foreign leftist fighters of both revolutionary socialist and anarchist provenience. After groups such as the predominant MLKP however didn't join their command,[11] they pushed for other ways of cooperation and finally, together with their female branch Kadın Özgürlük Gücü,[12] participated in the formation of the International Freedom Battalion.

Reconstrucción Comunista

Communist Reconstruction (Spanish: Reconstrucción Comunista, abbreviated as RC) is a Marxist-Leninist group from Spain. The group carries a variant of the Flag of the Second Spanish Republic. RC has strong ties to the MLKP and members fight as part of MLKP formations, even fighting in Sinjar. Two members of the group were arrested by police after their return to Spain and were accused of participating in an armed conflict outside of Spain without authorization from the state, as well as putting national interests at risk and joining groups fighting against ISIS that are considered terrorist organizations by international organizations.[13] In January 2016, 9 individuals were arrested in Spain, 8 Spanish citizens and 1 from Turkey.[14] The Spanish Interior Ministry said in a statement that "The detained, in collaboration with other individuals residing in various European countries, were providing the necessary infrastructure for displaced people to travel abroad and to finally integrate in the ranks of the Peoples’ Protection Units (YPG) or one of the armed wings of the organization" and that the majority of the arrested belong to the group 'Communist Reconstruction'. [15]

Türkiye Komünist Emek Partisi/Leninist

Communist Labour Party of Turkey/Leninist (Turkish: Türkiye Komünist Emek Partisi/Leninist, abbreviated as TKEP/L) is an illegal Marxist-Leninist party in Turkey. The group have set up their own headquarters in Rojava.[16]

Revolutionary Union for Internationalist Solidarity

Revolutionary Union for Internationalist Solidarity (Greek: Επαναστατικός Σύνδεσμος Διεθνιστικής Αλληλεγγύης, abbreviated as ΕΣΔΑ) is a libertarian communist group from Greece.[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "New Leftist 'Freedom Brigade' to Join Kurdish Forces in Rojava". TeleSUR. 13 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "Rojava’da ilk Enternasyonalist Özgürlük Taburu kuruldu". YPG News. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  3. ↑ "International Freedom Battalion: women of the world, defend the Rojava revolution–a report from JINHA". signalfire. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  4. ↑ "The First Internationalist Freedom Battalion Established in Rojava". Isyandan. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  5. ↑ "MLKP fighters also in Sinjar". Kurdish info. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  6. ↑ "MLKP komutanı Can: 'Gerilla tarzı yaşam bizim geleceğimizdir'". Etkin Haber Ajansı. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  7. ↑ "German woman fighting ISIL killed in Syria". Al Jazeera. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  8. ↑ "MLKP Rojava/KKÖ: Halkımızın acıları acımızdır". Etkin Haber Ajansı. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  9. ↑ "Islamic State bomb attack against Serêkaniyê HQ of TKP/ML-TIKKO". Signalfire. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "TKP-ML TİKKO’ya yönelik bombalı saldırı". YPG News. 26 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  11. ↑ "Enternasyonal cepheye çağrı". Özgür Gündem. 8 December 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  12. ↑ "Kadın Özgürlük Gücü kuruldu". Hawar Haber Ajansı. August 14, 2015. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Two Spaniards arrested on return from fighting ISIS in Syria". El País. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  14. ↑ "Spanish police arrest 9 for suspected PKK links". Rudaw. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  15. ↑ "Police Arrest Eight Spaniards And One Turk For Recruiting Fighters For PKK-KCK". The Spain Report. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  16. ↑ "TKEP-L Rojava’da merkez açtı". Hawar Haber Ajansı. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  17. ↑ "The International Freedom Battalion of Rojava and participation from Greece". Insurrection News. 15 July 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to International Freedom Battalion.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, April 08, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.