Al-Nusra Kills Kurds During Iftar, Witness Says.

Al-Nusra Kills Kurds During Iftar, Witness Says.
Having had to run away from Serê Kaniyê to the Kurdish town of Ceylanpınar in Turkey after clashes between the PYD and Al-Nusra flared, Ali Halil Mamu told about the war in Rojava, Taraf Daily reported.

Ali Halil Namu and his family crossed the Syrian-Turkish border on July 28 and went to their relative’s home in Ceylanpınar after their house was hit by a howitzer during conflicts between the Al-Nusra and PYD forces in Serê Kaniyê. Mamu said that the Allah-u Akbar squad of the Al-Nusra kidnapped and tortured him. “They are firing cannons to Serê Kaniyê at iftar time (evening meal during Ramadan),” he added.

After having crossed the border with his wife and two children, Mamu said: “Serê Kaniyê is fired with mortars from Tel Halef. Women and children are also wounded by the bombings. Some have even been killed. Serê Kaniyê is empty now. Everybody is fighting. Yesterday ( 4 days ago) my house was hit by a howitzer. My children were scared. I had to run away to save their lives. I took shelter in my relative’s house in Ceylanpınar. The PYD is fighting against not only against the Al-Nusra but also against many other groups.”

Ali Halil Mamu said that he was kidnapped on grounds that he was Kurdish and tortured with an electric cable.

The Alah-u Akbar squad held me captive on charges of assisting the PYD and YPG. They asked me ‘Why do you go to Turkey so often?’. I said ‘I have to take care of my children. I’m trying to meet my basic needs’. They said that I had fought with the PYD against them.

They took me to the police station at the border gate. One of them beat me there but he was not satisfied. He took an electric cable and tortured me with it. When blood came out of my eyes, he said, ‘I feel relaxed now.’ Then, a commander entered the room and told him ‘to beat me until my skin is removed.’ 11 people beat me in turn.

Bombardment during Iftar Dinner

Most houses in Serê Kaniyê have been plundered, Mamu stated.

A Serê Kaniyê market has been set up in Rakka and Tel Abyad. The Al-Nusra militants have sold our houses to people they brought from abroad.

There are conflicts every day and the Al-Nusra fires howitzers on Serê Kaniyê during iftar time, Mamu added:

Many people have been wounded by the bombardment during the iftar dinner. The Al-Nusra militants say they are Muslims. What kind of a Muslim throws bombs on people having iftar dinner? A child died because of the bombing yesterday (3 days ago).

A mosque in Tel Abyad announced from the loudspeaker that “the belongings, wives and children of Kurds are halal to you,” Mamu said.

The Al-Nusra and similar groups start hunting Kurds when their soldiers are captured. They exchange Kurds with their captive soldiers. While the captives held by the PYD are in good condition, the Kurds captured by the Al-Nursa are in horrific state.

The Al-Nusra militants beat them, break their arms and legs or kill them. If the exchange does not take place, the Kurds captured by the Al-Nusra disappear. My uncle was captured by the Al-Nusra. After a while, they told us to go and get him. When we went there, there was only his dead body wrapped in a blanket.

Shortage of bread and medicine in Serê Kaniyê

The biggest problem in Serê Kaniyê is the shortage of bread and medicine, Mamu said:

We have water in Serê Kaniyê. But there is scarcity of bread and medicine. Despite these disadvantages, everybody in Serê Kaniyê is able to receive their share of the available resources without being exposed to discrimination.