Divided we fall, united we stand – Syria’s Kurds
Bombs and missiles of Bashar Al Assad’s regime rain at intermittent rhythm on the battalion of Kurdish rebels in Aleppo. No more than 60 kilometers away Kurdish communities pick olives and herds flocks of sheep in an atmosphere of surreal peace.
From the beginning of the armed uprising in March 2011 kurds have taken to the streets against the Assad regime and in solidarity with heavily bombed cities like Homs.
Since the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) has taken political and military control of Kurdish areas, members of this group have systematically tortured and killed anyone that dared to challenge their authority and join the uprising.
Many people that grew increasingly disillusioned with PKK’s passive stance have gone to fill the lines of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) that fight against the regular Syrian army.
This reportage, still at its early stages, tries to capture the tension within the Kurdish community in a moment of rapid changes and crucial importance for the country and the entire middle-eastern region.