Lelun Afrin
“We gathered our lifeless pieces and mixed them into one tune and we departed far away like wishes, but our watchful souls did not enjoy rest. Fate wanted death to take them from us while we were unaware. They were buried far from the soil of their land, and the dream of return was buried with them..! Years pass and I fear that I will not fulfill their dream, even by transporting their remains to Afrin.”
This is how “Slava Ali Rashid,” the daughter of the victims of the Turkish bombing, “Muhammad Ali Rashid,” 65, and “Madina Abdo Hussein,” 55, from the “Hassan” village of Raju district, explained the tragedies of her parents.
“Slava” speaks to bring us back to the days of tragedies, when Turkey was launching a violent attack on Afrin on 20th January 2018, and as a result every Afrinian lost something, whether it was a piece of his/her body, a loved one, his/her property, or he/she lost something. His/her whole life. She adds:
“Due to the escalation of the Turkish bombing and the Syrian National Army factions’ bombing of civilians, we decided to leave and moved towards Afrin, and stayed for a while in a relative’s house in the city center. We stayed in that house, and we could not bring any thing with us, and we did not know how long it would take. We thought it would be temporary, perhaps lasting a week or more.”
She continues: “Despite the danger and the continued bombing and attack, on 30th January 2018, my parents went with my uncle to inspect our house located in the center of Raju district and bring some supplies. We owned a stationery store near our house. When my father parked his car in front of the library, a missile targeted him from a drone that was monitoring the car’s movement at the time. My father was injured in his leg there, and my uncle rushed my father to the nearest medical point. They were targeted again three times in a row as they were leaving Raju at the entrance to the city, which led to the amputation of my parents’ legs and my uncle’s right hand. They were taken to the hospital, where doctors were able to stop the bleeding.”
“The sky was raining body parts,” this is how “Slava” described her feeling when she saw her parents in front of the door of Avrin Hospital in the Afrin city. She adds:
“The sirens of ambulances and civilian cars were heard from all parts of the city, and dozens of cars were transporting the injured to the hospital, including a dead body, body parts, and stairs dripping with blood, wounded people covered in blood, and survivors in a state of shock. That was the scene in front of the hospital gate. The sky was raining body parts..! Unimaginably difficult conditions, and dozens of rooms were filled with injured people between life and death! There is no longer room for anyone in the hospital.”
There are breathtaking moments between life and death. Despite her mother’s bleeding and her father’s loss of consciousness, the medical staff was able to save her parents’ lives. Although they underwent surgery, after the operation they received minimal treatment and the attention of doctors who were dealing with an increasing number of seriously injured people amid dwindling medical and drug supplies.
She continues: “As a result of the deteriorating security conditions and the lack of medical care in Afrin, we went to Qamishli to receive appropriate treatment.”
“For a year and a half, my parents suffered extreme difficulties in the place of forced displacement because their legs were amputated,” Slava said.
On 19th June 2019, uncle “Muhammad” and aunt “Madina” went to Al-Hasakah, accompanied by their son, “Sherwan,” his cousin, “Muhammad Ali,” and the driver, “Rashid Muhammad,” from the village of “Atmana” in the Rajo district to install artificial limbs. They all died as a result of an accident on the international road between the cities of Qamishli and Al-Hasakah. Their bodies were buried in the civilian cemetery in the city of Qamishli, and the dream of returning home was buried with them!
Slava, the mother of a five-year-old child, is trying with difficulty to accept the situation, saying: “No one can describe the bitterness of this feeling. It is a mixture of painful feelings!” Sometimes I understand it and sometimes I don’t believe it. I say to console myself that this was just a nightmare!”
Slava says that she buried the bodies of her family with the coffins to transport their remains later to their hometown and fulfill their wish to return. She adds: “Their wish was to return to their home, but fate refused to grant them that!”
Yes, it is the story of the Afrini “Muhammad Ali Rashid” and his wife, from the Raju district. They were displaced with their two sons from Afrin as a result of the Turkish attacks, where they had both of their legs amputated as a result of the bombing of the area, and they settled in the Syrian Al-Jazeera area, only to end up in a traffic accident.