International Freedom Battalion
International Freedom Battalion | |
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Tabûra Azadî Ya Înternasyonal Participant in the Rojava conflict and the Syrian Civil War |
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Banner used by the International Freedom Battalion
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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.[4] The political ideologies among many of the fighters include Marxism–Leninism, Hoxhaism, Maoism, and anarchism.
Contents
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
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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. However groups such as the predominant MLKP didn't join,[11] but eventually BÖG and those other groups participated in the formation of the International Freedom Battalion. BÖG also has a female branch named Kadın Özgürlük Gücü in Turkish.[12] Member groups of BÖG include:
- Revolutionary Communard Party (Turkish: Devrimci Komünarlar Partisi, abbreviated as DKP)
- Marxist–Leninist Armed Propaganda Corps-Revolutionary Front (Turkish: Marksist Leninist Silahlı Propaganda Birliği-Devrim Cephesi, abbreviated as MLSPB-DC)
- Revolution Party of Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye Devrim Partisi, abbreviated as TDP)
- Social Insurrection (Turkish: Sosyal İsyan, abbreviated as Sİ)
- Proletariat Revolutionary Liberation Organisation (Turkish: Proleteryanın Devrimci Kurtuluş Örgütü, abbreviated as PDKÖ)
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]
Devrimci Karargâh
Revolutionary Headquarters (Turkish: Devrimci Karargâh, abbreviated as DK) is a Marxist–Leninist group from Turkey. A battalion was created by DK and MLSPB-DC (part of United Freedom Forces) named after Alper Çakas, an MLSPB-DC fighter killed while fighting in Rojava.[17]
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.[18]
See also
References
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External links
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