ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Moments after his return from Kobane and reuniting with his family in Erbil, Karwan Muhammad, 29, said he is proud to have served and defended his country against the Islamic State (ISIS) militants.
“I see no difference between my own home and Kobane,” said Muhammad, known as Rebwar, sitting on the floor of his home next to his mother and an uncle. “I was proud to go to Kobane. Kobane is part of Kurdistan and we have to defend it.”
Rebwar was one of 150 Peshmerga fighters who were deployed to Kobane two months ago and returned to the Kurdistan Region last week.
Surrounded by his family and relatives, Rebwar recalled his first day in Kobane.
“The first day we entered Kobane we were attacked by the ISIS with mortar shells and gunfire,” he told Rudaw. “But we made it safely and joined our comrades.”
The Kurdish Peshmerga ministry deployed 150 Peshmerga fighters to Kobane in October to reinforce the Peoples Protection Units (YPG) against a vicious ISIS invasion on the town.
Rebwar said that his time in Kobane was not easy due to the constant fight against the Islamist militants, but that he has many good memories from those days.
One of Rebwar’s relatives who had come to welcome him home said, “I am happy for his return and I was happy when he went there.”
“I knew they would go and return proudly,” he added.
Rebwar said that he is ready to pick up his gun and go to defend any part of Kurdistan under threat.
The Peshmerga ministry sent another 150 Peshmerga fighters to Kobane last week to replace Rebwar’s team.
Meanwhile, a number of Kurdish youth have joined the YPG as volunteer fighters in the past two years and they are posted to different frontlines in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava).
One of these volunteers, Baban Hama Bakir, a native of Penjwen was killed fighting ISIS in Kobane last week.
His family said that his body will be returned to the Kurdistan Region today and buried in his hometown of Penjwen.
