Secret Revolution
Out of the chaos of Syria's civil war, Kurdish PKK leftists have forged a radical, multi-ethnic mini-state. But with ISIS and Turkey now attacking the PKK leaning groups, how long can this new political geography last?
"It's not about religion here. We protect all sects", says a Kurdish soldier. Made up of enclaves across Northern Syria, Rojava, a Marxist PKK affiliate, provides sanctuary to a spectrum of minorities as well as refugees on the run from ISIS. Described by Aldar Xalil, member of the Rojava Government Council, as a "consensus based, democratic way of life", the state enjoys a political liberty unfamiliar to other areas of the Middle East. But an association with the PKK, a Turkish militant group, has earned Rojava members the "terrorist" label . As YPG spokesmen Redur Khalil explains, however, Syria's Kurdish fighters could be key in the fight against ISIS: "for the American and European plans to succeed, they will need allies on the ground".
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