Rojava and the Wars of Syrian Kurdistan: Revolution, ISIS, and the Fight for Survival (2004–2026)
- Rezan Babakir
- 7 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Introduction
The Rojava revolution is the most significant experiment in Kurdish self-governance since the Republic of Mahabad. When the Syrian civil war erupted in 2011 and the Assad regime withdrew its forces from northeastern Syria in 2012, Kurdish fighters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) filled the vacuum, establishing an autonomous administration across three cantons: Kobani, Afrin, and Jazira. What followed was a decade of war against ISIS, jihadist factions, Turkish military operations, and shifting alliances that made the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) one of the most effective fighting forces in the Middle East.
This article traces the full arc of the Syrian Kurdish military experience: from the 2004 Qamishli uprising to the Rojava revolution, the defence of Kobani, the liberation of Raqqa, the loss of Afrin and Manbij, and the existential crisis facing Rojava in 2025–2026.
Contents
Origins: The 2004 Qamishli Uprising and the Syrian Civil War
Syrian Kurds had lived under systematic discrimination for decades. Hundreds of thousands were denied citizenship under a 1962 census that stripped Kurdish families of their identity documents. In March 2004, riots erupted in Qamishli after a clash at a football match between Kurdish and Arab supporters escalated into a city-wide uprising. Syrian security forces killed at least 30 Kurdish demonstrators and arrested thousands. The Qamishli uprising was the first major Kurdish political mobilisation in Syria and a precursor to the revolution that would come seven years later.
When anti-government protests swept Syria in 2011, Kurdish areas joined the broader uprising. The Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing, the YPG, began organising military forces. By mid-2012, as the Syrian civil war intensified and the Assad regime concentrated its forces on holding Damascus and Aleppo, the stage was set for the Kurdish revolution.
The Rojava Revolution (2012)
On 19 July 2012, YPG fighters captured the city of Kobani, followed by Amuda and Afrin the next day. Syrian security forces withdrew without significant resistance. Within weeks, the YPG controlled most of the predominantly Kurdish areas of northeastern Syria. The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria — commonly known as Rojava — was established, implementing a system of democratic confederalism inspired by the political philosophy of Abdullah Öcalan.
Almost immediately, Rojava faced military challenges from jihadist groups. In 2013, the YPG fought battles against al-Nusra Front and other Islamist factions at Ras al-Ayn (Sere Kaniye) and across the Jazira canton. These early engagements tested the YPG’s military capacity and established the Kurdish forces as a distinct third faction in the Syrian civil war, aligned neither with the Assad regime nor the opposition.
The Battle of Kobani (2014–2015)
The Battle of Kobani was the engagement that transformed both the Syrian war and the Kurdish movement. In September 2014, ISIS launched a massive assault on the small border city of Kobani with thousands of fighters, tanks, artillery, and heavy weapons captured from the Iraqi army. The world watched as Kurdish fighters — including the all-female YPJ units — defended the city block by block against overwhelming odds.
US-led coalition airstrikes, combined with Iraqi peshmerga artillery support and YPG ground operations, gradually turned the tide. By January 2015, ISIS had been driven from Kobani after four months of fighting. The battle killed an estimated 1,600 ISIS fighters and over 200 Kurdish defenders. Kobani became a global symbol of resistance against ISIS and established the YPG/YPJ as the most effective ground force fighting the caliphate.
The SDF and the War to Destroy the ISIS Caliphate (2015–2019)
In October 2015, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were formally established as a multiethnic coalition led by the YPG but including Arab, Syriac Christian, and Turkmen fighters. With US Special Forces embedded as advisors, the SDF launched a series of major offensives: the Tell Abyad offensive linked the Kobani and Jazira cantons, the Tishrin Dam offensive secured a key Euphrates crossing, and the Manbij offensive in 2016 liberated the city from ISIS.
The centrepiece of the anti-ISIS campaign was the Battle of Raqqa (June–October 2017), the four-month urban battle to capture the ISIS capital. The SDF, with US coalition air support, fought through the city in brutal street-by-street combat. Raqqa fell in October 2017. The SDF then advanced into Deir ez-Zor province, and in March 2019, the Battle of Baghuz destroyed the last territorial remnant of the ISIS caliphate. The SDF had lost over 11,000 fighters in the war against ISIS.
Turkish Operations: Afrin, Peace Spring, and the Loss of Territory
While the SDF fought ISIS, Turkey launched its own military operations against the Kurdish autonomous zone. Operation Olive Branch (January–March 2018) captured the Afrin canton in northwestern Syria, displacing over 100,000 Kurdish civilians. Operation Peace Spring (October 2019) seized a strip of territory along the border, including the symbolically important city of Ras al-Ayn (Sere Kaniye) and Tell Abyad.
The US withdrawal announcement that preceded Operation Peace Spring was widely condemned as a betrayal of the SDF, which had served as the primary ground force in the US-led anti-ISIS campaign. The SDF was forced to invite Syrian government forces into northern Syria to help prevent further Turkish advances — a painful compromise that undermined the autonomous administration’s independence.
The Post-Assad Crisis and the Fight for Survival (2024–2026)
The fall of the Assad regime in late 2024 triggered a new phase of crisis for Rojava. Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) forces launched Operation Dawn of Freedom, capturing Tell Rifaat and Manbij from SDF control in December 2024. The SDF lost its last positions west of the Euphrates, retreating to the eastern bank. In April 2025, Kurdish forces withdrew while Syrian government forces deployed to the Tishrin Dam area as a buffer between SDF and SNA forces.
Forces loyal to Syria’s transitional government launched offensives across northeastern Syria in early 2025 and into 2026, seizing territory in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor provinces. The SDF faces simultaneous pressure from Turkish-backed forces in the north and Damascus-aligned forces in the south and east. Approximately 40,000 ISIS family members and up to 10,000 jihadist fighters remain held in SDF-controlled camps and prisons — a security responsibility that the SDF cannot abandon but struggles to maintain while fighting on multiple fronts.
Legacy
Rojava represents both the greatest achievement and the greatest vulnerability of the modern Kurdish movement. The SDF defeated the most dangerous terrorist organisation of the twenty-first century, built a multiethnic democratic administration in the middle of a civil war, and created the first Kurdish-governed territory in Syria. The YPJ — the all-female fighting force — became a global symbol of women’s empowerment and resistance.
But Rojava’s survival has always depended on the alignment of American, Turkish, and regional interests — and those interests are now diverging. The loss of Afrin, Manbij, Tell Rifaat, Ras al-Ayn, and Tell Abyad has significantly reduced the territory under Kurdish control. The question of whether Rojava can survive as an autonomous entity within a new Syrian state — or whether it will be dismantled by Turkish military operations and Damascus centralisation — remains the defining issue of the Kurdish struggle in the twenty-first century.
Key Events and Timeline
March 2004 — Qamishli uprising: first major Kurdish political mobilisation in Syria
19 July 2012 — YPG captures Kobani, Amuda, and Afrin; Rojava revolution begins
September 2014 – January 2015 — Battle of Kobani: YPG/YPJ defeat ISIS with US coalition air support
October 2015 — Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) formally established
June 2016 — SDF captures Manbij from ISIS
October 2017 — Battle of Raqqa: SDF captures the ISIS capital after four months of urban combat
January–March 2018 — Operation Olive Branch: Turkey captures Afrin from YPG
March 2019 — Battle of Baghuz: SDF destroys last territorial remnant of ISIS caliphate
October 2019 — Operation Peace Spring: Turkey captures Ras al-Ayn and Tell Abyad
December 2024 — Turkish-backed SNA captures Manbij and Tell Rifaat; SDF loses all territory west of Euphrates
2025–2026 — Damascus-aligned forces advance into northeastern Syria; SDF fights on multiple fronts for survival
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Rojava?
Rojava (meaning ‘West’ in Kurdish) is the common name for the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, a Kurdish-led self-governing region in northeastern Syria. It was established in 2012 during the Syrian civil war and is governed according to a system of democratic confederalism with multiethnic representation.
What is the SDF?
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a multiethnic military coalition established in October 2015, led by the Kurdish YPG but including Arab, Syriac Christian, and Turkmen fighters. The SDF served as the primary ground force in the US-led campaign to defeat ISIS, liberating Manbij, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor. Over 11,000 SDF fighters were killed in the war against ISIS.
References and Further Reading
Wikipedia — Rojava Conflict, People’s Defense Units, Manbij Offensive (2024), Operation Dawn of Freedom
The Jerusalem Post — Kurdish Autonomy in Syria Ends After Turkish Offensive, 2025
MEMRI — The Betrayal of Rojava, 2026
Wikipedia — Syrian Civil War, Siege of Kobani, Battle of Raqqa
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