Surrounded, they know that they are the last hope. The fighters, few against many, prepare for the last stand…
The dark forces swarm around their town. They have breached the perimeters and are already inside, advancing.
The dark forces grow in numbers. Although the fighters have killed many, the dark ones keep coming. Their weapons supplies are constantly being replenished. From those they already defeated, the dark ones have captured some of the most sophisticated weapons available today.
The dark ones have already brought death, rape, torture and slavery to the surrounding nations. They have made it clear that they will not stop, will not be deterred until all submit to their ways.
There is no way out. No rescue. No help.
Other nations have expressed their horror at the impending disaster. “If the fighters fail the dark forces will commit mass murder!” they say. Whispers speak of worse than mass murder, of genocide. The dark forces did it before, what will stop them now?
The brave fighters asked for help but received only half hearted, token assistance. This, they say, is better than nothing but nowhere near enough.
Their brothers living in a bordering nation raced to stand shoulder to shoulder, to fight the last fight with the ones that confront death. They raced – to a shut border. The host nation prefers to watch the fighters die. They would not help the fighters and they do not want to allow brother to assist brother. Even more adamantly, they refused to let weapons be sent to the fighters.
The world watches, sighing: “How horrible! How brave the fighters are to stand, for so long, against the dark ones!” The fight continues and the world watches.
No real help. No rescue. No way out.
Turkish newspapers reported Miss Ozalp was fighting ISIS fanatics near the Syrian city of Kobane – which has a Kurdish majority – when she ran out of ammunition, leaving her facing rape and murder. Rather than fall into the Islamists’ hands, Miss Ozalp is said to have used her final bullet to take her own life – calling her colleagues over the radio to say goodbye before killing herself, it was claimed
News of her suicide – which was initially said to have been confirmed by pro-Kurdish politicians in Turkey’s BDP party – have since been called into question however, with several Turkey-based journalists quoting senior Kurds as saying Ms Ozalp is still alive and continues to fight against ISIS.
The ones that confront death are not characters in some epic novel or movie. This isn’t The Lord of the Rings. The dark ones are real and the ones that confront death are the Peshmerga, the Kurdish fighters. The fight is not imaginary, it is now, in Kobani, Syria.
American airstrikes are not enough to help the Kurds hold off the Islamic State. It is very difficult to target terrorists hiding amongst civilian population (we in Israel are all too familiar with that problem). Maybe that’s why the airstrikes are so few and far between. Maybe not. The US army usually finds “collateral damage” excusable, when the mission is important enough.
The Kurdish fighters have requested weapons to deal with the American weapons and tanks in IS hands. They are on the ground, the only fighters on the ground, holding out against the Islamic State.
Instead of helping the Kurds, America (and the rest of their “coalition”) wants to arm “moderate” Syrian “rebels” – those that fight shoulder to shoulder with Al Nusra, if they don’t directly belong to that Syrian version of Al Qaeda.
Turkey will not help the Kurds. Turkey finds it easier to identify with the Islamic State than with the Kurdish battle for freedom.
To the Jewish people NEVER AGAIN means something. I don’t think it means much of anything to anyone else. The world promised that a holocaust will not be allowed to happen again, ever. I don’t believe, for one moment that if, like Kobani, Israel is overrun by the dark ones, anyone will lift a finger to help. The world will sigh and wonder, say it’s horrible or maybe say that we deserve what we are getting.
Like they sigh about Kobani…
The Kurds don’t need sympathy. They need help. Real help. NOW.
Epic battles are not a thing of storybooks. Heroes, heroines and villains are real, as are the regular people caught in between. Battles between right and wrong, freedom and submission / oppression are happening NOW.
The outcome will affect all of us.
The only question is, what side are you on? Will you be contented to sit on the sidelines and sigh?
Inspiration from Zion: This is a Love Story 