It can really feel like the pain never ends for this beautiful piece of the world where I live. The Middle East has been a place of conflict for as long as I, and most anyone else of my generation, can remember.
But what I know now that I’ve lived here for 5 months is this: it is a place full of laughter, cheek kisses, chai, and hospitality. There are beautiful mountains, enormous lakes, and sunsets that will take your breath away. The Kurdish people are resilient, determined, kind, & strong and I am honored to know them.
That’s why I’m so heartbroken about what’s happening to the Kurds in Syria – and what this may mean for them in Iraq.
Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops out of northern Syria has already had drastic consequences for the innocent people living there. It leaves Turkey open to drive back the Kurds (U.S. allies against ISIS) and re-displace the 3 million Syrian refugees they house – actions that all pave the way for the return of ISIS and could trigger another refugee crisis. Turkey has already launched airstrikes into northern Syria and troops are gathering at the border. Mass amounts of people are already fleeing the area. As of yesterday, 10 villages have ceased to exist.
And Trump has essentially closed the U.S. to refugees by setting the 2020 cap at just 18,000. So after the conflict and violence the U.S. helped create, it refuses to be part of the refuge or part of the healing.
All of this is more complex than I’m going to get into here, but here are some resources from Preemptive Love to get you caught up on the nuances:
- Blog post: Who are the Kurds?
- Blog post: A definitive guide to Turkey, the Kurds, and the conflict in northern Syria
- Blog post: Withdrawal from Syria: What it means for allies, refugees, and ISIS
- Podcast: U.S. withdraws from Syria (and it could lead to war)
This doesn’t feel far away to me anymore, and not just because I’m geographically close to the conflict. I’ve sat in the homes of Syrian refugees who fled ISIS and whose old homes are now being bombed by Turkey. They don’t deserve this re-traumatizing experience. They don’t deserve more pain, more worry about their friends and family who are now living in grave danger.
I watched a very graphic video this morning of the aftermath of these air strikes. Women are keening over the still, bloody bodies of children. A man finds a missing arm and gently lays it over the corpse to whom it belonged. The wounded are wrapped in once vibrant rugs and loaded onto a truck.
This is happening right now. Don’t look away.
Preemptive Love, the organization I’m a part of, is already on the ground in Syria. We have prepositioned ambulances, mobile clinics, and emergency kitchens to respond to this breaking need. But we urgently need your support. A generous donor has just offered a $25,000 match toward your gift to our efforts in Syria for the next 24 hours. Please give whatever you can so we can provide aid for this rapidly unfolding crisis.
I truly believe that Preemptive Love is the organization best poised to give help that lasts. We’re not without hope because we’re still here and we’re pressing in. Please join us in ending war.
