When a democratic and leftist militia of women and men, committed to egalitarianism and feminism, defeats a a bunch of savage medieval creeps committed to totalitarianism, imperialism, gruesome slaughter of perceived enemies, oppression of women and sexual slavery, you’d think it would be a cause for celebration on the Left.
That is in fact what happened this week, when the Kurdish YPG militia, with the help of allies and airstrikes, drove the last of the Islamic State fighters from the northern Syrian town of Kobane.
The Kurds themselves certainly celebrated, despite the terrible damage to the town caused by months of fierce fighting:
I’ve done a fairly extensive search of reputedly leftwing blogs and websites since the Kurdish success, and I’ve come up with the following list of those which have noted this significant achievement:
And, um, that’s it.
I realize this event has not been widely reported in the mainstream media, but it has hardly been obscured. Even The Roanoke Times featured it prominently. So at least folks here in southwest Virginia know about it.
Anyway I want to give proper credit to any leftist online outlets which I may have missed that have celebrated the defeat of IS by the Kurds in Kobane. Please let me know in the comments and I’ll add updates.
In fact I’ll do more than that. If anyone on the Left wants to explain why this is not a cause for celebration, I’ll publish their explanation. That goes for Andy Newman and John Wight at Socialist Unity, even though they have recently tried to block me from visiting their site.
Update: Credit where it’s due:
• The Guardian’s Mona Mahmood spoke to four Kurdish families about the female fighters who died in the fight to free Kobane from IS.
(Hat tip: Left-Liberal Hawk)
• The Centre for Secular Space celebrates on Facebook.
(Hat tip: Meredith Tax)
• Spiked reports:
Matthew Gardiner, head of the Northern Territory branch of the Australian Labor Party, has apparently gone off to Syria to fight alongside the Kurds against IS forces. Gardiner, who was also secretary of the Aussie trade union United Voice, and is a former soldier who served with the Aus army in Somalia in the 1990s, is thought to have left Australia a few weeks ago after making connections with Kurdish militants online. Where most Western politicians talk a good fight against IS, Mr Gardiner seems keen actually to fight one.
(Hat tip: Jim James)
Further update: Shiraz Socialist joins the celebration.
