The Sweidiya station was just one of hundreds of civilian sites across Northeastern Syria that Turkey has targeted with drone attacks since October 2023. The relentless strikes have left a trail of devastation, crippling critical...
Read More
“When I learned who Dylann Roof was, I began to admire him.”
Interviews with Ukrainian Ultranationalists As Ukrainian forces took control of Kherson on Friday, soldiers flooded social media with victorious pictures and videos of themselves in the city. Nazi insignia was abundant, including Azov Regiment’s Nazi Wolfsangel,...
Read More
“I have a chance to kill some Russians.” Interviews with foreign volunteers in Ukraine
On February 27, Ukrainian President Zelensky announced the formation of the International Legion of Defense of Ukraine and invited foreign nationals to come to Ukraine and join the fight against Russia. Foreign nationals, many with...
Read More
Turkish Nationalism in Germany: Causes, Effects, and ‘Hit Lists’
“The effects of indoctrination were already evident in kindergarten. One time, I brought a cassette tape featuring Turkish nationalist singers to school. Another time, when we were given big pieces of paper on which to...
Read More
Only arrests made in case of Van men thrown from Turkish military helicopter: journalists.
On September 11, 2020, two Kurdish farmers, Servet Turgut and Osman Şiban, were thrown from a Turkish military helicopter in the southeastern province of Van, Turkey. Turgut died from his injuries on September 30th, and...
Read More
Doxxed by a Turkish Troll
Two days before my birthday, an unsettling tweet appeared in reponse to something I’d posted. “In a few days you will be 37 years old and you still continue to waste ur life with producing...
Read More
“Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has their hands in everything that has to do with money here.”
“Every day is difficult. There is a constant sense of chaos,” said Mohamed Fajr*, a 22 year-old former Syrian National Army militant living in Atareb, a town in the Idlib countryside.
Read More
“I Don’t Believe the Lie of the ‘Armenian Genocide.'”
Ozan*, a 19 year-old university student in Istanbul, has a popular Instagram account boasting nearly 100,000 followers. He sends me a direct message on Intagram every week or two. Usually, he replies to news I’ve...
Read More
“How Can We Peacefully Co-Exist?” A Former Armenian Prisoner of War Recounts His Horrific Captivity
In mid-October 2020, a representative from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Armenia contacted Anahit Gharayan and asked her to watch a video that Azerbaijani soldiers shared on a Telegram channel. In...
Read More
Artsakh After the Ceasefire
On September 27th, Azerbaijan launched attacks on Artsakh, including Stepanakert, its capital city. Turkey declared full support for Azerbaijan in the conflict. Azerbaijan’s staunchest ally, Turkey had already been supporting Azerbaijan militarily through arms sales...
Read More
Turkey’s Syrian Mercenaries in Karabakh “Feel Tricked” as Bodies Pile Up
On September 22nd, I received several reports from sources inside the Syrian National Army (SNA), the umbrella organization of all Syrian opposition factions backed by Turkey, that the first deployment of SNA men to Azerbaijan...
Read More
A New Libya Ceasefire and the Syrian Mercenary Rumor Mill
On Friday, Fayez al-Sarraj, Prime Minister of the Turkey, Qatar, and UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), and Aguila Saleh, President of the Libyan House of Representatives, announced separate ceasefire statements. Both included a call...
Read More
“Tarhuna Feels Like a Ghost Town Now.” Civilians in Tarhuna Suffer Following the Libyan National Army’s Retreat
On June 5, militias affiliated with the Government of National Accord (GNA), a UN-backed interim government based in Tripoli, pushed into Tarhuna following a retreat by the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Benghazi-based Field...
Read More
“From Destruction to Construction” in Eastern Libya
The drive from Benghazi to Derna, a port city in Eastern Libya is stunning. After passing through the al Kouf valley, the route continues past picturesque Greek ruins and down a coastal highway overlooking the...
Read More
“These Mercenaries Believe Whatever Turkey Tells Them.”
As Syrian and Russian forces bombard Idlib and the Aleppo countryside, thousands of militants from the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA) who would presumably be defending these areas in Syria are instead in Libya. They’ve...
Read More
“I Came for the Money.” Interview with a Turkish-Backed Syrian Mercenary in Libya
When Turkish President Erdogan announced he would be sending men from the so-called “Syrian National Army,” also known as the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA) to Libya to fight in support of the Government of...
Read More
LNA Source: ISIS Member who Escaped SDF Prison in Syria Captured in Libya En Route to Europe
On January 19th, the German government hosted the two main warring parties in Libya, the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by General Khalifa Haftar, and the Government of National Accord (GNA), led by Fayez Sarraj,...
Read More
“Turkish Products Become Money, Which Become Bullets.”
At a small grocery store in Derik, Syria, one dusty case of Sariyer soda water sits underneath a shelf. “The self-administration [of North and East Syria] gave us time to finish selling the Turkish products...
Read More
“Everyday, ISIS Detainees Try to Escape from Here”: Security Issues at Northeast Syria’s al Hol Camp Persist
The sprawling al Hol camp in Hasakah, Syria is a grim sight in the dead of winter. Aylu*, a YPJ member (women’s protection units, a group of female fighters in Northeastern Syria), is one of...
Read More
“Everyone Who Could Flee, Did.”
When Turkey began bombing his village in Serê-Kaniyê in October, Jamil Khabat, his wife, and their young songs fled their home. “This is the third time I’ve had to leave my home because of Turkish...
Read More
PKK Spokesman on Turkey’s Operation “Peace Spring”
The PKK sent their driver to get my cameraman and I from our Erbil hotel late in the afternoon. It was dark by the time we reached the Qandil Mountains. We were taken to a...
Read More
“Our Bags are Packed.” Kobani Residents Prepare for a Turkish Attack
The center of Kobani, Syria is bustling, but the mood is grim. Shoppers and shop owners chat in hushed tones, trading the latest news and rumors they’ve heard about the increasingly tense and complex situation...
Read More
ISIS Fighter Mohamed Amrouni Expresses ‘Deep Regret’
Mohamed starts to reminisce about the life he left behind. “I used to go to the beach with my brother, I used to love the beach, that was the kind of fun young people like,”...
Read More