War is a Drug, part four: Liberation of Shadadi (or, See Daesh Run!)

 

     We settled into a school that Tabor Simko was using as a base, having just taken the village. We chatted around with the Kurds, whose mood was casual--there had been little fighting to clear the area. There was however one unfortunate dead Daesh lying in front of the gate. A Loader, which was building fortifications, later buried him. It was the first body I saw in Rojava. Ciwan found him, of course--he had an eye for dead guys--and we gathered around for a look. Not to different from seeing the dead of a traffic accident, but there is something primal about the look in the eye of war dead, like the look of a dead predator, killed during the hunt.

Ciwan and Shervan, keeping guard on the roof.

     From there, we moved to a berm on the cities edge, then to a school within the city itself. After a day of waiting, we begin our preparations to enter the city. The tabor was divided into five kols (a kol is like a squad) and each westerner was placed separately into a kol. The Kols three forward kols included Shervan, Gerdun and Ciwan. Left behind for the next trip was myself and Kamal. The first three kols entered a BMP (armored vehicle on treads) and armored Humvees and took off. Within minutes of their arrival we could hear gunfire in the distance, then explosions. The BMP begin to make back and forth trips from the front to our position, rushing wounded to awaiting trucks for evac. We could hear RPGs and other explosives. And still, we waited. Night fell, and the shooting continued. Finally, American A-10s began strafing runs with their distinctive "BRRRRRRRT," and smart bombs knocked out positions. After a couple of building movements, the elements Kamal and I were attached to were moved forward. We arrived to silent, newly taken territory.

     After a rainy night on a rooftop, I was posted up with a BXC (Russian PKM Machine Gun) gunner and another exhausted Kurd on a rooftop. Again, I found myself left behind as an element moved forward to contact. I was furious. The drive to fight when it is ongoing, though slightly 'over there' is maddening. The next day, I confronted Simko, and was put in a Kol with Kamal, which would be advancing into the Daesh housing sector of the city. We pushed forward with no resistance. They had run away for the most part. The entire invading force stopped at the foot of the cities Hospital, where the remaining Daesh were purported to be. The two that remained were quickly routed, as an element led by Shervan Kanada entered and cleared the building. At a moment, the ululations transmitted through the radios and everyone shot off a magazine in the air at once. Shadadi was liberated.

     I talked to the other guys who had seen some action the day before, and it was mostly small arms stuff, though Ciwan's kol had been nearly surrounded and had to retreat. The city, atypically of Daesh was not mined. In all, The city had been liberated at the cost of only six lives--including Shaheed Rustem, a well known German--and at record speed. It would have an impact on the attitudes and expectations of the YPG during the later Manbij operation, but for that moment, we had a whole Daesh quarter to investigate!

     Like kids in a candy store, we collected Daesh flags and memorabilia (all I was able to get home was a ring, but I had around twenty flags at one point), as well as all the military gear we could want. New boots and web gear, body armor, arms and ammunition, Daesh was supplied as well as a conventional army. We took what we pleased.

     After a few days of this, a couple of us thought it was time to return to Tabor Shaheed Berxwedan, as we had told the commander of that tabor we would. We approached Simko, who conceided, but then pulled us aside, telling us that there was more fighting to be had if we stayed with him. We agreed, and were then mysteriously loaded onto a truck and dropped off with Tabor Sippan. Rojava is a strange place....