Anti-imperialists must understand the relationship between the Syrian Democratic Forces and US
In particular, the role of the YPJ militants served as a staunch reminder that this was a battle that was as much about liberating women from the bondage of slavery as it was to free the city as a whole from the brutality it had endured since 2014. The images of women clad in military fatigues chanting ‘Jin Jiyan Azadi’ (Woman, Life, Freedom) after taking the central square in Raqqa, along with their compatriots from the Sinjar Women’s Units who had joined the battle to avenge the 2014 massacre of their Yazidi sisters in Sinjar, was powerful beyond measure. After all, this is where the fascists of Islamic State (ISIS) had not long ago committed public executions and showcased the severed heads of their victims. It was impossible to imagine a more radically different juxtaposition of imagery.
Yet, it wasn’t just the socialist, feminist forces of the Kurdish-led movement who claimed Raqqa as their victory. The city had been reduced to rubble by the airstrikes of the U.S.-led coalition, who aided the SDF’s onslaught on the Islamic State’s self-proclaimed capital from the sky. For the United States, it was an opportunity to gloat about their role in fighting ‘terrorism’, much as they attempted to claim responsibility for saving Kobane in January 2015 when the coordination between the YPG/YPJ and U.S. first began. ‘Operation Inherent Resolve’ was a major success in their book.