Uyghur fighters in Syria. From X.
Why did Uyghurs fight in Syria? And what will happen to them now?
by Kok Bayraq
12/30/2024, Bitter Winter
After the battle in Damascus to liberate Syria from Assad, the triumphant display of a group of Uyghur fighters carrying a blue flag with a crescent and star on their military uniforms and their words impressed me and thousands of other Uyghurs in exile. “We will continue to do this in the future,” they said, “in our cities of Urumqi, Aksu, and Kashgar, as we did today with the forces of Bashar Assad in Damascus, Homs, all over Syria—we will expel the Chinese infidels from our lands.”
As happens in similar cases, there are different evaluations of the presence of Uyghur fighters in Syria even among the Uyghur diasporas. Some are concerned that the Syrian fighters may potentiality damage the Uyghur cause. Some even believe conspiracy theories that Uyghurs in Syria were sent by China with the purpose of labeling all Uyghurs as terrorists.
As a veteran journalist and observer who had interviewed their commanders and fighters several times, I believe they are just victims of the brutal Chinese regime. As a result, they are ready to fight for freedom from rough dictators everywhere, at the same time witnessing for the Uyghur cause.
“The Telegraph” newspaper commented on the bold proclaims about China that for the Uyghurs “to take the fight to China home to the world’s largest military with two million active troops, is easier said than done.”
What caught the “Telegraph” reporter’s attention was speculation about what the Uyghur soldiers could do in the future. What caught my attention was what was being done now; in my opinion, affirming the national existence and national determination of the Uyghurs.
This strikes me, because this scene is not Bayezid Square in Istanbul, Dam Square in the Netherlands, or in front of the White House in Washington, where Uyghur activists have been demonstrating for years for the same cause. It is a battlefield where the eyes of the world have been for thirteen years, a focal point of international news, where sacrifice and determination are tested. In their voices, unlike the ones in our demonstrations, in which I have participated, there is no complaint, groaning, complaining, or begging, but rather an upright stance, respect and love for their friends and people, and a warning to their enemies.
It is probably because of this difference that a Uyghur news story—“The Telegraph” reported—was read by more than one million people in one day for the first time.
The policy that China has been implementing since the day it occupied East Turkestan and has not given up about is to make the world forget about the Uyghurs. Not reporting any of the uprisings and resistance that took place in the region until the September 11 terrorist incident in 2001, imposing passport restrictions on the people of the region, and using all diplomatic power to bring back those who went abroad are just a few examples of the policy of excluding them from the international agenda. With this bold display in Damascus, the Uyghur soldiers dealt a successful blow to China’s attempt to silence the Uyghur issue. A loud voice was heard from Syria. There is a people called the Uyghurs who are fighting for their rights, and there is an occupied land called East Turkestan!
Uyghurs units in Syria. From X.
China’s final goal is to completely wipe the Uyghurs off the face of the earth. Imprisoning more than three million Uyghurs in camps and prisons and controlling the population growth with sterilization measures are public manifestations of this plot. With the manifestation in Syria, the Uyghur fighters have shown that despite the genocide they have been subjected to, they have not yet disappeared and have not been and cannot be deterred.
Previous reports have suggested that Uyghur fighters have been active in Syria since the beginning of the uprising, playing a decisive role in capturing Idlib in 2015 and then being at the forefront of defending it from Assad’s forces for a long time afterwards.
According to a former fighter I spoke to in Turkey, Uyghur fighters have emerged as a more determined, courageous, and irresistible force than other foreign troops in the region, because they have no space or chance to retreat if the war is lost. When I heard this, I was both proud and heartbroken, because the Uyghurs have been the group that has paid the heaviest price in the war. Reportedly, thousands of Uyghurs have died in Syria.
As many Uyghurs abroad, I am also deeply concerned about the fate of these fighters. As “The Telegraph” has predicted, China is very likely to push for extradition of Uyghur fighters. This will be a sticking point for the new Syrian government building relations with Beijing. A founding principle of HTS (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, the coalition now controlling Syria) was to protect foreign fighters that joined the insurgency. In exchange, they had to promise not to use Syria as a launchpad for attacks elsewhere.
HTS leader al-Julani has answered the question about the future of those foreign fighters, as follows: “They got used to us culturally, they became part of the Syrian people, we give them citizenship, we accept them into our army, we reward them for their contributions.”
Even tough, al-Julani’s answer is positive, I and other Uyghurs are still concerned about their fate. Today, I contacted their de facto representative in Turkey and asked about their concerns for the future. He said, “We believe in the sincerity of al-Julani and his organization. No need to add many words.”
I understand the political situation in Syria is complicated. But I believe the Uyghur fighters fought with sincere intentions and a brave heart. This is why I am proud of them and pray for their safety.
