International Freedom Battalion

International Freedom Battalion
Tabûra Azadî ya Înternasyonal
Dates of operation10 June 2015 – present
Group(s)See groups
Active regionsRojava, Syria
IdeologyRevolutionary socialism
Proletarian internationalism
Anti-fascism
Factions:
Anarchism
Marxism–Leninism
Maoism
Hoxhaism
Political positionFar-left
StatusActive
Allies Syrian Democratic Forces

YPG International[1][2]
Antifascist Forces in Afrin
TKP-Kıvılcım
Kurdistan Workers' Party

Opponents Islamic State
 Turkey
Syrian National Army
Battles and warsSyrian Civil War
Flag
Insignia

The International Freedom Battalion (Turkish: Enternasyonalist Özgürlük Taburu; Kurdish: Tabûra Azadî ya Înternasyonal; Arabic: تابور الحرية العالمي), commonly abbreviated as IFB or EÖT, is a revolutionary socialist armed group consisting of leftist foreign fighters fighting for the People's Defense Units in the Syrian Civil War in support of the Rojava Revolution and against the Turkish Armed Forces, the Syrian National Army, and Islamic State.[4][5] The formation of the IFB was announced in June 2015 in Ras al-Ayn.[6] Inspiration for the group came from the International Brigades of the Spanish Civil War. The political ideologies of the fighters include anarchism, Marxism–Leninism, Hoxhaism, Maoism, and anarcho-communism.

  1. ^ Tonacci, Fabio (29 December 2016). "La brigata degli italiani con i curdi verso Raqqa: "Ma a casa non sanno che qui combattiamo"". la Repubblica (in Italian). Rome. p. 8.
  2. ^ Harp (2017), p. 49.
  3. ^ Röpcke, Julian (27 January 2018). "Türkische Offensive in Nordsyrien. Deutsche kämpfen gegen Erdogan" [Turkish offensive in northern Syria. Germans fight against Erdogan]. Bild. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Rojava'da ilk Enternasyonalist Özgürlük Taburu kuruldu". YPG News (in Turkish). 10 June 2015. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  5. ^ "International Freedom Battalion: women of the world, defend the Rojava revolution–a report from JINHA". signalfire. 16 June 2015. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  6. ^ "The First Internationalist Freedom Battalion Established in Rojava". Isyandan. 12 June 2015. Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.