Karim Franceschi

{{Short description|Italian soldier and author}}

{{Infobox military person

| honorific_prefix =

| name = Karim Marcello Franceschi

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| alt = Karim Franceschi in YPG uniform during the Syrian Civil War.

| caption = Karim Franceschi in YPG uniform during the Syrian Civil War

| native_name =

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| birth_name = Karim Marcello Franceschi

| other_name =

| nickname = Marcello

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1989|03|31}}

| birth_place = {{flagicon|Morocco}} Casablanca, Morocco

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| allegiance = {{flagicon image|Flag of Syrian Democratic Forces.svg}} SDF

| branch = {{flagicon image|People's Protection Units Flag.svg|border=no}} YPG

| branch_label = Branches

| serviceyears = 2015–2017

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| rank = Commander

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| unit = {{flagicon image|YPG_International.svg}} YPG International

| commands =

| known_for = Leading YPG International in the Battle of Raqqa (2017)

| battles = {{tree list}}

• Syrian Civil War
• Siege of Kobanê
• Battle of Sarrin (June–July 2015)
• Manbij offensive
• Battle of Raqqa (2017) {{WIA}}

{{tree list/end}}

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| laterwork = Activist, writer

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Karim Marcello Franceschi (born March 31, 1989, in Casablanca) is an Italian activist, writer, and former soldier. He is best known for his involvement in the Syrian Civil War, where he fought with the People's Protection Units (YPG) against the Islamic State. He authored the book *Il combattente*, a memoir detailing his experiences in the war, which was published by Bur Rizzoli.{{Cite web |title=Karim Franceschi |url=https://www.journalismfestival.com/speaker/karim-franceschi?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=Festival Internazionale del Giornalismo |language=en-US}}

Franceschi's combat experience includes participating in the Siege of Kobanê and serving as a commander in the Battle of Raqqa (2017).{{Cite web|url=https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2018/09/25/news/noi_volontari_stranieri_in_missione_per_raqqa_-300972969/|title=Noi, volontari stranieri in missione per Raqqa |author=Fabio Tonacci |date=September 25, 2018 |publisher=La Repubblica |access-date=October 22, 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/untold-story-syria-antifa-platoon-666159/ |title=The Untold Story of Syria's Antifa Platoon |author=Seth Harp |date=July 5, 2018 |publisher=Rolling Stone |access-date=October 22, 2024}}

== Biography ==

Karim Marcello Franceschi was born in Morocco to an Italian father and a Moroccan mother. At the age of seven, he moved with his family to Senigallia, Italy. During his youth, Franceschi became involved with the Arvultura social center, where he participated in various solidarity initiatives. In 2015, following his involvement in a project supporting the Kurdish people, he enlisted in the People's Protection Units (YPG), the military force of Syrian Kurdistan. During his deployment in Kobanê,{{Cite news |date=2016-06-21 |title=Karim Franceschi: The fighter. History of the Italian who defended Kobane from Isis |url=https://en.difesaonline.it/evidenza/recensioni/karim-franceschi-il-combattente-storia-dellitaliano-che-ha-difeso-kobane |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241130102400/https://en.difesaonline.it/evidenza/recensioni/karim-franceschi-il-combattente-storia-dellitaliano-che-ha-difeso-kobane |archive-date=2024-11-30 |access-date=2025-01-23 |work=Difesa Online |language=en |url-status=live }} Franceschi began writing his book *Il combattente: Storia dell'italiano che ha difeso Kobanê dall'ISIS*.{{Cite web |author=Fabio Tonacci |date=25 September 2018 |title=Noi, volontari stranieri in missione per Raqqa |url=https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2018/09/25/news/noi_volontari_stranieri_in_missione_per_raqqa_-300972969/ |publisher=La Repubblica}}

In 2017, Franceschi took part in the liberation of Raqqa as the commander of an international brigade within the YPG International, a unit composed of Western volunteers who had joined the fight against the Islamic State Franceschi led the brigade in key operations during the city's siege, contributing to the liberation of strategic sectors of Raqqa and fighting on the front lines against ISIS forces.{{Cite web |author=Seth Harp |date=5 July 2018 |title=The Untold Story of Syria's Antifa Platoon |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/untold-story-syria-antifa-platoon-666159/ |publisher=Rolling Stone}} During these operations, Franceschi led his team through a series of intense clashes, utilizing his linguistic and military skills to coordinate the brigade’s actions with Kurdish command and ensure communication between the international fighters and local forces.

Franceschi was injured during an operation near Raqqa, but he continued to fulfill his role as a leader until the city's final liberation. This experience was recounted in his second book, *Non morirò stanotte*, published in 2018.