January 28, 2015

Hope as IS defeated in Kobane

editor:	Neelo Aysha Scholz

Monday afternoon brought a glimmer of hope that IS can be brought to a halt. Kurdish fighters in Kobane were jubilant and celebratory gunfire echoed across town as Popular Protection Unit (YPG) flag was seen fluttering from rooftops.

This victory is of significance for a few reasons. IS had made it their strategic objective to seize the northern Syrian town with the aim of gaining control of the long border stretch between Syria and Turkey. The extremist group had invested heavily in men and ammunition toward this end for months.

The battle has been raging since September 2013 with the help of the U.S.- led coalition as well as the Iraqi Peshmerga forces. For the US, Kobane was seen as a major test of the US led coalition’s strategy to combat IS in Syria with airstrikes. The coalition’s offensive included near daily airstrikes since September with 17 airstrikes on Sunday and Monday alone. 705 bombing raids have been carried out around this town since the US led coalition joined the fight.

To reclaim the town which has become a symbol of resistance is a major morale boost for the local Kurdish people. But it also offers the world hope that IS can be defeated. The battle has left 1,600 people dead, 1,196 jihadis among them. Kobane is 80% obliterated but the fight is far from over, with the surrounding area still vulnerable.

Credit: Screenshot from AFP/Reuters Video