Syria: Siege of Kobane / Kobani

Written on October 9th, 2014 in politics Comments Off

Published on Frontline.in, by VIJAY PRASHAD, October * 2014.

The fate of half a million people in Kobane hangs in the balance as Islamic State fighters try to capture the Syrian city. If they take Kobane, the Islamic State will have control over the entire length of the central span of the Turkish-Syrian border … //

… Why has Daesh put so much of its firepower and its fighters into the fight against the city of Kobane? Over the course of the past two years, Daesh has tried to capture as much territory as possible towards the Turkish border. Turkey has, despite its claim to close its border posts, been—for reasons to be explored below—lax with its border posts.  

To the west of Kobane lies the border town of Jarabulus, captured by Daesh whose fighters routinely use this border post to resupply from Turkish markets. To the east of Kobane is the border town of Tal Abayd, again in the hands of the Islamic State. From Tal Abayd, Daesh fighters who are wounded have been going to the Turkish city of Urfa, where they have been known to receive free medical treatment at Odessa Hospital, and at Ceylanpinar Public Hospital. Barzan Iso, a Syrian Kurdish journalist, says that Qatari charities have been using the Jarabulus crossing to get aid to Daesh. If Daesh takes Kobane, it will have control over the entire length of the central span of the Turkish-Syrian border.

(full text).

* will appear in print edition of October 17, 2014.

Related Links – KOBANE or KOBANI in some Medias:

Battle for Kobani between Isis and Syrian Kurds sparks unrest in Turkey **, on The Guardian, by Catherine James in Mursitpinar, Ian Black in London, Constanze Letsch in Istanbul and agencies, Oct 8, 2014:
President Erdoğan calls for ground operation to defeat militants as thousands protest over government’s inaction …;

The Guardian’s Blog summary, Oct 8, 2014;

Hilfe für IS: Pakistans Taliban schwärmen vom Islamischen Staat, auf Spiegel Online, von Hasnain Kazim in Istanbul, 8. Oktober 2014: Neidisch und fasziniert blicken Pakistans Taliban auf die blutigen Eroberungen des “Islamischen Staats” in Syrien und im Irak: Sie suchen den Schulterschluss, wollen eigene Kämpfer schicken – und spekulieren sogar auf Atomwaffen. Die pakistanischen Taliban haben eine Menge Rückschläge hinnehmen müssen. Angriffe durch US-Drohnen löschen nach und nach ihre Führung aus. Die mindestens 30 Gruppen unter dem Dach von Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP) sind zerstritten, verstrickt in Nachfolgedebatten und der Suche nach einem gemeinsamen Kurs …;

Shame on you, Turkey, massive protest in London demands protection for Kobani Kurds **, on Russia Today RT, Oct 7, 2014;

Kurdish rallies in Turkey turn bloody, up to 14 killed (PHOTOS, VIDEO), on Russia Today RT, Oct 7, 2014;

Battle for Kobani: Isis bears down despite US air strikes and street clashes – as it happened, on The Guardian, by Mark Tran in London and Tom McCarthy in New York, October 7, 2014;

If Kobane Falls, Turkey and the US Will Have Blood on Their Hands, **, on Telesur english, by Jerome Roos, Sept 4, 2014 (also on ZNet);

Major Reasons of ISIS Offensive on Kobane? on personal website of Mutlu Civiroglu, April 4, 2014;

** (my comment: I think Turkey and it’s elites cannot resist the possibility to see the Kurds defeated / exterminated. Only then they will fight against ISIS – Heidi).

more, as KOBANE or as KOBANI:

Ayn al-Arab (Arabic: ʿAyn al-ʿArab عين العرب‎ “Spring of the Arabs”), also known as Kobani (Kurdish: Kobanê or Kobanî) on en.wikipedia is a city in Aleppo Governorate in northern Syria. Ayn in Arabic means Eye not spring …;

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