ISIS is gradually swallowing up Kobani.

• October 10, 2014 07:03

(Baonghean.vn) - On October 9th, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) reported that the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) had almost completely seized eastern Kobani after a period of siege and attack on the city.

Các cuộc không kích của liên minh xung quanh thành phố Kobané, Syria hôm 8 tháng 10. Ảnh: Aris Mesinis
Coalition airstrikes around the city of Kobani, Syria, on October 8.
Photo: Aris Mesinis

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On Thursday, jihadist fighters continued to seize more positions in the center of Kobani – a border city between Syria and Türkiye. It is also considered the third largest Kurdish city in Syria. The head of the OSDH, Rami Abdelrahman, announced, “Despite fierce resistance from Kurdish forces, throughout the night, ISIS captured several key positions and now holds more than a third of the city of Kobani.”

Following fierce street fighting, extremist Islamic jihadists seized the Assayech buildings belonging to Kurdish security forces in the northeast of the city. Simultaneously, they killed one of the security forces' leaders and several other soldiers.

Despite the rise of the IS organization, the US still offered optimistic information in a statement on Thursday, saying that Kurdish forces “are in control of much of the city and continue to fight IS jihadists – who have been besieging the city for three weeks.”

According to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the U.S. Air Force conducted five airstrikes around the strategic city of Kobani over the past two days. The airstrikes targeted a jihadist training camp and destroyed two vehicles and buildings used for logistical support by ISIS. A small unit and another important jihadist unit were affected by the airstrikes.

But Washington also acknowledges that the attacks will not be enough to save Kobané from ISIS. According to a senior official speaking on ABC, since September 23, when the US attacks on ISIS forces in Syria began, they have changed tactics by planting more flags and no longer moving in convoys as before.

On Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said it was “unrealistic” to expect the Ankara government to conduct military operations against ISIS in Syrian territory. Washington immediately expressed its disappointment at Ankara's reluctance to fight ISIS. However, the US later acknowledged that Turkey had “many of its own concerns” and that the Kurdish issue had been a sensitive one for decades.

Since IS began its attack on the city of Kobani, according to OSDH estimates, more than 400 people have been killed in the fighting and 300,000 have been displaced, including more than 200,000 who have sought asylum in Türkiye.

Chu Thanh

According to LeFirago 9/10