Last week, I found myself standing amid the ruins of Kobani, Syria, trying to make sense of the destruction around me.
My Kurdish guide, who had been through hell and back, handed me a collection of bones he’d uncovered from the rubble. “Look—here’s a human spine.
That’s an ISIS spine,” he said, before crushing a piece of skull underfoot.
It was a chilling moment that encapsulated the brutal history of this city—a history that continues to unfold in the face of new threats.
The Fight for Kobani’s Survival
Kobani, located in northeastern Syria within the autonomous Kurdish region of Rojava, was once a vibrant crossroads of cultures and ethnicities.
Ten years ago, it was thrust into one of the most intense urban battles in modern history.
ISIS, in the chaos of Syria’s civil war, encircled the city and launched a violent assault.
By September 2014, the jihadist forces had surrounded Kobani, rounding up and slaughtering hundreds of innocent people.
It seemed like the city’s fall was imminent, with about 200,000 residents fleeing for their lives.
But Kobani wasn’t abandoned.
The YPG (People’s Protection Units) and YPJ (Women’s Protection Units) held their ground against the overwhelming forces of ISIS.
Their resistance, which earned the city the nickname “Kurdish Stalingrad,” turned the tide.
On January 26, 2015, Kobani was liberated, marking a pivotal moment in the fight against ISIS.
This victory proved to be a turning point, and the global effort to defeat ISIS continued for years, eventually leading to the collapse of their caliphate.
New Challenges Looming Over Kobani
As Kobani prepares to mark the 10th anniversary of this monumental victory, celebrations are tinged with anxiety.
Just a few dozen kilometers away, the Syrian National Army (SNA), a militia backed by Turkey, is clashing with the city’s defenders.
The battle for control of a vital dam supplying power to much of the region threatens to spill over into Rojava.
This renewed conflict comes amid growing fears that ISIS, now lurking in the shadows, could once again resurface in this volatile landscape.
Turkey, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, continues its military presence in the region, with drones and warplanes targeting civilians and Kurdish forces alike.
This escalating tension is forcing the Kurdish people to confront a dark reality—the potential return of ISIS within days.
The Deep Roots of Conflict
The Arab Spring protests of 2011 set off a chain of events that plunged Syria into chaos.
Former President Bashar al-Assad’s violent crackdown on dissent led to a brutal civil war, leaving millions displaced and hundreds of thousands dead.
But amid the fighting, ISIS emerged as a terrifying new force.
Exploiting the instability, the extremist group grew rapidly, attracting thousands of foreign fighters in its quest to establish an Islamic caliphate.
By 2014, ISIS had seized vast swathes of territory in both Iraq and Syria, including the Kurdish-majority city of Kobani.
The jihadists launched an aggressive attack on the city, armed with heavy artillery and American-made weapons looted from the Iraqi army.
The situation was dire, with reports of massacres and beheadings filtering through the region.
But the YPG and YPJ organized a fierce resistance that pushed back against the extremists, using guerilla tactics and their knowledge of the land to fight tooth and nail.
Despite being outgunned and outnumbered, the Kurdish fighters held their ground, with the US-led coalition providing critical air support.
This support helped cut off ISIS’s supply lines and weakened their stronghold on the city. Yet, the battle was far from over.
The Kurdish fighters had to clear building after building in brutal close-quarters combat.
Every corner, every alleyway was a potential trap.
The horrors of war were palpable, with human bones and remnants of ISIS fighters scattered throughout the city’s ruins, a stark reminder of the brutality that had unfolded.
Rebuilding from the Ashes
The liberation of Kobani in 2015 was a monumental achievement, but the cost was staggering.
Approximately 70% of the city’s infrastructure was destroyed in the fighting, and the residents who returned found their homes and businesses wiped out.
Despite the devastation, the people of Kobani did not give up.
They began rebuilding their city almost immediately, with little external aid, relying on grassroots efforts and the support of local organizations like the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
Throughout the destruction, symbols of resilience emerged.
The statue of Arin Mirkan, a YPJ fighter who used ISIS’s own tactics against them by launching a suicide bombing on their command post, stands proudly in a central square.
Memorials to fallen fighters adorn the city, a testament to the sacrifices made in the fight for freedom.
The Return of an Old Threat
Kobani’s relative stability after its liberation allowed the city to slowly heal, but the situation remains precarious.
Turkish military operations between 2016 and 2019 caused turmoil in other parts of Syria, but Kobani itself remained relatively untouched.
Now, with the overthrow of Assad’s regime in late 2024, the city faces new dangers.
The Syrian National Army, backed by Turkey, has been advancing on Kurdish-held areas, displacing civilians and executing prisoners.
The critical Tishrin Dam, which provides power to Kobani and other cities, is now a target for attack.
In recent weeks, airstrikes from Turkey have claimed civilian lives, and the situation on the ground has become increasingly dire.
The people of Kobani are once again preparing for the worst.
With local defense groups forming and citizens arming themselves, they stand ready to defend their city from external threats.
But the fear of ISIS resurging looms large, as thousands of ISIS fighters remain imprisoned in camps, just waiting for the right moment to break free.
A Bitter Dilemma
As the threat of ISIS returns to haunt Kobani, the Kurdish forces tasked with guarding these camps are faced with a tough choice.
With the SNA closing in on the city, will they stay to defend the camps or leave to protect their families and communities? The decision is agonizing, and the risk of ISIS’s resurgence is very real.
If the fighting continues and the SNA advances, the specter of a new ISIS uprising could become a grim reality in just a matter of days.
Kobani’s residents have shown incredible resilience, but the city now faces its most difficult challenge yet.
The question remains: can they hold on, or will they be forced to fight a battle they thought they had already won? The world watches, and Kobani’s future hangs in the balance.
This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!
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