Soldiers of the YPG, the Popular Protection Forces, in Kobane, Syrian Kurdistan. Photo (c): Pawel Pieniazek. All rights reserved.
This Saturday, Kurds are celebrating the third anniversary of the battle of Kobane. In 2015, this city in northern Syria was surrounded by ISIS forces on three sides, with Turkey on its northern border. Turkish forces over the frontier were not keen on Kurdish volunteers relieving the city, and created obstacles for those who attempted to cross the border. Without the strong support of a foreign power, it seemed that defeat was inevitable. Yet over the course of the following three months, Kurdish fighters fought tooth and nail to defeat the ISIS insurgents besieging the city. The battle for Kobane also saw some of the first US airstrikes in the Syrian war.
Victory came on 27 January 2015. It was a humiliation for ISIS, at a time when the terrorist group looked unstoppable. Islamic State had come up against the determined fighters of the People’s Protection Units and Women’s Protection Units, more commonly known as YPG and YPJ.
