Fighting in northern Syria
Kurds fear Turkish offensive on symbolic city
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In the fall of 2014, Kurdish militias defended Kobane against IS attacks for months. Now the city is in the spotlight again. There are fears of an offensive by the Turkish army and its Syrian allies.
According to Kurdish sources, Turkey and its allied militias are preparing an offensive against the northern Syrian border town of Kobane. The Turkish army and its Syrian allies would send reinforcements to the region south of the Kurdish-held city, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spokesman Farhad al Schami said. An attack on the city from the south and west is possible. There have been fierce battles around the city for a long time.
The SDF has contacted the US-led coalition and the US government to stop the Turkish offensive, al Schami said. On Tuesday, SDF commander Maslum Abdi proposed a buffer zone for northern Syria. They are ready to set up a demilitarized zone in Kobani in which security forces should be set up under US supervision and presence. A demilitarized zone under international protection could serve as a security guarantee for the Kurds and alleviate Turkey's concerns about the Kurds.
Turkey is accused of wanting to use the power vacuum following the overthrow of ruler Bashar al-Assad in Syria to bring under its control the areas in the north of the country that are under the administration of Kurdish militias.
The Kurds and the SDF are supported by the USA, for which the SDF is an important partner in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria. Turkey, on the other hand, sees the militia as an offshoot of the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) – and therefore as a terrorist organization. Kobane is a symbol of resistance for the Kurds. From September 2014 to January 2015, Kurdish militias, with US support, defended the border town against an IS offensive.
