Syrian Kurdish town Kobani needs to be rebuilt from scratch, ‘everything is destroyed’

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Fighters of the Kurdish People's Protection Units walk past damaged buildings in the northern Syrian town of Kobani January 28, 2015. REUTERS/Osman Orsal
Fighters of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units walk past damaged buildings in the northern Syrian town of Kobani January 28, 2015. REUTERS/Osman Orsal

Sheets meant to hide residents from snipers’ sights still hang over streets in the Syrian border town of Kobani, and its shattered buildings and cratered roads suggest those who fled are unlikely to return soon.

Kurdish forces said this week they had taken full control of Kobani, a mainly Kurdish town near the Turkish border, after months of bombardment by Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot that has spread across Syria and Iraq.

Their victory, raising Kurdish flags where the black symbols of Islamic State once flew, prompted celebration among the more than 200,000 refugees who have fled to Turkey since the assault on the town began in September.

Cold weather, poverty and hunger have left many eager to return home and try to rebuild their livelihoods.

But months of intense fighting have hollowed out their town. Wrecked vehicles lie besides buildings reduced to piles of rubble and the roads are scarred by craters meters deep.

Tired and tense Kurdish fighters patrol near-deserted streets, and the risk of unexploded ordnance leaves the few civilians who remain fearful of where to tread.

“Coming back to Kobani will be even more difficult than leaving it,” said one fighter from the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), clutching a machinegun and standing in front of the ruins of a building.

“This city needs to be rebuilt from scratch. Everything is destroyed,” he said, pointing to a pile of debris as tall as the single-story building next to it.

Kobani, nestled in hills and separated from Turkey by little more than a disused railway line, became a focal point for the international struggle against Islamic State, partly because of the heavy weaponry and number of fighters that the ultra-hardline Islamist group poured into the battle.

With the help of daily air strikes by U.S.-led forces, air drops of weapons and ammunition, and fighters from the Kurdish autonomous region in Iraq, Kobani’s defenders managed to push out the insurgents and declare a tentative victory on Monday.

This map highlights the countries of Iraq, Syria and Turkey. Called out are the cities of Mosul and Kobani. The area of ISIS controlled or contested territory is highlighted in red.
This map highlights the countries of Iraq, Syria and Turkey. Called out are the cities of Mosul and Kobani. The area of ISIS controlled or contested territory is highlighted in red.

YPG fighters raised two fingers in victory signs for a group of journalists being escorted around Kobani, but behind the shows of pride a tense mood still hung over the town.

“Mortar shells keep landing here. Don’t wander around, it’s dangerous,” cautioned one of the fighters, guarding a central square, as a group of his fellow combatants patrolled surrounding streets on motorbikes.

Battles have continued in villages to the southeast and southwest of Kobani since the Kurds declared victory. The Pentagon said on Monday the fight for the town was not over and a senior U.S. State Department official said it was too soon to declare “mission accomplished”.

Turkey’s Radikal newspaper said a mortar shell fired by Islamic State militants landed near the Turkish border inside Kobani on Thursday, wounding four civilians.

Islamic State supporters have denied the group has been pushed out.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who has been wary of supporting Syrian Kurds amid concern about a push for Kurdish autonomy in northern Syria, questioned this week how much there was to celebrate.

“When it is about Kobani, the whole world stands up and cooperates … Today they are dancing with happiness. What happened?” he told a meeting of local government officials in his palace in Ankara.

“(Islamic State) is out of there, fine. But who will repair all those places you bombed? Will those 200,000 who fled Kobani be able to go back? When they are back, where will they live?” he asked.

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3 responses to “Syrian Kurdish town Kobani needs to be rebuilt from scratch, ‘everything is destroyed’”

  1. nagy_michael2 Avatar
    nagy_michael2

    well at least you can come back free at will and hopefully no more ISIS or syrian regime there.

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar

      Looks like Damascus and other small towns in Syria. Lots of work in new jobs for everyone.
      The women can handle the offices. 😉
      And Erdogan will not profit.

      1. nagy_michael2 Avatar
        nagy_michael2

        That Monkey Erdogan always looking to profit from someone. for years Israel fought palestinians and Turkey was friend of Israel and shared intelligence information. Suddenly the last few years the monkies in Turkey woke up and decided to dismiss Israel and fight for the palestinians rights.. really? generation of palestinians got killed and kicked around like dogs. where the hell was Turkey then? where the hell was Iran then? even under Khomeini they didn’t do anything til later.

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