ISIS Driven Out of Most of Kobani, but Warnings Persist of a Potential Massacre
BBC reports that fighters from the Islamic State (ISIS) have been driven out of most of Kobani, except for two pockets of resistance in the eastern part of the city. The U.S.-led coalition launched an additional 14 strikes on Kobani yesterday, helping dislodge ISIS from several neighborhoods.
Anwar Muslin, head of Kobani’s local government, told TIME Magazine that Kurdish forces are now in control of 60-70% of the city. He went on to warn that more than 1,000 civilians were trapped in the city, asking the U.S. and U.N. to set up and operate a humanitarian corridor to Kobani.
“Kobani will not fall but the danger of massacres still exists,” he said.]3
Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the new U.N. Human Rights Commisioner, echoed his statement, calling ISIS “a potentially genocidal moment.”
Muslin, the Kurdish official, also claimed that ISIS snipers and mortars are targeting neighborhoods close to the Turkish border.
U.S. Engages Kurdish Militants, as Debate Continues Over Buffer Zone
In an apparent shift of its public position, the U.S. confirmed holding direct talks with the Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD, over the fate of Kobani, Reuters reports. The PYD is the predominant force among Syrian Kurds, with significant influence in Kurdish areas that are fighting to push back ISIS.
The move is controversial because the PYD has close ties with the PKK, a Kurdish militant group in Turkey that is considered a terrorist entity by the Turkish state. The PKK has long sought greater autonomy in Turkey; Turkish officials have been reluctant to empower Syrian Kurds as a result.
The U.S. has put pressure on Turkey to join the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, but Turkey has said that it will not join unless a buffer zone is created along the Turkish-Syrian border.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu outlined what a safe zone could look like, including regions in Idlib, northern Latakia, Hasakah, Jarablus and Kobani.
Until now, the U.S. has resisted calls to create a buffer zone in Syria; it would not only be a costly move, but one that would force the U.S. to confront Syrian President Bashar al-Assad directly.
“It’s not a debate simply over a no-fly zone. It’s a debate over whether Turkey can push the U.S. and other members of the coalition into focusing on Assad directly, as well as on the Islamic State,” Anthony Cordesman, a national security analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies told Foreign Policy
Syria has rejected all calls for the creation of a buffer zone on its territory, calling it an act of aggression and violation of the U.N. Charter and International law, said the Syrian Foreign Ministry in a statement issued on Wednesday
U.S. Risks Potential Backlash in Syria, Amid Challenges on the Ground
The BBC reports that Syrian rebel fighters backed by the West have warned that U.S.-led coalition strikes against ISIS face a backlash in Syria. To date there have been a series of protests against the airstrikes, fueling fears that the campaign is turning people against the West.
“Without a comprehensive ground strategy, there is a risk of alienating the very people America and its allies should be winning over,” the BBC reports.
Some of the opposition comes from resentment that the U.S. has done little to protect civilians from ongoing regime attacks. Other protests have come from demonstrators who support Jabhat al-Nusra; the group is an affiliate of al-Qaida, but also one of the strongest forces fighting the Assad regime. Reports of civilian death have also fueled tensions.
While the U.S. and its allies have conducted dozens of airstrikes against ISIS targets, its strategy for degrading ISIS on the ground is not yet clear. While U.S. officials have acknowledged that airstrikes alone won’t be enough to defeat ISIS, it has ruled out the use of U.S. ground troops in Syria. Officials have also acknowledged that they don’t trust Syrian rebels enough to coordinate on the air campaign.
“We don’t have a willing, capable, effective partner on the ground inside Syria right now,” said Rear Admiral John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, as quoted by the AP. “It’s just a fact.”
According to a McClatchy report, John Allen, the retired Marine general in charge of coordinating the U.S.-led campaign against ISIS, has said that there is no formal coordination with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and that the U.S. is building a new ground force to focus on fighting the Islamic State.
Recommended Reads:
BBC: Islamic State Being Driven Out of Kobani
TIME: ISIS Retreats from Besieged Syrian City
Reuters: Ramped-Up Airstrikes Stall Islamic State Advance on Syrian Town
BBC: Syrian Rebels Warn of Backlash Over U.S. Strikes
AP: U.S. Is Still Searching for Credible Allies in Syria