Islamic State could soon occupy the town of Kobane, in a strategic position at the Turkey – Syria border, according to a statement of a local official cited by the BBC. At the eastern edge of the town there is an Islamic State flag already flying, reports say. Istenur, the strategic hill above the town of Kobane, is already controlled by the Islamic State, local official Idriss Nassan confirmed. Capturing Kobane would give the Islamic State unbroken control of a significant portion of the Syrian – Turkish border.
Islamic State militants have been besieging the town of Kobane for weeks, as Syrian Kurds have been trying to defend the town. It has been under attack for the last three weeks – since then over 150,000 Syrians have fled across the border. According to BBC correspondent Paul Addams, a mass evacuation of the local civilians is under way, but there are still thousands of them left on the streets of the town.
The Islamic State’s control over the Istenur gives them a serious strategic advantage, but IS fighters are at this moment refraining from firing down on the town from the hill. Shelling is constant in Kobane, and Mr. Nassan has confirmed that the town will soon be overrun. He didn’t speculate on how long it will still be able to resist. Esmat al-Sheikh, leader of the local defense authority, has declared that the forces led by him are determined to resist the invading forces until the last moment – and beyond.
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Kobane, also known as Ayn al-Arab (Spring of the Arabs) is a city in the Aleppo district of Northern Syria, with a population of almost 45,000, mostly Kurds. Since the Syrian armies’ retreat two years ago, the city was governed by Kurdish parties. IS forces have taken over the surrounding settlements last year, leaving the town in the middle of an area controlled by the Islamic State.