The Iraqi-Kurdish Peshmerga fighters arrived in northern Syria, in Kobani. The Peshmerga fighters came from Turkey. Their arrival represents a reinforcement for the Kurds in their defense of Kobani from ISIS fighters. According to a Kurd fighter from Syria, two vehicles arrived, with 10 Peshmerga fighters. They entered through the Turkish border. These 10 Peshmerga fighters are just the first ones to arrive. In total, 160 Peshmerga fighters are expected to enter Kobani. They come from Iraq and they are heavily armed. They are believed to be equipped with heavy weapons, artillery and various gears in order to help the Kurds in their fight against ISIS.
ISIS has been trying to take over Kobani for six weeks. Kobani is an important strategic territory, which they wish to add to the territories already captured in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, government troops have been fighting ISIS and other rebel groups for three years. The ethnic Kurds in Kobani were left to defend the city from ISIS, with help from the U.S. The American airstrikes have been attacking ISIS targets around the city. The Peshmerga fighters will boost Kobani’s defense. They will be joining approximately two hundred Syrian rebels, who are believed to have entered Kobani on Wednesday. The Peshmerga troops have battled with ISIS before, when it tried to expand over Iraqi territory. The Peshmerga fighters are actually Kurds who defend the semi-autonomous Kurdish region from northern Iraq. The ethnic population which once lived there has fled the region, in a desperate attempt to avoid the fights.
According to Steve Biddle, a senior fellow from the Council on Foreign Relations, the arrival of Peshmerga fighters does not represent a serious shift as far as the battle is concerned. He declared: “In terms of a major war that’s of some significance to U.S. national security, the arrival of 150 militiamen to an area is probably not of tectonic significance”. Kobani has recently attracted a lot of international media attention. Since it is situated just at the border with Turkey, it is a proper place where journalists can follow the battles. The Islamic State fighters have also sent reinforcements to Kobani.
The Syrian Kurdish fighters, who happen to be part of the People’s Protection Units have ties with the Kurdistan Workers Party. The Kurdistan Workers Party has fought a guerrilla war against the Turkish government for 30 years. In Europe and Turkey, the Kurdistan Workers Party is considered a terrorist organization.