Residents of Kobane, a city that once symbolized the Kurdish victory over the Islamic State (IS), are making urgent appeals for international assistance amid a severe humanitarian crisis, according to an AFP report. The city is grappling with critical shortages of food, water, and electricity after being surrounded by Syrian government forces.
The situation has been intensified by a large influx of displaced people who have fled their villages due to the army’s advance. Kobane is now isolated, bordered by Turkey to the north and government forces on all other sides.
“We’ve been without electricity and water for three days,” resident Seifeddine Khodr, 37, told AFP. He added that “flour and food supplies aren’t getting in,” while the needs of the population have grown with the arrival of displaced families. “People are afraid, we beg the world to intervene.”
Mustafa Ahmad, 55, who fled to Kobane with his nine children, described the conditions as “catastrophic.” He stated, “There is no electricity, heating or food supplies.”
The Kurdish administration issued a statement accusing “armed factions allied with the government” of “intensifying their attacks,” particularly on Kobane’s infrastructure, leading to the collapse of basic services. However, Syria’s energy ministry claimed a “technical fault” was responsible for the water outage and said that ongoing tensions were preventing repair teams from addressing the issue.
Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, gained international prominence in 2015 when Kurdish forces drove out IS militants. This victory was a pivotal moment for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who were supported by a US-led coalition. The current Syrian authorities are now demanding the SDF disband.
Gharib Hasso, a senior official in the Kurdish administration, warned that the city’s enemies “want to take revenge on Kobane,” and expressed fears of potential “massacres” if they enter. A local journalist described seeing hundreds of families sleeping on the streets in freezing temperatures, pleading, “please, save Kobane.”
