IS militants in Kobani: ‘people are living in total fear’
A Kobani activist tells Channel 4 News that thousands are trapped inside the Syrian Kurdish town being attacked by Islamic State group, and will be “massacred” if the militants are able to enter.
Khaled Barkal, chair of the Kobani local committee, told Channel 4 News that between 10,000 and 15,000 civilians were still living in the town. “Of course people are living in total fear”, he said.
Islamic State (IS) militants have been attacking the strategically placed town of Kobani for days, and earlier in the week, placed their black flag on the town’s outskirts, after seizing nearby villages in an offensive last month. New US-led air strikes were targeted at IS in the area on Wednesday to try and stop their advance.
If they enter the town, there will be massacres because there are thousands of people inside Khaled Barkal
“Most people cannot afford to leave, there are so many people stuck at the Turkish borders, especially on the western and eastern sides,” said Mr Barkel. “The Turks opened the door but some people will not leave their properties, cattle and livelihood.”
Mr Barkal said IS fighters were very close to reaching the edges of the town centre. “They attacked the Eastern districts heavily since this morning and they are using car bombs in their attacks. If they enter the town, there will be massacres because there are thousands of people inside.”
There were signs that the US-led coalition air strikes were beggining to slow down the advance of IS fighters. “We saw more than one air strike from yesterday and the results were positive for the town,” said Mr Barkal.
IS fighters have advanced into the southwest of Kobani, increasing pressure on Turkey to intervene in the conflict. The three-week-long assault on Kobani has cost 400 lives, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.
Meanwhile, protests continued in Turkey as Kurds demand the government do more to protect Kobani. Police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters who burnt cars and tyres as they took to the streets mainly in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish eastern and southeastern provinces. Clashes also erupted in the biggest city Istanbul and in the capital Ankara.
Ten people were killed in Diyarbakir, the largest Kurdish city in the southeast, which saw clashes between protesters and police.
A 25-year-old man died in Varto, a town in the eastern province of Mus, and at least half a dozen people were wounded there in clashes between police and protesters, local media reported. Two people died in southeastern Siirt province.
Curfews were imposed in five predominantly Kurdish southeastern provinces after the protests, in which shops and banks were damaged.
‘Battle for Kobani’
Nato-member Turkey has taken in more than 180,000 refugees who fled Kobani but has refrained from joining a US-led coalition against the Sunni Muslim militants, saying the campaign should be broadened to target the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Kurdish politicians, part of Turkey’s fragile peace process with the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to end a three-decade insurgency, have criticised Turkey for inaction.
The fight in Kobani against Islamist militants has become a rallying point for Turkey’s Kurdish community. They see Ankara as partly responsible for Islamic State gaining power.
Unrest has also spread to other countries with Kurdish and Turkish populations. Police in Germany said 14 people were hurt in clashes there between Kurds and Islamists.