A medieval siege strangles the Kurdish city of Kobane

Qamishlo (Syrian Kurdistan)Kobani, the Kurdish city that in 2014 became a global symbol of resistance against the Islamic State, is now experiencing another tragedy: daily survival under siege and extreme cold. Its population has been cut off from the world for six days. Surrounded by Turkey to the north and by Syrian government forces to the south, east, and west, the city has no water or electricity because the dam that supplies it is under the control of the Damascus government. Hospitals are on the verge of collapse, and schools and city squares have been converted into makeshift shelters. Half a million civilians are at risk of dying from hunger, disease, or cold if nothing is done.

With each passing minute, the situation worsens, and the siege intensifies. Snow blankets the streets filled with displaced people who have lost absolutely everything. Most are melting the snow for water. Kobane is fighting against the increasingly frigid winter, but also against time and international indifference to survive. Meanwhile, fighting continues just 20 kilometers from the city, breaking the fragile ceasefire between Kurdish forces and the Syrian army.

Rolin Haci, a student, explains that the situation is dire. "Life is suspended as if we were waiting for a slow death. We don't know what's going to happen, we don't know if we'll stay alive, if they're going to kill us or sell us in markets as sex slaves," she explains by phone from the city. "Kobane won't withstand the siege much longer. No international NGOs are operating in the city. Everything is too chaotic," she adds.

Displaced people and makeshift shelters

Thousands of displaced people from Tabqa, Raqqa, Afrin, and other nearby towns now under Syrian government control have sought refuge in Kobani. Schools, half-finished buildings, closed shops, and public squares have become makeshift shelters, where people live crammed together without basic hygiene or insulation. The city, already severely weakened by the 2014-2015 war against ISIS, now faces the added pressure of hosting families who have lost everything, arriving with only the bare necessities: a few documents, some clothes, a little food, and blankets. The snow further exacerbates the situation. Mohamed Ali, 65, fled Tabqa with his family and arrived in Kobani with nothing. He is now in a school with the few supplies offered by some residents and the few local NGOs working there. “This is the fourth time I’ve been displaced during these years of the war in Syria. I fled Afrin in 2018 when Turkey occupied my city. Then I went to a predominantly Kurdish neighborhood in Aleppo. Two weeks ago, fighting broke out between Kurdish and government forces, and we fled again now, this time to Kobani, because the city is already controlled by the government and its mercenaries,” she explains. “I’d rather die than live through such a dramatic situation,” she adds.

Samira Nuri, 35, is a teacher who lived in Raqqa. She arrived in Kobani after the Syrian government announced it would attack the area. "I have two daughters. My partner worked with the Kurdish forces. I came to Kobane because I was afraid they would kill us and kidnap my daughters. I tremble when I see the videos of the Syrian mercenaries' crimes: they kill Kurdish fighters and trample their corpses. Now, in Kobane, we are surrounded on all sides. I didn't know the situation here would be like this."

The city of Kobane is not under direct attack. The fighting is about 20 kilometers away, but its proximity means there are mines, armed patrols, and intermittent clashes. Nisreen Abdullah, commander of the Women's Protection Units, assures that her forces are prepared and will defend the city just as they did in 2014 against the Islamic State attack. "Thousands of women and men from Kobane will fight against this barbarity and we will not let the city fall into the hands of these monsters," she asserts. "A new genocide could occur in Kobane. We are being attacked with weapons from the Turkish state." She claims that members of the Islamic State are among the mercenaries fighting. "They wear Islamic State flags on their vests. They hate the Kurdish fighters; they want revenge. They commit beheadings and all kinds of atrocities and savagery."

Collapse of the healthcare system

The city's healthcare system has collapsed due to the lack of electricity. Most medical centers now rely on unreliable generators that operate without guarantees and put critically ill patients at risk. Dr. Suleiman Faisal explains that the shortage of medical personnel, coupled with the increase in displaced people, makes providing healthcare a challenge. "If the siege continues, there will be a true humanitarian catastrophe. Medicines are running out, and hospitals are overwhelmed. We have wounded and sick people who need to be transferred out of the city for treatment, but the siege makes it impossible," he laments. "We have patients in the ICU... in minutes." The Kurdish Red Crescent has reported the deaths of five children at a school due to the extreme cold. "International organizations must enter the city to save people. This tragedy is not just a passing event, but also a cry for help from the heart of the siege. These children, some not even two years old, had to face the harsh winter with little clothing and empty stomachs," the NGO warned, adding that Kobane urgently needs a humanitarian corridor.