Kobani, 11 Years Later: From ISIS Liberation to a New Siege

In the autumn of 2014, the Kurdish city of Kobani in northern Syria faced annihilation under a brutal siege by the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group, a seemingly unequal battle watched by the world.

The pivotal turning point came on October 28, 2014, when Kurdistan’s Peshmerga forces, directed by President Masoud Barzani, crossed into Syria to join the city’s local protection units, forming a unified Kurdish defense that broke the siege and mounted a successful counteroffensive.

Kobani was declared liberated on January 26, 2015, but its people returned to near-total devastation—leveled neighborhoods and streets named for the fallen, a price paid for freedom.

Today, 11 years after that historic liberation, the city is under a new and harsh siege, facing severe shortages of food and medicine, security threats, and continuous pressure with little respite since the war against ISIS ended.

The anniversary serves as a stark reminder that Kobani, which once acted as a crucial barrier for the world against a global terrorist threat, now faces an uncertain fate alone, making its protection not just a political issue but a pressing moral and humanitarian responsibility.