Despite Kobani’s Liberation From ISIS, Many Syrians See Little To Celebrate

SYRIA-TURKEY-IRAQ-US-CONFLICT

Syrians have said there’s little to celebrate even if Kurdish fighters, supported by a barrage of U.S.-led airstrikes, have successfully driven the Islamic State (ISIS) from the Kurdish town of Kobani in northern Syria earlier this week. The WorldPost has more:

Sure, the U.S. has applauded the news, and Kurds across the border in Turkey danced in the streets. But the regime of President Bashar Assad continues to drop barrel bombs on its citizens –- without any meaningful U.S. response — and the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, is tightening its grip elsewhere in Syria.

U.S. officials have told The WorldPost that Kobani was a critical battle for Washington. Pushing the Islamic State from the border town, they say, was a way to tackle the militants at a higher level by taking direct aim at their chief asset: their narrative of invincibility. Military commanders also noted that Kobani was a significant hub of Islamic State forces, which the U.S.-led coalition sought to identify and then target with airstrikes. Indeed, since September, close to 75 percent of coalition airstrikes have been aimed at Kobani and the surrounding areas.

However, a number of Syrians told The WorldPost that the significance of Kobani was being overstated.

“Kobani is not an achievement — it’s a small city,” said Salim al-Omar, a 29-year-old Syrian writer from the regime-controlled port city of Latakia on Syria’s west coast. “There are tens of cities bigger than Kobani under [Islamic State] control, and there are tens of cities under regime control that are being shelled.”