Oct 10, 2019 civilians flee as turkish forces strike kurds in northern syria the attack that began wednesday has uprooted civilians in the area. Seizing the area enabled islamic state fighters to shorten the route between the captured border crossing towns of jarabulus and tal abyad by not having to circumvent kobani. For is, kobani would be a huge gain, allowing the group to control an uninterrupted swath of land from its self. The history of the the kurdish people in iraqi kurdistan dates back to ancient times. Today, iraqi kurdistan is governed by the kurdistan regional government or krg. We are so proud the women who died defending kobani against isis this article is more than 5 years old.
In addition, kurdish people in iraq have faced man y challenges, such as crime against humanity and genocide by the. Turkish kurdistan, 1920 as proposed by the treaty of sevres kurdistan, 1945 conference of san francisco kurdistan, 1945 conference of san francisco kurdistan, 1945 conference of san francisco division of kurdistan after the civil war, 2003. In the course of the syrian civil war and the rojava conflict, damascus government forces withdrew from the area. Kurds hold out against islamic state in kobani sbs. Under the control of turkey, iran, iraq and syria, the division of kurdistan into four parts.
Iraq kurdistan map fanack the iraqi part of kurdistan is situated in the northeast of iraq and has about 5 million inhabitants. The kurdish autonomous region of iraq, or iraqi kurdistan, is a geopolitical region in northern iraq. Kobani, turkeys kurds, and the 2015 turkish parliamentary elections by esra sardag march 12, 2015 kobani. Kobani topographic map, elevation, relief coordinates.
Kurdistan which is not a recognized country but divided amount the countries listed above is an area of 230,000 square miles, an area about as big as texas. As kobani has mostly disappeared from the headlines despite a renewed isis offensive to retake the city the impact of the war in syria and parts of iraq is being felt on european shores. Ethnic kurds are helping members of the islamic state group in the battle for the key syrian kurdish town of kobani, sharing their knowledge of the. The map and the token will lie on the table between you. It borders iran to the east, turkey to the north, syria to the west and the rest of iraq to the south. Block diagram shows kurdish inhabited areas in iraq, turkey, and iran. U5 available also through the library of congress web site as a raster image. Kobani was the scene of a gamechanging battle in the islamic states quest to carve a caliphate out of syrian and iraqi territory that began in 2014. International relations and social change routledge, 20, and recently of redeeming the universal. The region is officially governed by the kurdistan regional government.
The syrian kurdish peoples protection units ypgypj ultimately evicted the invading islamic state army from kobani, or kobane, in early 2015 after months of brutal fighting that. Explore iraqi kurdistan map, history and news the kurdish. Syrian kurds have battled fighters of is in and around kobani since midseptember. A struggle for sovereignty, oil, ethnic identity, and the prospects for a reverse supremacy clause michael j. Syrian kurd leader sees war of attrition in kobani reuters. On kobane map, you can view all states, regions, cities, towns, districts, avenues, streets and popular centers satellite, sketch and terrain maps.
Kurdistan, kurdish nationalism and international society by zeynep n. Kobani put rojava and greater kurdistan on the map. But the devil will be in the details of how the longterm status of the krg gets resolved. May 19, 2016 increasingly frustrated with the conservative state ideology and accompanying repression of turkey, kurdish youth within turkish borders also went to rojava to create an autonomous kurdistan there. With interactive kobane map, view regional highways maps, road situations, transportation, lodging guide, geographical map, physical maps and more information. It put the kurdish struggle for freedom from oppression and domination by the occupiers of. The three cantons were later reorganized into three regions with subordinate cantons. A comparison of kurdish educational language policy in two situations of occupation article pdf available in genocide studies and prevention 31. Isis forces began attacking the syrian kurdish city of kobane, or kobani, in september 2014. As a result of the ongoing conflict between the selfstyled islamic state is and kurdish security forces, kobani s current population is unknown. Kurdistan maps, map, carte, maps of kurdistan kurdistan map, people map, carte of kurdistan. Two days after kurdish fighters declared victory over islamist militants in the battle for kobani, following months of u. The afrin, jazira and euphrates regions followed from the cantons established in january 2014 and were envisioned as subdivisions for a future federalisation of syria. Carnegie council for ethics in international affairs 4,884 views.
The kurds live oppressed in an ambiguous societal situation. Includes location map, graphs showing agriculture and rainfall, col. Written in english, the pages mostly western audience was growing steadily. Kurdish forces take control of syrian town of kobani. The two screenings include fiction, animations and documentaries from the entire kurdistan region. Peek inside kobani after kurds claim victory over isis time. Unraveling the oil geopolitics intertwined in the kurdish. Kobani is a predominantly kurdish town in northern syria.
Kaya a thesis submitted to the department of international relations of the london school of economics for the degree of doctor of philosophy, london, june 2012. At one point we had over 10,000 followers, says ahmed, who immigrated to sweden from iraqi kurdistan when he was 15. Confronting isis why political solutions are necessary to defeat isis sponsored by the honourable mr. After battling isis, kurds find new foe in facebook. Kurdistan kurdistan kurdistan is an extensive plateau and mountainous area in middle east, inhabited mainly by kurds. Kobani, ground zero for kurdishisis war, caught between. The ruins of the city of kobani ayn alarab after about four months of fighting ayn alarab twitter account, february 2, 2015.
A brief history kobani started out in 1912 as a stop on the konyabaghdad railway and was populated by armenian refugees fleeing the forces of the ottoman empire in 1915. On january 30, 2015, isis issued a video in which it admitted, for the first time, that its fighters had retreated from kobani ayn alarab in northern syria, and that control of the city had been retaken by the kurdish forces. Later again updated based on map from the times check talkpage for details author. One only has to take a quick look at a map to see why kobani was an attractive target. Civilians flee as turkish forces strike kurds in northern.
The battle for kobani has become an emblem for kurdish solidarity across the region of the middle east. Right upper map, satellite, terrain icons via the map view, satellite, hybrid and terrain map can be switch between images. The krg is located in the city of erbil, which is also known in kurdish as hewler. But the fourmonthlong battle that raged from september 2014 until isis militants were driven out in january resulted in the widespread destruction of the 100yearold city that was famous for its oliveoil and cultural diversity.
The kurds, an ethnic group numbering around 30 million people, is widely recognized to be the. The 45 million kurds lived on their ancestral lands of kurdistan for many thousands of years. Kurdistan is not a country, but the map of the kurdish region includes the geographical region in the middle east wherein the kurdish people have historically established a prominent population and unified cultural identity. In spite of the francobritish omission, the paris peace conference of 19191920 has offered a chance to the kurdish nationalists. Ghadi sary middle east and north africa programme september. After 4 days of heroic resistance, the brave kurdish men and women of kobani syrianoccupied kurdistan, with the help of the peshmerga and the usled coalition airstrikes, won an incredible victory over the barbaric isis terrorists and pushed them out of the legendary city. An estimated thirtytwo million kurds live in kurdistan, which includes parts of turkey, iraq, syria, and irantodays hot spots in the middle east. For many years the syrian kurds, unlike their brethren in turkey, iraq and to a lesser extent in iran, had been rarely featured in the media. As a result of the ongoing conflict between the selfstyled islamic state is and kurdish security forces, kobanis current population is unknown. After about four months of fighting isis was defeated in the. Today we received the news of liberation of defiant kobani.
Revenue for the kurdish government is generated primarily from oil, although the krg and the iraqi government contest the ownership of this resource. The present kurdish populated area on the left bank of the euphrates was settled by kurdish tribes at the beginning of the 17th century. Kobani is recognized by syrian kurds to be part of rojava, or syrian kurdistan. The regional capital is erbil, also known as hawler. In modern postindependence syria, the kurdish society of the region was subject to heavyhanded arabization policies by the damascus government. A turkish kurd walks at mursitpinar on the outskirts of suruc, at the turkeysyria border, as smoke from a fire caused by a strike rises over kobani, inside. Kurds are predominantly indoeuropean and speak a language in the indoiranian branch of the indoeuropean language family. Introduction isis is proving a ruthless strategic enemy with a global reach.
Explore kobani map, history and news the kurdish project. How the islamic state was halted in kobani usa today. The peoples protection units popular protection units yekineyen parastina gel ypg is the armed wing of the syrian kurdish democratic union party pyd. Read the latest news about kobane the kurdish project. The lands comprising kurdistan include parts of eastern turkey, northern iraq, northwestern iran and northern syria, which are inhabited mainly by kurds. As a consequence of the syrian civil war, the city came under the control of the kurdish peoples. It covers large parts of eastern turkey, northern iraq, northwestern iran and smaller parts of northern syria and armenia. Kurdistan is a geocultural region wherein the kurds have historically formed a prominent majority population, and kurdish culture, language, and national identity have historically been based. In 20, as the pkk and turkey agreed a ceasefire and began political talks, the ypgpyd set up a democratic selfadministration there, calling it rojava western kurdistan. A journalist smuggled himself into the besieged battle zone of kobani, syria to get a first hand look at the destruction wrought on this small, but strategically important syrian city.
Desteya bilind a kurd dbk was a selfproclaimed governing body in northern syria, which was founded by the kurdish democratic union party pyd and the kurdish national council knc, following the signing on 12 july 2012 of a cooperation agreement between the two parties in hewler, iraqi kurdistan under the auspice of the iraqi kurdistan. Among the kurds of the syrian border town, pride in victory outweighs grief over losses, even amid the destruction wrought by an islamic state siege. We are so proud the women who died defending kobani. This region travel guide to rojava is an outline and may need more content. Later updated to show progress on the siege using information from desyracuse later adapted by bbc news, archicivilians, and the syrian civil war detailed map on the english version of wikipedia. Kobani recruits of 1980s, namely bahoz erdal, nurettin sofi, and to a lesser degree murat karay. An independent kurdistan was, in fact, drawn into the treaty of sevres almost a century ago in 1920. In turn, these are strongly influenced by its history, both recent and more distant. Up till last week all the activity of the muslim isis was in iraq. The population of the kurdistan region is skewed young, with 36% aged 014 years and only 4% aged over 63. Warda, aged 60, and her family fled from the syrian city of kobani in november 2014, after isil attacked it. Kobani, a city in northern syria, was the site of the biggest defeat dealt to isis by kurdish soldiers. The town of kobani on the turkish border has become a crucial front in the fight against the islamic state group. In liberated kobani, kurds take pride despite the devastation.
It covers about 72,000 square kilometres, which is about onesixth of the area of iraq, but the official autonomous kurdistan region is smaller than that, about 40,000 square kilometres, or onetenth of the country. The kurdish spring explores the subjugation of kurds by arab, ottoman, and persian powers for almost a century, and explains why kurds are now evolving from a victimized people to a. The kurdistan programme gives a voice to kurdish directors. Jan 25, 2017 kobani, syria i recently stayed overnight in serekaniye and awoke to unusual sounds at about 5 a. The islamic state arguably accomplished its objectives in kobani weeks ago when it seized virtually all of the area except for the town itself. If there are cities and other destinations listed, they may not all be at usable status or there may not be a valid regional structure and a get in section describing all of the typical ways to get here. How was the islamic states seemingly unstoppable advance halted in this nondescript town. Governance, diversity, and conflicts by harriet allsopp and wladimir van wilgenburg ib tauris, 2019. Before the region was conquered by arab muslims in the 7th century ad, numerous kurdish tribes and small kurdish empires flourished islamic rule over the kurdish homeland by the. Western kurdistan, or where the sun sets the literal meaning of rojava, refers to a historical geographical component of what was once known as greater kurdistan, unrecognized by postfirst world war colonially drawn borders. It has a template, but there is not enough information present.
General information unbelievable kurdistan official. The name kobani may be a corruption of the word company, although in arabic the town is called ayn alarab or the spring of the arabs. A message on the official website of the kurdistan presidency said. Kobani a fastaval scenario by signe londahl hertel 7 to play the scenario you need a room with a table and chairs to sit, the printed appendixes and a token for flashbacks with pictures of the town on each side. Peoples protection units ypg forces have held the town since 2012, and have been defending the town from is forces who have besieged the area.
Meanwhile, secretary of state mike pompeo insists that the trump. Kurdistan 7 essentials demographics the kurdistan region is composed of an ethnically diverse populace that includes kurds, arabs, assyrians, chaldeans, turkmen, and armenians. It roughly includes zagros and eastern taurus mountain ranges. Check flight prices and hotel availability for your visit. Kamran is a senior lecturer in international relations at the university of sussex, where he teaches modern history of the middle east and international theory. The state of kurdistan is not officially recognised in world politics. Iraqi kurdistan kurdistan refers to portions of turkey, iraq, iran and syria, however only the iraqi region of kurdistan is discussed here. The syrian kurdish border town of kobani also known as ayn alarab has been under siege by the group calling itself the islamic state is, also known as isis or isil since midseptember. Due to the citys prime location, near oil pipelines, supply routes and the turkish border, it was a strategic target for isis to attack and for the kurds and other allies to defend. See the articles on turkey, western iran and syria for information regarding the other regions of kurdistan. The battle for the syrian town of kobani will turn into a war of attrition unless kurds defending it from an islamic state onslaught get arms that can repel tanks and armored vehicles, a. I looked out and saw a group of asayish local kurdish police, both men and women, engaged in physical training in an empty lot.
Whether kobani makes it or not i hope it does, whether it remains free or falls into evils hands matters little now, for kobani and its defenders have entered history and will be honored forever. Kobani, turkeys kurds, and the 2015 turkish parliamentary. A fierce street battle took place between islamic state and kurdish fighters, whose rifles. At fastaval you will be handed the token as well as a map of kobani in a3.