[The exemplary determination of the Kurdish fighters (of this particular brand) on the ground and relentless airstrikes from the sky have visibly cornered the ISIS in Kobane, at least right at the moment. (The report at sl. no II below is an excellent example of photo-journalism; one is strongly suggested to visit the site.)]
I/IV. http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/10/06/ISIS-raises-flag-on-eastern-side-of-Kobani-report.html ISIS raises flags on eastern side of Kobane By Staff Writer, Al Arabiya News Monday, 6 October 2014 The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) raised on Monday its flags on a building on the eastern side of the Syrian town of Kobane where ISIS militants have been fighting Kurdish forces for three weeks. A black flag apparently belonging to the group was visible atop a four storey building close to the scene of some of the most intense clashes in recent days, images shot by Reuters TV from neighboring Turkey showed. An ISIS flag is placed on a hill in the Syrian town of Kobane as seen from the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on Oct. 6, 2014. (AFP) A Turkish military officer who did not give his name said that the flag was that of ISIS, which has seized swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq in recent months. An AFP photographer reported that seeing two flags, black with the Arabic lettering of the group, from the Turkish side of the border. One flew on a building while another larger flag was planted on a hill in the eastern part of Kobane. Idris Nahsen, the deputy foreign minister of Kobane region, told AFP by telephone he could not confirm if ISIS jihadists were inside the town. Kurdish officials have said in the last days that ISIS militants were advancing to several hundred meters of the city but were meeting with tough resistance from Kurdish fighters. [With Agencies] Last Update: Tuesday, 7 October 2014 KSA 00:30 - GMT 21:30 II/IV. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2798266/raining-fire-isis-amazing-picture-captures-moment-u-s-bomb-lands-heart-kobani-kurdish-leader-warns-airstrikes-not-defeat-jihadists.html Has Kobane become vortex of death for ISIS? As U.S. jets obliterate fanatics from the air and Kurds suck them into street 'meat grinder', experts believe jihadists have finally made strategic miscalculation - *Islamic State militants may live to regret encouraging street battles with outgunned Kurdish forces inside Kobane* - *Barbaric terror group's tried and tested 'pincer movement' has previously forced enemies to retreat or even defect* - *Previously used to seize vast swathes of territory in north Syria and west Iraq, where security forces melted away* - *But Kobane is surrounded by desert, with Turkish border only 200 yards to the north, so Kurdish troops cannot flee * - *Now Kurdish troops are engaging terrorists in street-to-street battles - a tactic that doesn't play to ISIS' strenghs* By John Hall for MailOnline <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=John+Hall+for+MailOnline> and Jenny Awford for MailOnline <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Jenny+Awford+for+MailOnline> Published: 14:50 GMT, 18 October 2014 | Updated: 01:08 GMT, 19 October 2014 forces to suck them into unfamiliar 'meat grinder' street battles, an expert has claimed. During the four-week battle for Kobane, ISIS has used the same tried and tested 'pincer movement' it deployed during the rapid seizure of vast swathes of northern Syria and western Iraq earlier this year. In the majority of those lightning advances, ISIS was able to capture towns and cities with little to no resistance - as the group's reputation for torture and brutal murder ensured local security forces either defected or abandoned their posts, rather than face certain slaughter at the hands of the fanatics. But as Kobane is located less than 200 yards south of the Turkish border fences and is surrounded largely by desert, the massively outgunned Kurdish fighters there have had nowhere to flee, encouraging them to gather in the centre of town and defend the city in furious street-to-street battles. This is a tactic that does not play to ISIS' considerable armament strengths and leaves the militants out in the open for lengthy periods, where American and Arab warplanes can easily pick the fighters off. Scroll down for video Blast: A US-led airstrike on a Syrian gas facility in Kobane killed at least eight people yesterday afternoon. It had been held by militants from the Islamic State terror group, who expert Justin Bronk believes has made fatal errors in its attempt to capture the city Flames of war: An American airstrike destroys an Islamic State target inside Kobane, sending a massive column of fire into the air Ready to strike: A U.S. Air Force B1-B warplane is seen flying above the Syrian town of Kobane on a bombing raid last night Syrian Kurdish refugees in Turkey watch as American and Arab warplanes carry out airstrikes on their hometown Kobane last night Haze: Heat generated by a massive explosion inside Kobane yesterday evening creates an orange glow over an ISIS-held building Fire: Flames rise over an ISIS-held building inside Kobane following American and Arab airstrike yesterday evening The claim that ISIS may have made serious tactical errors in Kobane came from Justin Bronk, a research analyst in the military sciences program at the Royal United Services Institute in London. Kobane is a 'very unusual operation' for ISIS as the pitched battles they forced by giving the Kurdish troops nowhere to run have left them particularly vulnerable to airstrikes, he wrote in an opinion article for CNN <http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/17/opinion/bronk-isis-guerillas/index.html?hpt=hp_c2> . 'Despite having surrounded Kobane and conducting aggressive and apparently well-coordinated infiltration attempts from multiple approaches, the sort of street-to-street 'meat grinder' that Kobane has become does not play to ISIS's strengths,' he said. 'Against an enemy with nowhere to retreat to and air support, a numerically limited force such as ISIS that normally relies as much on psychological effects as firepower to take ground faces a tough challenge,' he added. 'This is just as well since on the ground, it is only the bravery of lightly armed Kurdish fighters standing between ISIS and control of the town. Airstrikes are essential but could not keep ISIS out of the town alone,' he went on to say. By night and day: American and Arab airstrikes against ISIS targets have been relentless for the past week, killing scores of militants As the sun set in Kobane this evening, American and Arab warplanes carried out a number of bombing raids on ISIS militants Destoryed: Thick smoke and debris rise from an airstrike by the US-led coalition on an ISIS-held building inside Kobane Thick smoke rises over an ISIS held building in Kobane yesterday evening following airstrikes by American and Arab warplanes Earlier a US-led airstrike in Kobane killed at least eight suspected terrorists and set off a series of secondary explosions, analysts revealed. The coalition bombers targeted a gas facility in the besieged city of Kobane on Friday, within the oil-rich province of Deir el-Zour, activist collective Deir el-Zour Free Radio said. It is believed that the slain men were mostly fuel tanker drivers working for ISIS, with at least four of their charred bodies placed in a nearby mosque. Another activist group, the Deir el-Zour Network, described 'long tongues of flames' from the strike. ISIS' oil facilities in Syria have been aggressively targeted by coalition airstrikes, as they provide a key source of income for the militants. But such strikes also endanger civilians, which could undermine long-term efforts to destroy the group. Other airstrikes late on Friday targeted oil wells in the Deir el-Zour province, the activists said. SUPERMARKET JIHADI: IF YOU SMOKE OR PLAY MUSIC, I'LL HAVE YOU WHIPPED The 'Supermarket Jihadi' who left Britain to become a fighter in Syria is now a policeman for Islamic State, cracking down on such 'crimes' as smoking or listening to music. Omar Hussain, 27, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, who was a former security guard for Morrisons, said on social media that he is now a member of the hisbah, the IS all-male police force. The fanatic, who this month appeared in an IS video online in which he calls David Cameron a 'despicable swine', lives in Raqqa, where he arrests residents on the street or in their houses. Those found guilty of offences are lashed in public. Last week, Hussain posted a picture on Facebook of cartons of cigarettes, which he boasted he had seized from a house. Smoking or playing music is punishable with up to 30 lashes in IS-controlled areas of Iraq and Syria. Destroyed: A huge cloud of smoke rises over the Syrian city of Kobane following the U.S. led airstrikes Turkish Kurds watch smoke rises over Syrian town of Kobane after the airstrike on Friday The US-led coalition began a bombing campaign against ISIS in Syria in late September after striking at the extremists in neighboring Iraq, where they also hold swaths of territory. Idriss Nassan, a senior Kobane official, said the airstrikes had helped halt the advance of the militants. But he said the Kurdish fighters defending Kobane would need more weapons and ammunition to save the town. 'Airstrikes are not enough,' said Nassan. 'It's reduced ISIS, but it's not enough to defeat them,' he said, using another acronym for the Islamic State. KURDS FIND VILE IMAGE OF BABY BEING 'BEHEADED' An horrific image has emerged of a baby girl moments from being beheaded by IS. The picture is among several recovered by Kurdish soldiers from the mobile phones of dead fanatics in the Syrian town of Kobane. It shows the child being pinned to the floor, in clear distress as a knife is held to her throat. It is feared she may have been beheaded along with her family for being an Alevi Muslim, a branch of Islam whose followers have been targeted by IS. Other pictures show beheadings and jihadis playing football with the severed heads of victims. They were found by Kurdish YPG fighters defending the besieged town, where more than 1,100 are thought to have been killed since last month. The photo of the girl is believed to have been taken a week last Friday. There were no shots of her decapitation and her body has not been found, leading some to hope she had a miraculous escape. The many fighters who have circulated the picture on Facebook have nicknamed her 'Melek', meaning angel. One source, Ali, who obtained the picture from YPG soldiers, told The Mail on Sunday: 'The people of Kobane are desperate for the world to see with their own eyes the atrocities inflicted by these filth. Each time I look at this picture it makes me weep. 'You can see how frightened she is. I can almost hear her scream.What kind of depraved monsters are they? What pleasure can killing this child bring anyone?' Soldiers said Melek, a woman and an older child - thought to be her mother and sister - were witnessed being dragged out of hiding by IS around the time of an air strike. 'Some have a flicker of hope in their hearts that they might have escaped,' added Ali. Double strike: Multiple clouds of thick black smoke are seen in Kobane as U.S.-led bombing raids hit Islamic State targets ISIS oil facilities in Syria have been aggressively targeted by coalition airstrikes, as they provide a key source of income for the militants Snipped III/IV. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/10/16/kurds-kobani-pentagon-airstrikes/17369163/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatoday-newstopstories Kurds' refusal to quit in Kobani proves decisive Jim Michaels <http://www.usatoday.com/staff/897/jim-michaels>, USA TODAY 6:06 p.m. EDT October 16, 2014 WASHINGTON - The small Kurdish force defending Kobani along the Syrian-Turkish border is accomplishing what no ground force in the region has been able to do: hold the line against an Islamic State siege. The Kurdish militias have been aided significantly by U.S. airstrikes in recent days, but analysts and Kurdish officials say it is the Kurds' refusal to quit that is proving decisive. With dwindling supplies, the Kurdish force has held out for weeks against the heavily armed militants, who have largely isolated the city, outnumber the Kurds and continue to send in reinforcements. The Kurds are determined fighters who know that surrender is not an option, said Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq's former foreign minister and a prominent Kurdish politician. "They are fighting because they have no escape," he said. The militias were trained by Kurdish separatists in Turkey and are fueled by fervent nationalism, analysts say. They have extensive experience fighting the Islamic State in Syria. Heavy smoke rises after an airstrike by U.S.-led coalition aircraft in Kobani, Syria, on Oct. 15.(Photo: Gokhan Sahin, Getty Images) "Kobani has become a symbol of Kurdish resistance and the beginning of Kurdish national identity in Syria," said Henri Barkey, a professor at Lehigh University who has written extensively on Turkey and Kurds. The coalition launched more than 14 airstrikes Wednesday and Thursday against Islamic State militants around the city, according to U.S. Central Command. The Islamic State's determination to take the city has made the militants vulnerable to airstrikes. "The more they want it, the more resources they apply to it, the more targets we have to hit," Rear Adm. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said. "We know we've killed several hundred of them." After weeks of intense fighting, the militants have captured pockets of the city, but the Kurds remain in control of most areas. "The battle has come to a standstill," Zebari said. The Kurds' performance stands in contrast to Iraqi forces that collapsed in June when the Islamic State attacked Mosul. The Kurds joined the opposition to Syrian President Bashar Assad when a revolt against his regime started more than three years ago. They were not welcomed by most of the rebel groups, which are made up of Arabs. "The opposition would have nothing to do with them," Barkey said. As the opposition to Assad has become more radical, the Kurds have distanced themselves from the revolt and focused on the Islamic State's push into Kurdish territory. The Kurds, who are secular, have played up the role of their women fighters in Kobani, claiming on social media that some are in leadership positions. It is hard to verify such claims, Barkey said, but it illustrates how the Kurds view the defense of Kobani. "That is the myth that is emerging," Barkey said. It is not clear whether the Kurds defending the city are getting resupplied or how long they can last. Zebari said they have stockpiled weapons over the years, but "they cannot last forever." Turkey has been reluctant to help the group or allow weapons to pass through its border because of the Kurds' ties to separatists who have fought the Turkish government for decades. That has complicated relations with the United States, which doesn't want to anger Turkey, a critical ally. Though the United States has supported the Kurds from the air, Kirby said he is not aware of any U.S. effort to supply forces on the ground in Kobani. Idriss Nassan, deputy head of Kobani's foreign relations committee, called on the international community Thursday to provide Kurdish fighters food, medicine and weapons, the Associated Press reported. With or without outside help, the Kurds are treating Kobani as a last stand, said Jeffrey White, a former Defense Intelligence Agency official. "They see this is a true fight to the death." *Contributing: Jonathan Krohn in Diyarbakir, Turkey* IV. USA: "Airstrikes will continue" over Kobane, says Obama[Source: < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7hfm6lsBiY>.] -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
