YPG-YPJ militias have been forced to withdraw from at least 15 villages in Western Kurdistan's canton of Kobanê (Syria) after jihadist Islamic State (IS) has been carrying out a tough offensive in the area in recent days. YPG spokesman Redur Xelil said this morning that his militia has managed to halt the jihadist advance, but the situation remains critical because of stronger weapons managed by the IS. The jihadist attack has pushed thousands of Kurds to cross the Syrian-Turkish border northward to seek shelter.

Kobanê is one of the three cantons of West Kurdistan that declared themselves to be self-governing. The YPG-YPJ are Kurdish-majority militias defending all the three cantons from IS attacks, which in the case of Kobanê have been lasting for one year now. On the map above, changes in the situation on the front on September 15th (yellow dashed line) and now can be seen (original image by DeSyracuse).

Canton of Kobanê President Anwar Moslem asked the US, France, the UK, and Russia to start attacking IS positions "as soon as possible." Moslem referred to a US initiative to forge an anti-IS coalition bringing together several Western and Middle East countries. The US and France have till now attacked IS positions in Iraq, but not in Syria, although US President Barack Obama authorised strikes against the IS in that country.

South Kurdistan promises to help, does not specify how or when

Anwar Moslem also called the government of South Kurdistan (Iraq) to help Kurds in Syria. South Kurdish armed forces, the Peshmerga, are also facing IS jihadis on the ground. The ministry of the Peshmerga vowed to do "all it can" in order to prevent "an onslaught" of the Kobanê population in the hands of IS jihadists.

But the South Kurdish government however did not specify how the help could be channelled, and furthermore highlighted that "an agreement" with the West Kurdish cantons is needed before the Peshmerga can join the fight there. It is unclear how the Peshmerga units could reach Kobanê: the canton is now besieged by the IS to the south, east and west, while to the north the Turkish army controls the border. Kurdish Firat News agency reported that some 1,000 fighters from North Kurdistan (Turkey) have entered Kobanê by bypassing Turkish border controls; it is hardly conceivable that the Peshmerga did something similar.

Kurdish forces blame Turkey

Meanwhile, several Kurdish political actors continue to blame Turkey for directly or indirectly backing IS attacks on Kobanê. Pro-Kurdish HDP party MP Demir Celik said members of the Turkish special forces (a unit of the Turkish army) are leading the assault against Kobanê. According to Celik, Turkey has as its top priority in the region to stop the self-government process in West Kurdistan. That is why, the MP argues, Ankara is not willing to join the US-led coalition against the IS.

Anwar Moslem, for his part, explained that the Kobanê government has evidence and witnesses that the current attacks coincide in time with the arrival of trains "full of forces and ammunition" from Turkey to IS-held areas.