ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Six children have died in Kobane, governed by the Kurdish-led administration in northeastern Syria (Rojava), as a stifling siege by the Syrian Arab Army and allied armed groups has cut off food, medicine, fuel, and basic services, pushing the city toward a potential full-scale humanitarian catastrophe, according to aid organizations.
Hadiya Abdullah, co-chair of the Kurdish Red Crescent in Rojava, told Rudaw on Sunday that “the siege has entered its fifth day,” warning that “the city is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe.”
Essential services have collapsed, with electricity and internet down for nearly 10 days, leaving hospitals and households struggling amid freezing temperatures and shortages, Abdullah said, lamenting that “during these five days, five children have died due to lack of medicine, fuel, and the cold. Yesterday, an infant also died at Kobane Hospital due to lack of oxygen.”
The Kurdish Red Crescent official further noted that “water has also run out and bread has become extremely scarce-even flour cannot be found,” warning that “the situation in Kobane is dire. There is an urgent need for medicine, food, and water,” Abdullah said.
The siege on Kobane follows a large-scale offensive by the Syrian army and affiliated armed groups to retake areas in eastern Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and Hasaka that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had controlled for nearly a decade.
The SDF, the de facto military force in Rojava and a key ally of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS), had played a crucial role in the extremist group’s territorial defeat in 2019. Since then, the Kurdish-led forces had maintained control over the areas they liberated, much of which have now been retaken by Damascus and its allied forces.
The Syrian forces’ campaign has also sparked a wave of displacement from surrounding villages into Kobane’s city center, with many urgently needing clothing, blankets, and fuel amid sub-zero temperatures.
Fadila Mohammed, an elderly Kobane resident, said in a video sent to Rudaw, “We are in a dire condition. We are melting snow for water, but do not have enough fire. We have no water, bread, kerosene, or anything else.” She appealed to Kurds, the international community, and Muslims worldwide for help, saying, “We are Muslims too!”
Importantly, the Kurdish Red Crescent co-chair, Abdullah, told Rudaw, “There are rumors about the United Nations sending aid, but so far, no assistance has reached Kobane.”
The crisis in Kobane comes despite the interim defense ministry and the SDF saying on Saturday they had agreed to extend a ceasefire by 15 days after an initial four-day truce expired, amid reports of troop mobilizations and tense standoffs.
In parallel, Damascus and the SDF have been holding US-mediated talks to integrate the Kurdish-administered regions and Kurdish-led forces under Syrian state control.