ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A week-long siege imposed by the interim government in Damascus on the Kurdish town of Kobane is making life unbearable as five children froze to death on Saturday. The residents call for an urgent flow of aid to avoid a catastrophe.
“We are in a dire condition. We are melting snow through fire, but we do not have [enough] fire to melt the snow with. We do not have water, bread, kerosene, or anything else,” Fadila Mohammed, an elderly resident of Kobane, said in a video supplied to Rudaw English.
She called on Kurds and the international community to help.
“We are Muslims too.”
The recent attacks by the Syrian Arab Army and affiliated armed groups carried out a large-scale offensive on areas under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF retreated from Arab-majority areas after Arab tribes refused to maintain their loyalty with the SDF.
The SDF’s withdrawal from Raqqa has isolated Kobane from the rest of the areas under Kurdish-led control. The town has been under siege for at least a week, as government forces continue attempts to advance despite a four-day ceasefire that expired on Saturday. It remains unclear whether the truce will be extended. The army hinted at renewed clashes with the SDF in a statement published by state media late Saturday.
The interim government has cut electricity, water, and internet services to Kobane. Some residents are melting recently fallen snow for drinking, despite safety concerns, and relying on limited internet access from Turkey, which borders the town.
Sheikh Mohammed, who has special needs, said he fled to Kobane to protect his dignity after his home on the frontlines came under army attack. Violations committed against Kurds in Aleppo earlier this month have raised alarm among many Kurds, who fear the same could happen to them if the jihadist-led army seizes their towns.