Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Kobani is still here

I must admit I am a little surprised the fact that Kobani has not fallen yet. Two weeks ago, Kobani was presented as being on the brink of destruction, a place that ISIS would take unless immediate assistance arrived. I took that to mean that it needed help in a matter of days, not weeks. That's why I predicted that Turkey would intervene to help the town.

Two weeks later and ISIS still has not fully conquered the town. Turkey is not intervening directly, but is now allowing the Pesh Murga to aid the beleaguered Syrian Kurdish defenders. But most importantly, there are still Kobani defenders to bolster.

Don't get me wrong. I am glad that ISIS has not taken Kobani yet. But I can't account for why it hasn't in light of what I was hearing two weeks ago. Was the strength of the ISIS forces exaggerated? Was the strength of the Kurds of Kobani under appreciated? Did American airstrikes make more of a difference than expected? What is the deal?