IS fighters admit loss of Kobani, blame U.S.-led airstrikes
The Islamic State group has acknowledged
for the first time that its fighters have been defeated in the Syrian
town of Kobani and vowed to attack the town again.
In
a video released by the pro-IS Aamaq News Agency late Friday, two
fighters said the airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition were the main
reason why IS fighters were forced to withdraw from Kobani.
On Monday, activists and Kurdish officials
said the town was almost cleared of IS fighters, who once held nearly
half of the town.
One IS fighter vowed
to defeat the main Kurdish militia in Syria, the People’s Protection
Units known as the YPG, calling them “rats.”
The
failure to capture Kobani was a major blow to the extremists. Their
hopes for an easy victory dissolved into a costly siege under withering
airstrikes by coalition forces and an assault by Kurdish militiamen.
“A
while ago we retreated a bit from Ayn al-Islam because of the
bombardment and the killing of some brothers,” said one masked fighter,
using the group’s preferred name for Kobani. He spoke Arabic with a
north African accent.
The United States
and several Arab allies have been striking Islamic State positions in
Syria since Sept. 23. The campaign aims to push back the jihadi
organization after it took over about a third of Iraq and Syria and
declared the captured territory a new caliphate.
“The
Islamic State will stay. Say that to (President Barack) Obama,” said
the fighter, pointing his finger toward destruction on the edge of
Kobani.
The Islamic State group
launched an offensive on the Kobani region in mid-September capturing
more than 300 Kurdish villages and parts of the town. As a result of the
airstrikes and stiff Kurdish resistance, IS began retreating few weeks
ago, losing more than 1,000 fighters, according to activists.
More than 200,000 Kurds were forced from their homes. Many fled to neighbouring Turkey.
Another
fighter, also speaking in Arabic, said while standing on a road with a
green sign with “Ayn al-Islam” sprayed on it: “The warplanes did not
leave any construction. They destroyed everything, so we had to withdraw
and the rats advanced.”
“The warplanes were bombarding us night and day. They bombarded everything, even motorcycles,” the fighter said.
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