Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party has issued an urgent appeal for the immediate lifting of the military blockade encircling the Kurdish-majority city of Kobane in northern Syria, characterizing the situation as a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian disaster. The warning came following a delegation visit to northeastern Syria, where intensified Syrian military operations have created severe humanitarian conditions.
DEM co-chair Tulay Hatimogullari reported that the city, also known as Ain al-Arab, faces complete isolation with critical infrastructure failures. “During our visit, we encountered knee-deep snow with no electricity, internet, or running water,” Hatimogullari stated at a press conference. “This constitutes a profound humanitarian tragedy.”
The Syrian military offensive has forced Kurdish forces to withdraw from surrounding areas, triggering massive displacement as villagers flood into Kobane. With supply routes severed, the city faces catastrophic shortages of food, medicine, and heating fuel. The party confirmed four children had frozen to death on Saturday alone due to extreme cold and inadequate shelter.
Hatimogullari called on international “guarantor countries,” particularly the United States and Western allies who historically supported the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to fulfill their responsibilities in lifting the siege. This appeal comes as Damascus demands the SDF’s dissolution, while Washington signals that its alliance with the force has served its purpose.
The city holds profound symbolic significance for Kurds, having been liberated from Islamic State control in 2015 by SDF forces with U.S. backing. Turkey, however, considers the SDF an extension of the Kurdish PKK militant group and has supported Damascus’s current offensive. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised the operation, stating it addresses “sources of trouble for our country.”
Meanwhile, tensions escalated in Istanbul as riot police clashed with approximately 300 demonstrators protesting the siege. Police employed riot control measures including projectiles and pepper spray, resulting in injuries and arrests according to local reports, including a DEM lawmaker who required hospitalization.