DEM, Turkey's pro-Kurdish party, has called for the immediate lifting of the military and humanitarian blockade on Kobane in northern Syria, warning the situation has become a "deadly catastrophe." The party's delegation reported severe shortages of food, medicine and utilities and said four children reportedly froze to death after heating and fuel were cut. DEM urged the US and Western guarantor countries to intervene, while Turkey has backed Damascus's offensive and clashes occurred in Istanbul during protests.
Pro-Kurdish DEM Urges Immediate End to Kobane Siege as Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
In Istanbul, protesters clashed with police who tried to prevent a demon in solidarity with Kurds in northern Syria (Yasin AKGUL)(Yasin AKGUL/AFP/AFP)
Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM party on Saturday called for an immediate end to the military and humanitarian blockade of Kobane, the predominantly Kurdish city in northern Syria, warning that the situation has deteriorated into a potential "humanitarian tragedy." The appeal followed a delegation visit to northeastern Syria amid a major Syrian government offensive.
Delegation Describes Dire Conditions
DEM said conditions in Kobane — also known as Ain al-Arab — had worsened from a crisis into what it described as a "deadly catastrophe." The city is hemmed in by the Turkish border to the north and surrounded by Syrian government forces elsewhere. Kobane is roughly 200 kilometres (125 miles) from Kurdish-held areas in Syria's far northeast.
"Both the military and humanitarian siege on Kobane must be lifted as soon as possible," said DEM co-chair Tulay Hatimogullari at a news briefing.
The party reported that Kurdish fighters had withdrawn from positions near Kobane under pressure from advancing Syrian government forces as President Bashar al-Assad seeks to reassert control across the country. As the offensive moved forward, displaced residents from surrounding villages streamed into Kobane and are now trapped there.
Humanitarian Toll
DEM described severe shortages of electricity, water, internet access and heating. With fuel and heating supplies reportedly cut off, the party said four children froze to death on Saturday due to extreme cold and lack of shelter. Pharmacies were reported empty and there were acute shortages of flour, food and medicine, with hunger spreading among trapped residents.
"When we went, the snow was knee-deep... Electricity has been cut off, the internet is cut off, water is cut off. This is a great humanitarian tragedy," Hatimogullari told reporters.
Calls For International Action And Local Reactions
DEM urged the so-called "guarantor countries" — a reference to the United States and Western allies that have historically supported the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — to act urgently to help lift the siege on northern and eastern Syria.
Damascus has demanded the SDF disband, while Washington has indicated that its longstanding alliance with the force has changed amid shifting priorities. Ankara, which views the SDF as linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), has shown support for the Syrian offensive, a stance that has sparked anger among Turkey's Kurdish community.
Protests And Clashes In Turkey
In Istanbul, clashes erupted when riot police moved to stop roughly 300 demonstrators from protesting the offensive. Police used riot rounds and pepper spray to disperse the crowd; local media reported a DEM lawmaker was injured and taken to hospital and that arrests were made, though the number detained was unclear.
Earlier on Saturday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised the Syrian army's offensive against the SDF, saying: "Terrorist organisations are being pushed out of those regions by the Syrian army.. All these sources of trouble for our country are being resolved." He added that removing the group from northern Syria would benefit the whole region.
Background
Kobane is symbolically important to Kurds after enduring a brutal siege by Islamic State (IS) fighters in 2014; US-backed SDF forces liberated the city in January 2015. The SDF later led campaigns that helped drive IS from much of Syria by 2019, but Ankara has long viewed the force as a security threat due to alleged ties with the PKK.
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