The Islamic State Group Massacres at Least 145 Civilians in Kobani

The group known as the Islamic State has killed at least 145 civilians during its attacks on the city of Kobani and a nearby village. Reuters cites the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, stating that this is the second largest massacre by the group in Syrian territory in terms of casualties. According to this organization, the battle between the Syrian Kurdish National Defense Units and the Islamic State fighters, who infiltrated Kobani on Thursday, continued into Friday. Meanwhile, the United Nations announced that as a result of the jihadist group's attacks on areas around the city of Hasakah in northeastern Syria, approximately 60,000 people have fled the region, warning that the number of displaced persons escaping from this area may reach 200,000. Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, stated that the recent massacre in Kobani and its surrounding village is the largest case of massacres perpetrated by the Islamic State since the massacre of several hundred members of the Sunni Shaitat tribe that occurred last year. He noted that during these attacks, at least three suicide bombings occurred, and many children, women, and elderly individuals were killed. It is reported that several dozen Islamic State fighters, dressed in the uniforms of the Kurdish National Defense Units or other Syrian rebel groups, entered Kobani in a surprise operation. The Islamic State fighters also attacked the positions of Syrian government forces in the southern part of Hasakah city, shelling central areas of the city for the second consecutive day. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, it appears that on Friday, the group targeted the southeastern part of this city as well. Hasakah city is currently divided into two parts, with one part controlled by government forces and the other administered by Kurdish National Defense Units. Reuters reports that these simultaneous attacks, which began on Thursday, indicate that the Islamic State has taken an offensive position after two weeks of defeats against the Kurdish fighters supported by U.S. airstrikes. Earlier this week, Kurdish forces advanced to within about 50 kilometers of Raqqa, the center of the group's self-proclaimed caliphate. The Islamic State has chosen targets in its recent attacks where air support from the international coalition is difficult for ground forces. For example, in Kobani, any airstrike could result in civilian casualties. In Hasakah city, the targets of the group's attacks are within the territory of Syrian government forces, and the international coalition, which has been conducting airstrikes against the group's positions since last year, is unwilling to cooperate with the Syrian regime. Kobani was the site of one of the most significant battles against the Islamic State last year. After months of fighting, the Syrian Kurdish National Defense Units, with the help of Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga and U.S. air support, managed to drive the group out of Kobani. In recent months, the battlefield against this group has been constantly changing. The group's fighters captured areas such as the city of Palmyra in Syria and regions in Iraq, such as the city of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, last month with a rapid advance. However, in recent weeks, Kurdish militants have launched an offensive from the north and have reclaimed vast areas from the Islamic State. The group's fighters typically begin an offensive in other locations quickly after suffering defeat in one area. According to the latest reports, in the attack on Thursday in Hasakah city, the Islamic State has taken control of at least one neighborhood of this city. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs states that at least 60,000 people have fled this city, with some heading towards the Turkish borders. However, the governor of this city emphasized in an interview with Syrian state television that Hasakah is safe and urged people to return to the city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that the battle between Islamic State fighters and government forces in Hasakah continues, with government forces bombing the southern areas of the city that have fallen to this group. Reuters concludes by noting that since March, the Syrian regime has lost control of areas in the northwest, south, and central regions of the country. Some of these areas have been captured by the Islamic State and other jihadist groups in Syria, such as the al-Nusra Front, while others have fallen to moderate rebel groups.