Kobanî (also Kobanê, Arabic: كوباني, Classical Syriac: ܟܘܒܐܢܝ), officially Ayn al-Arab, is a city in the Kobani region of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria. It lies on the border with Turkey.
Kobani was the place where the Rojava Revolution was first declared on 19 July, 2012.
In 2014, it was declared the administrative centre of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria. It is in the Kobani Canton, which forms part of the Euphrates Region.
From September 2014 to January 2015, the city was under siege by Daesh [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]. Most of the city was destroyed and most of the population fled to Turkey. In 2015, the city was liberated by the People’s Protection Forces (YPG), despite most of the world expecting it to fall. Kobani is sometimes called “The Kurdish Stalingrad” because of this. Many of the refugees returned after the liberation and reconstruction began. Part of the city remains in rubble as an open air museum.
Prior to the Syrian Civil War, Kobanî was recorded as having a population of close to 45,000. The majority of inhabitants were Kurds, with Arab, Turkmen, and Armenian minorities.
On October 23 and 24, Turkey has attacked 30 confirmed locations throughout NES, carrying out airstrikes targeting electricity, oil, and other civilian infrastructure. Many locations were hit several times.
The air strikes targeted factories, two bakeries, a health center, and Asayish (Internal Security Forces) checkpoints. Oil stations such as Awda, Tafla, and Suwaydiyah, along with power stations in Kobane and Amude that supply and service the cities were also hit.
This repeated targeting of vital and service facilities precipitates a humanitarian disaster in an area that is home to millions of people, who are already suffering from severe fuel and gas shortages as a result of Turkey’s repeated targeting of infrastructure facilities in previous years.
Another school year has begun in the university system in the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES). Over 3,000 students attend the three DAANES universities, Rojava University, located in Qamishlo, Kobane University in Kobane, and the newest, Al-Sharq University in Raqqa. A fourth, the University of Afrin, was forced to close following the Turkish occupation of the city in 2018.
The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North-Eastern Syria (DAANES) is building an alternative education system under siege from multiple powers, defying the control of the Ba’athist education system of the Assad regime as well as the Turkish occupation forces and their proxies. The alternative system has accomplished such measures as the reintroduction of the Kurdish language for young students—drastically altering the way of life in the region. However, building institutions of higher education in an area where many native Kurds could not even have Syrian citizenship two decades ago poses a major challenge.
On the sixth anniversary of the establishment of the Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria, Evîn Sîwêd from the Executive Council said they are determined to bring about a political solution and to preserve the integrity of Syria.
The Turkish military carried out an airstrike against a water pumping station in the countryside of Qamishli (Qamişlo), northern Syria. The airstrike is reported to have put the facility out of order and cut water access to thousands of residents.
The Economy Committee of the Kongra Star have put many projects into practice in Kobanê Canton to promote women’s economic empowerment. 150 women have participated in the labor force thanks to these projects.
Women in Rojava improve economy Pointing out that the women have improved the economy in Rojava, Armanc Mihemed, executive of the Economy Committee of Kongra Star, said that they have achieved significant successes by realizing many projects.
Despite the simple capabilities under the capitalist economy, and the constant attacks of the occupier on the regions of northeast and Syria, the economic toil of women has bore fruit to good results during 2020, as they played a leading role in easing the economic crisis that the region suffer from.
Young people in Kobanê are ensuring the economic autonomy of their community through cooperatives being grown to feed needy people.
The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration in northeast Syria announced on Thursday the inauguration of the first foodstuff factory in the country’s northern town of Kobani.
A project called “Women’s Will (Vîna Jinan)” carried out in Kobanî provides job opportunities for women, who couldn’t go to school. Kobanî Women's Committee Spokesperson Cemila Faris spoke to NuJINHA about their project.
House of Supplies or "Vina Jin" is considered one of the most important economic projects that help women - working in the project in particular, and women employed in the city of Kobani, in northern Syria in general - to enable them economically.
