Expert analyzes IS advance on Kobane, Turkey’s role

World Today

KobaneSmoke rises after strikes from the US-led coalition in the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab, known as Kobane by the Kurds, in the southeastern village of Mursitpinar, Sanliurfa province, on October 10, 2014. Coalition aircraft on Friday afternoon carried out two fresh air strikes on Islamic State (IS) jihadists in the Syrian border town of Kobane, an AFP correspondent reported. AFP PHOTO / ARIS MESSINIS

Islamic State fighters continue to gain ground in Kobane and some predict the Syrian Kurdish town could fall at any time.

Just a few days ago, many predicted the fall of Kobane was imminent. However, Kurdish forces appear to be holding their ground, while street-to-street fighting in the town continues.

CCTV America interviewed Gulnur Aybet, a political science and international relations professor at Bahcesehir University, on her perspective of ISIL’s advance on Kobane.

Turkey is currently hosting more than 1.5 million refugees from Syria and Iraq. In the last few weeks, fighting in Kobane has forced an additional 200,000 refugees to flee to Turkey, placing serious social and economic burdens on the country.

Turkey is now proposing that a safe area be established across the border as well as a no-fly zone to be able to enforce it. These measures would ensure the safety of the Turkish people, allowing for the opportunity to transport them back to Turkey, and protect the Turkish border, officials said.