Kobane: The beginning of the end for ISIL

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Erbil, Iraq - Kurdish forces have reclaimed the city of Kobane from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), according to Kurdish sources.

A campaign was launched to push ISIL out of the nearly 350 villages surrounding the iconic northern Syrian town, local officials say.

Losing Kobane after more than four months of intense fighting is a significant propaganda blow to ISIL. The group invested extensive military resources to capture the isolated town on the border with Turkey.

"Daesh [ISIL] took most of the places it wanted in Syria and Iraq but could not capture Kobane," said Anwar Muslim, the prime minister of the self-ruled administration of Kobane, referring to the organisation by its Arabic name.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/01/kobane-beginning-isil-201512782724826681.html

[potone]

1. Well, we can hope.

And I certainly do.

[JayhawkSD]

2. Not likely the "beginning of the end"

Kobani was a sideshow, as it has no startegic value to ISIS. It was a distraction while the Islamic State consolidated elsewhere. It has held all of its gains in Iraq, and is still expanding elsewhere in Syria.

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3. Yeah. I agree.

Until we figure out who is going to "restore order" in Anbar, they will be with us.