KOBANI, Syria — Amid attacks by the Islamic State (IS) and instability in the region, the people of Kobani are struggling to rebuild their city and secure their needs — and a lack of access to fuel is making that difficult.
The Kurdish areas in Syria are key to the production of petroleum, especially the Rmelan fields in northeast Syria, which are responsible for nearly 36% of Syria’s national production of gasoline. Nevertheless, the Kurdish areas are poor and need to be rebuilt, given the Syrian state’s neglect of those areas.
When Kobani was first invaded by IS in 2014, its people were displaced and faced dire conditions. Kobani and its countryside were subjected to an economic blockade, and communication with other cities was cut off as a result of the war, which lasted about six months. Only IS and Syrian fighters remained in the city, as well as a small number of residents who stayed to protect their properties.
When the People’s Protection Units (YPG) liberated Kobani in January 2015, residents returned despite the city being destroyed. Life was quite difficult. The Turkish government did not allow food to pass from Turkey through the border crossing due to a lack of cooperation between Turkey and the Kurds, among other reasons. Food and fuel had to be smuggled illegally into Kobani.
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