Up until 8 months prior, it was not possible to drive overland from Qamishli to Kobanî, with the territory between Kobanî and Jazira Cantons controlled by ISIS.

On the 31st of May 2015 however, YPG and FSA forces commenced the Tell Abyad offensive, to liberate the ISIS border town of Tell Abyad and to link the Kobanî and Jazira Cantons.

The town of Tell Abyad is situated on the border of Turkey, and is 80 kilometres north of Al-Raqqah, the self-declared capital of the Islamic State. Hence the town was a key supply route for ISIS for smuggling fighters, oil sales and other goods with their trade with Turkey.

At the conclusion of the offensive in July 2015, Tell Abyad was under YPG control and Kobanî and Jazira Cantons were successfully linked. The YPG forces also now controlled 400 km of uninterrupted Syrian-Turkish border, parts of which had previously been a key conduit for foreign fighters joining ISIS.



After driving for a few hours, we stopped off at a small town to refuel. A good time to have a cigarette too!