An Arab gentleman also at the restaurant, who was happy for me to take his photograph.


The restaurant was well behind the main frontline within Kobanî when the town was attacked by ISIS in 2014, so the surrounding area was relatively unscathed from destruction that occurred in the rest of the town.


After lunch we bid farewell to Mr. Fahad as he began the journey back to Qamishli, and then Mr. Seyfedin from the Kobanî Media Centre took us to see the Berxwdan – Resistance Monument in the centre of Kobanî. The Statue was crafted by a Kurdish sculptor from Sulaymaniyah to honor the courage and sacrifice demonstrated by Kurdish women fighters in liberating their towns from ISIS. The female statue is wearing traditional baggy fatigue pants typically worn by Kurdish men, but also worn by Kurdish women in combat.


On either side of the monument were two ISIS tanks that were neutralised during the Siege of Kobanî.


Looking east, some of the destruction during the siege is clearly visible.