Kurdish fighters who were martyred during the battle of Kobanî. The blue is for Asayish, green is for YPJ and yellow is for YPG.


Despite the Coalition airstrikes, ISIS continued its advance, and by October 1st 2014 was within one kilometer of the city's entrance. On October 5th they had captured the southern side of the strategic Mistanour Hill. ISIS militants, backed by snipers, heavy machine gun fire, and shelling from Mistanour Hill, crossed the open fields at the city's eastern edges and entered the city.

The main street where YPG and ISIS forces faced off. The scale of destruction was unimaginable and unlike anything I had ever seen before.


At the peak of the siege, ~3,000 Kurdish fighters were battling as many as 9,000 Islamic State militants supported by 30-50 tanks. By October 9th 2014, ISIS had succeeded in capturing more than a third of the city despite the Coalition air strikes.

A local man walking amongst the destroyed buildings.