MESOP TODAY’S ANALYSIS : THE KURDISH PRICE FOR KOBANE ?

“Western governments should increase their pressure on Turkey to open a corridor for Syrian Kurdish forces and their heavy weapons to reach the defenders of Kobani through the border. We believe that such a corridor, and not only the limited transport of other fighters that Turkey has proposed, should be opened under the supervision of the United Nations,” writes Meysa Adbo, a commander of the Kobani resistance, in the New York Times.

“The arrival of Kurdish Peshmerga forces from Iraq, and of Arab rebels from the Free Syrian Army (FSA), reflects a determination by the US-led anti-IS coalition not to let Kobani fall. […] Their impact may take some time to be felt, but the arrival of the heavier weaponry brought by the Iraqi Kurds may have an effect greater than the numbers of fighters involved, who will play a support role rather than front-line combat,” writes Jim Muir for the BBC.

“The central role Kurds are now playing in the international fight against Islamic State, may make it harder to ignore Kurdish pleas for greater autonomy, if not independence. Yet many obstacles remain. […] Peace talks with the PKK that started in 2012 have been strained of late because Turkey has refused to assist the Kurds in the fight for Kobani. But the more the Kurds participate in bashing Islamic State, the more they will ask for in return,” writes the Economist.