The War Against Islamic State: The Kurdish Stalingrad -- The Economist
Kobane has acquired huge symbolic significance for all those fighting for it
“WE WILL resist to our last drop of blood together… if necessary we will repeat the Stalingrad resistance in Kobane.” The words of Polat Can, a Syrian Kurdish commander, to describe the fight against Islamic State (IS) jihadists for the town on the Syrian-Turkish border may exaggerate the scale of the fighting, but makes plain the emotional and strategic symbolism now attached to Kobane.
On October 29th about 150 Iraqi Kurdish fighters, the Peshmerga, dispatched by cheering crowds in Irbil, set off through Turkey to reinforce their brother Kurds. The deployment was sanctioned by the Turkish authorities, after much haggling.
Read more ....
My Comment: My father was part of the pincer movement that surrounded Stalingrad during the Second World War .... his descriptions of that siege still stick with me today. So with this viewpoint .... in terms of scope, loss of life, and the intensity of the battle .... I ahve to say that Kobane is not Stalingrad .... not even close. But it is true that the battle of Kobane has become a symbolic as well as pivotal battle against the Islamic State, and everyday that Kobane resists the onslaught of IS forces .... the more the reputation of this city will grow .... especially for the Kurds.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar