ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States is urging the restoration of basic services to Kobane, northeastern Syria (Rojava) amid growing humanitarian concerns, a State Department spokesperson told Rudaw on Wednesday.
Washington also welcomed the establishment of humanitarian corridors to facilitate aid deliveries to the besieged Kurdish city.
“The United States continues to reiterate the obligation of all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. We welcome the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure the safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance,” the spokesperson told Rudaw. “We emphasize that these corridors must be maintained and that basic services must be resumed in the city of Kobane.”
The spokesperson added that Washington, alongside “regional and international partners, remains ready to support the implementation of agreements between the parties aimed at achieving a peaceful and sustainable integration of northeast Syria into a unitary, inclusive, and sovereign state, effectively protecting the rights of all its citizens.”
Concerns have intensified over a worsening humanitarian crisis as Kobane remains under siege by armed factions aligned with Damascus.
In mid-January, the Syrian Arab Army and allied armed groups launched a large-scale offensive against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the de facto military authority in northeast Syria. The offensive expanded across wide areas of northern and northeastern Syria, including parts of Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and Hasaka provinces.
Later that month, the SDF and Damascus announced an internationally brokered agreement aimed at ending hostilities and integrating Rojava’s civil and military institutions under state authority. Despite the agreement, Kobane has remained under strict siege for more than three weeks, raising alarm over deteriorating humanitarian conditions.
The situation in the city is particularly dire. According to the Kurdish Red Crescent in Rojava, at least six children died last month due to limited access to medical services.
The State Department spokesperson also referenced remarks by US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack regarding the ceasefire agreement.
“President Trump recognizes this moment as a pivotal opportunity for a new Syria - a unified nation in which all communities, including Arab, Kurdish, Druze, Christian, Alawite, Turkmen, Assyrian, and others, are treated with respect and dignity,” Barrack said, according to the spokesperson.
On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told Rudaw that between January 25 and February 5, UN partners facilitated 10 inter-agency convoys to Qamishli and Kobane, delivering 154 trucks of aid. “In total, our partners have reached more than 190,000 people across 83 communities with food, medicine, winter supplies, and other essential items,” he said.
Several Kobane residents told Rudaw that their homes were looted after government forces entered the outskirts of the city following the ceasefire agreement reached late last month.
“They left none of our belongings. They took everything and left,” said Aliye Qawas, a resident of Girik village on the outskirts of Kobane.