Well, it wasn't exactly the cavalry, but it was its modern day equivalent: The Air Force. To be more specific, it was a U.S. Air Force B-1 Lancer that seems to have made all the difference. And, as so often is the case nowadays, it was captured on video by someone on the ground with an android phone.
More below the fold.
The mostly-Kurdish enclave of Kobane in northern Syria has been under assault by Daesh(ISIS) for over three weeks now. Using weapons raided from Syrian and Iraqi army bases, ISIS has thrown thousands of its fighters at the enclave, forcing the defending male and female People's Militia fighters to retreat to their final stronghold, the small city of Kobane, which is nestled on the Turkish border and now encircled by ISIS on three sides. Yes, you read that right: female fighters are defending their people and land against the male supremacist, hardcore patriarchal, fascist ISIS. The female fighters are called the YPJ and are some of the most effective fighters in Syria:
The organisation currently has over 7,000 volunteer fighters between the ages of 18-40. Those under the age of 18 are unable to take part in frontline fighting but are still able to join the movement and undergo military training. They receive no funding from the international community and the women are reliant on the Kurdish community for supplies and food.
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Their effectiveness against IS is reportedly magnified simply because they are women. "The saying among many Syrian Kurds is that ISIS is more terrified of being killed by women because if they are, they will not go to heaven," says Trieb.
http://www.theweek.co.uk/...
The Kurdish fighters in Kobane may be courageous, disciplined, and have the moral advantage of fighting for the survival of their people on their land, but they have been seriously outgunned by ISIS. It's hard to fight off lots of heavy weapons, like artillery, tanks, and armored vehicles when you're armed only with rifles and rpg's.
While U.S. airstrikes won't be all that effective against ISIS on their own, they can be very effective at improving the chances of outgunned forces on the ground, like the Syrian Kurds. They had only been used sporadically around Kobane prior to last night, but last night they finally came in hard and heavy, resulting in significant losses for the attacking ISIS army in a short period of time:
Central Command listed the overnight strikes in a news release:
1 south of Kobani destroyed three ISIS armed vehicles and damaged another
1 southeast of Kobani destroyed an ISIS armed vehicle carrying anti-aircraft artillery
2 southwest of Kobani damaged an ISIS tank
1 south of Kobani destroyed an ISIS unit
http://edition.cnn.com/...
And that was just during the night. Reports from the ground indicate that the operations continued at a high tempo throughout the day. According to one Kurdish Tweeter, who was observing from the Turkish side of the border, they had a significant, possibly even a huge impact:
cahit storm @cahitstorm · 9h 9 hours ago
I have witness daesh vehicles exitin the city using the #Kobane radio hill. Dont let them escape !!
cahit storm @cahitstorm · 8h 8 hours ago
By the Way which plane can circle around a city since 4 hours ?
cahit storm @cahitstorm · 8h 8 hours ago
#kobane is quiet now. Dont hear anything ( only the plane iver me)
cahit storm @cahitstorm · 7h 7 hours ago
#kobane is absolutely quiet. Our dear plane is still there
cahit storm @cahitstorm · 3h 3 hours ago
Many good news coming. If a quarter of them are true i would be happy. Plz #america send another b1 in #Kobane
cahit storm @cahitstorm · 39m 39 minutes ago
Now that US block renforcement for #daesh we just need turkey to remove his embargo against #kobane and victory will be ours!!!
https://twitter.com/...
So, what's the reason for the airstrikes becoming effective only now? In addition to the B-1 Lancer bomber being used, which can loiter above the area of operations for hours on end, it seems that the Syrian Kurdish fighters and the U.S. Air Force are now coordinating:
Meysa Abdo, the top female Kurdish commander in Kobane, told the BBC's Newshour programme: "Since last night we've seen the most effective air strikes around Kobane ever, however they are a bit late.
"If the coalition had attacked with such strength and effectiveness beforehand, we wouldn't have seen IS reach the city and destroy so many lives."
She said there had been some coordination with the coalition on targeting but that it needed to be more robust. She added: "With the help of coalition air strikes we can defeat IS."
Referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's speech earlier on Tuesday in which he said Kobane was "about to fall", Ms Abdo said: "He is dreaming and Kobane will never fall."
http://www.bbc.com/...
If commander Abdo is correct and Kobane doesn't fall, then President Obama's action of sending in heavy U.S. air support for the Syrian Kurds will have played a critical role in preventing another massacre, as with the case with the Yezidi at Mount Sinjar in Iraq, and this will be the first major defeat suffered by ISIS in Syria.
Wed Oct 08, 2014 at 1:52 AM PT: Kurt Pelda, a freelance journalist on the ground, is reporting that the high tempo of airstrike operations seems to be continuing, that the YPG is pushing ISIS back, and that Turkey is still being duplicitous, arresting Kurdish YPG supporters:
Kurt Pelda @KurtPelda · 22m 22 minutes ago
Turkish security forces have detained more than 200 people from #Kobane, among whom my translator and fixer. Accused of supporting #YPG.
Kurt Pelda @KurtPelda · 25m 25 minutes ago
Sources in #Kobane say that #YPG managed to push most #ISIS fighters out of town. Heavy losses among ISIS, according to those sources.
Kurt Pelda @KurtPelda · 25m 25 minutes ago
Almost constant airstrikes on #Kobane and vicinity have made it very difficult for #ISIS to move their tanks and heavy weapons.
https://twitter.com/...
Wed Oct 08, 2014 at 2:31 AM PT: The Kurds in Kobane are confirming that the airstrikes were effective and that ISIS has been pushed out of the city!!
(Reuters) - U.S.-led air strikes on Wednesday pushed Islamic State fighters back to the edges of the Syrian Kurdish border town of Kobani, which they had appeared set to seize after a three-week assault, Kurdish officials in the town said.
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"They are now outside the entrances of the city of Kobani. The shelling and bombardment was very effective and as a result of it, IS have been pushed from many positions," Idris Nassan, deputy foreign minister of Kobani district, told Reuters by phone.
"This is their biggest retreat since their entry into the city and we can consider this as the beginning of the countdown of their retreat from the area."
http://www.reuters.com/...