Some Good News out of Kobani, Syria? What These Kurdish Fighters Have Done...

Aimee Herd : Jan 26, 2015
Ralph Ellis, Dana Ford

Kurdish fighters, many of them women, reportedly now control at least 90% of the embattled Syrian city of Kobani.

(Kobani, Syria)—According to reports, the battle for the strategic Syrian city of Kobani, has taken a turn for the better, as those monitoring the situation say Kurdish fighters are claiming progress in their fight against ISIS. (Photo: Umit Bekas/Reuters)

The battle for Kobani, which has raged for months now, had at times seemed all but lost, but somehow Kurdish fighters, combined with airstrikes by the US and its allies, have reportedly gained control of "at least 90 percent of the city," according to CNN.

One of the unique demographics of the Kurdish makeshift army there, has been the influx of "thousands of young volunteers"; many of them women. Sometimes there have even been all-female units on the front line. 

One female fighter explained, "The jihadists don't like fighting women, because if they're killed by a female, they think they won't go to Heaven."

While Syria's Civil War continues, it has been the ethnic Kurds of Kobani who have had to defend the city that sits on the border of Turkey, where many of the refugees fleeing ISIS have sought safety.