Territorial rivalries in Northern Syria spark clashes

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00:00Thanks to a ceasefire, the Kurdish-majority town of Kobani has had some respite.

00:07But days of intense fighting that preceded this between Kurdish groups and Turkish-backed

00:11factions resulted in dozens of victims.

00:15Residents are gathering to mourn the dead. Some of these fighters were killed at the

00:18crucial Tishrin Dam, others on an important bridge linking Kobani to the city of Manbij,

00:24which was previously controlled by Kurdish forces.

00:28Every single day we come here to bury soldiers and when we see their families it's heartbreaking

00:32for us. Now we have reached a level, dead after dead, to which there is no more place

00:36for them.

00:37Among the victims was a 20-year-old woman killed by a Turkish drone strike.

00:42Her cousin was killed, so she took over her weapon. They are fighting to protect the dignity.

00:47They are protecting Kobani because Turkey wants to attack Kobani. If needed, we will

00:51all go.

00:53The ceasefire only being temporary, residents are bracing for a potential resumption of

00:57the fighting. A particularly concerning prospect for the Kobani hospital.

01:02The facility has been lacking electricity since the Tishrin Dam was put out of service

01:07by Turkish airstrikes. And it's already having difficulty grappling with the influx of casualties

01:13resulting from the previous fighting.

01:18The shortage is in medicine in case of emergency cases, if we have too many wounded. Also we

01:23lack devices. Right now we have a generator and one spare. For now we can work 24 hours

01:29then we'll see and take some measures. So if it remains like this, we can hold for a

01:34month at most.

01:39By cutting off access to Manbij, Kobani's main supply route, the fighting before the

01:43ceasefire has started to isolate the town.

01:46Food and fuel now have to pass through Raqqa, some 120 kilometres away, and prices are skyrocketing.

01:54Residents are struggling to cope.

01:57The price of diesel used to be 425 Lira, now it is more than 400,000 Lira because the Syrian

02:03currency dropped. The difference is longer distance, the oil is so expensive when it

02:07arrives here. When it came through Manbij, it was closer.

02:12Residents fear the town being completely besieged by Turkey and its allies. They can only hope

02:16that an agreement can be reached between Kurdish forces, Turkish-backed factions and the new

02:21caretaker government in Damascus.

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