A new series of satellite images of the northern Syrian town of Kobani before and after Islamic State (ISIS) militants moved into the town shows the massive scope of the refugee crisis caused by the battle for the strategic location.
Since the end of September, the town has been under siege by ISIS militants. Kurdish fighters have led the defense of the town, located just yards from the Turkish border, resulting in a fierce, ongoing battle. The front-line Kurdish forces, along with U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, have prevented the capture of the town, but the violence has taken a deadly toll on the civilian population.
In new images released by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research , the changing landscape of the city and the scale of the refugee crisis can be clearly seen. The before images, all of which were taken on September 6, prior to the ISIS assault, show a very different landscape from those taken on October 15.
Before:
An image from September 6 shows an empty area near the Turkish border crossing.
After:
In the same location on October 15, hundreds of vehicles can be seen crowded at the Syrian side of the border crossing. According to UNHCR, tens of thousands of civilians have been forced to flee the town and surrounding area since fighting began. Over 170,000 have made their way across the border into Turkey.
Before:
An undeveloped area across the border in Turkey can be seen in this image from September 6:
After:
By October 15, a refugee camp has been erected to house those fleeing the conflict.
Before:
As seen in this set of images, taken in the northern part of the town, aerial strikes have caused widespread damage to its structures.
After:
Footage from October 15 show many buildings destroyed or severely damaged (blue arrows). A large crater can also be seen near the damaged buildings, pointed out by the red arrow.
