Death toll from Islamic State’s attack on Kobani rises to 223

The death toll from a brutal massacre by the Islamic State in the Syrian town of Kobani and the surrounding area has risen to 223 people, mostly civilians, according to a monitoring group. 

The border town was hit by a coordinated assault on June 25, which began when three suicide bombers driving cars detonated their explosives at different entrances to the town. Islamic State (IS) fighters then reportedly went from house to house, executing civilians and capturing others. 

When IS fighters were finally repelled by Syrian Kurdish fighters, the bodies of 26 women and children were among the dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based monitoring group with contacts throughout Syria.

“The body of one child bore the impact of five bullets,” it said, adding that many had been shot at close range.

An estimated 79 of the 100 IS fighters involved in the attack were killed, as well as more than 20 anti-IS fighters in the city.

“The terrorists committed worst crimes against humanity by killing unarmed children, women and the elderly; capturing tens of civilians at the same time,” said a statement from the People's Protection Units, a Syrian Kurdish militia which is known by its acronym YPG.

“Along this assault inside the city, the terrorists in the south, southwest and west of Kobani attempted to take position in the countryside of the city by numerous quick attacks,” the statement said, reporting a higher death count of 233.

The town became a symbol of the Kurds’ resistance to the Islamic State after a months-long siege that was watched by the world's media from just across the border in Turkey. After a bloody battle, and with the help of US-led air strikes, the YPG was able to push IS forces from Kobani earlier this year.

The renewed attack on Kobani appeared to be aimed more at demoralizing Kurdish forces in control of the town, rather than a serious attempt to recapture it, and to strike back following a number of setbacks at the hands of the YPG and other rebel forces.

The Islamic State has suffered significant defeats in recent weeks, most notably in the towns of Tal Abyad and Ain Issa. The former, on the border between Syria and Turkey, had served as a vital supply line for the Islamic State’s de-facto of Raqqa, while Ain Issa is situated just 30 miles north of Raqqa.