The increased airstrikes and the tenacity of the Kurdish fighters on the ground in the Syrian city of Kobani has driven the ISIS fighters from the city according to reports coming out of that country this morning.

ISIS fighters fled the city overnight and are now miles from the town where intense fighting between Kurdish and the Islamic state has devastated the city and population for over a month.

Kurdish fighters are now methodically going through the city block by block clearing houses. ISIS has left suicide bombers behind in the city and periodic gunfire and explosions can still be heard in various parts of the wreckage.

The retreat last night was a turn-around. The fate of the city, up until yesterday, was in doubt and many thought that despite the increased airstrikes by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, the city would fall to the Islamic State.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the Saudis and the U.S. carried out 14 airstrikes\, bring the total of strikes to 122. It was those increased airstrikes that enabled the Kurdish fighters on the ground to take an offensive rather than defensive stance for the first time since the conflict in the city began.

As recently as today, top U.S. commanders said that losing the city to the Islamic State was still “Highly possible.”

  airstrikes, city, conflict, isil, isis, kobani, pentagon, syria, targets, u.s.