Dead ISIS Fighters Paraded Through Streets Near Kobani As Kurdish Forces Seize Control

Dead ISIS fighters were paraded through the streets of a Syria town near the battle ground of Kobani, where Kurdish fighters have stopped the advance of the militant group.

Video uploaded to the internet on Thursday claimed to show the bodies of dead ISIS fighters being driven through the streets of Ras al-Ayn, a town in Syria to the east of Kobani. The video showed trucks loaded with several dead bodies driving slowly down a narrow street, with townspeople, including children, lining the streets to cheer on the Kurdish forces.

Another picture posted to Twitter shows close to 10 dead ISIS fighters lined up on the ground near Ras al-Ayn (warning, the link contains graphic images).

Kobani, a town on the border with Turkey, has become a battleground between Kurdish fighters and the advancing ISIS forces. Though a local officials said ISIS once controlled almost half the city, Kurdish fighters have been able to push most of them out. ISIS now controls roughly 20 percent of the city and are reportedly losing footing even there.

The Kurdish defense has been aided by a series of U.S. and coalition airstrikes, which targeted ISIS positions and even allowed Kurdish fighters to take down an ISIS flag stationed on a hill east of the city. The U.S. conducted close to 50 airstrikes over a period of 48 hours.

“We know we’ve killed several hundreds of them,” said Rear Admiral John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesperson.

The U.N. has expressed fear that if ISIS took control of Kobani, they would massacre residents who were unable to flee to Turkey.

Many believe the video showing dead ISIS fighters being paraded through the streets of Ras al-Ayn is meant to strike fear in the radical militant group, a tactic they have used themselves. Part of ISIS’s objective to quell opposition involves posting video of beheadings and massacres of both opposing military fighters and civilians.