Five years ago, ISIS terrorists were banished from the city of Kobani in northern Syria by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor in northeast Syria, Gen. Mazlum Kobane speaks on a range of issues including prospects for reviving dialogue with Turkey, US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw US troops from Syria and the impact of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani's killing in Iraq.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper says the United States will be withdrawing all troops from northeastern Syria and that he expects Syrian Kurds to seek aid from Russia and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The residents of Kobani in northern Syria express their fears ahead of the impending Turkish military offensive in the region.

As the city of Kobani rebuilds from the brutal ISIS siege of 2014, activists such as Oum Rinas seek to also revive its cultural heritage that had been suppressed under the Ba'ath rule for decades.

The town of Kobani in northern Syria, once left devastated by the ISIS attack in 2014, celebrated the opening of the Fijeen Institute for Music.

Turkish gunfire is preventing pistachio growers in the border areas of Kobani and Manbij from harvesting their crops

Two Syrian artists, a sculptor and a photographer, agree that the tragedies of war have given them rich fodder for art and opportunities to speak out for life and human dignity in Afrin.

Kobani has opened its first ever publishing house, which aims to promote reading as a hobby in the aftermath of ISIS' defeat.

Villagers in northeastern Syria seek protection from bombardment. The village of Ashma is nestled in olive groves in the region of Kobani and directly looks out onto the Turkish flags and wire fencing that mark the demarcation the border with Turkey.

Jean Dost is a Kurdish author from the Syrian city of Kobani. He has recently published a book called 'Kobani', in which he narrates stories of life in Kobani before, during and after the ISIS invasion.

The recent Afrin military operations have reopened a door that the Syrian media have been painstakingly trying to close. “Hate”...

In the city of Kobani, the first university has opened, welcoming hundreds of students who are studying sciences and literature

The scene has changed significantly since ISIS' highpoint of 2014 & 2015 with the group on the cusp of defeat in Syria and Iraq

Two twin sisters, Sterk and Roj, are fighting against IS mercenaries in Raqqa and are part of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ)

Syrian Democratic Forces commander says the group is willing to engage with the Syrian Government after the defeat of IS in Raqqa.