According to Kurdpress, citing AFP, Turkish authorities prevented a humanitarian aid convoy from crossing to the city of Kobani in northern Syria. This Kurdish city is currently under siege by Syrian government forces.

Non-governmental organizations and a member of the Turkish parliament announced that the convoy was stopped before reaching the Turkish-Syrian border. Even though just one day ago, the government of Damascus and the representatives of the Syrian Kurds announced an agreement for the gradual integration of the Kurdish military and civil institutions into the structure of the Syrian government.

According to the "Diyarbakir Solidarity and Support Platform", which organized this aid campaign, 25 trucks carrying water, milk, infant formula and blankets, which had set off from the city of Diyarbakir in the predominantly Kurdish southeast of Turkey, were prevented from crossing to the border. The platform called it "unacceptable" to block the transfer of essential items, citing humanitarian rights principles.

Residents of Kobani previously told AFP that they are facing severe shortages of food, water and electricity due to the influx of refugees and the siege of the city. Kurdish forces have also accused the Syrian army of besieging this city. Kobani is known as "Ain al-Arab" in Arabic sources.

Adalat Kaya, a member of the Turkish parliament for the Democratic People's Party (DEM), who accompanied the convoy, said the trucks were still parked in a warehouse on the side of the highway. He expressed his hope that after the continuation of negotiations, the permission to pass through the "Murshidpinar" border crossing will be issued. This crossing is located on the Turkish side and in front of the city of Kobani.

On the other hand, the Turkish authorities have announced that the aid convoys should use the Unjupinar crossing, 180 kilometers from this area. Rejecting this proposal, Kaya said that the problem is not only the distance, but the main concern is to ensure that the aid reaches Kobani itself and prevent them from being directed to other areas by Damascus.

Kobani is about 200 kilometers away from the areas under the main influence of the Kurds in the northeast of Syria. This city was liberated from ISIS in 2015 after a long siege and became a symbol of the first major victory of the Kurdish forces against this group. Currently, Kobani is surrounded by the Turkish border from the north and Syrian government forces from the other sides, and its situation remains fragile pending the implementation of the new agreement between Damascus and the Kurds.