ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Saturday commemorated World Kobani Day, honoring the memory of those who lost their lives during the battle with the Islamic State (ISIS).

“The victory of Kobani constituted a pivotal moment in the course of the war against terrorism, and proved that the will of free peoples is capable of breaking the most brutal forces of extremism,” the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), the SDF’s political wing, said in a statement.

The council highlighted the importance of the event in shaping the political and social structure of the Kurdish-led administration (Rojava) in north and east Syria.

“From the heart of that battle emerged the experience of the [Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria], as a successful model for managing society on the foundations of justice and participation,” the SDC stated.

The Kurdish-led council reiterated its support and ambition for a “decentralized democratic” Syria, amidst ongoing dialogue and efforts with Damascus to establish the new Syrian government and outline its political framework.

Similarly, SDF chief Mezloum Abdi marked the date, remembering “the great sacrifices made by our fighters and our people in defense of their city and all of humanity.”

Abdi highlighted the US-led global coalition and international solidarity’s role in retaking the city, stating that they “enabled us to break the organization [ISIS] in our city, and move towards ending its alleged caliphate and building a better future for all Syrians.”

Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) also released a statement, celebrating “the 11th anniversary of the victory of humanity, led by women, against the darkness of ISIS in the city of Kobani.”

The party defined the social system in the Rojava administration as the “only alternative” to the national and sectarian conflicts in Syria and the Middle East.

In September 2014, ISIS launched a siege against the city of Kobani in Rojava. The siege lasted more than 100 days, before being broken by the Kurdish-led People’s Defense Units (YPG) and Women’s Defence Units (YPJ).

A petition was signed on November 1, 2014, by a number of human rights activists, academics, lawmakers, and civil society organisations, including American linguist Noam Chomsky, calling for a “global mobilization” for Kobani, where thousands all over the world took to the streets to show solidarity with the struggle against ISIS.

The activists declared November 1 as World Kobani day.