kobani syria almost three years kurdish fighters defeat islamic state syrian town kobani residents still mourn dead feel abandon foreign ally struggle rebuild islamic state defeat predominately kurdish kobani early 2015 help turn tide ultra-militant group mark start open u.s. military relationship kurdish ypg militia much town near border turkey destroy leave face huge reconstruction challenge need help ally support fight defeat islamic state include unite state electricity still work hours day regularly cut internet use turkish communications signal expensive unreliable local officials say aid quickly dry town problems could soon replicate across part northern syria islamic state cede grind never reconstruction project reflect scale destruction say khaled barkal vice president local government kurdish tie west complicate local rivalries alliances kurdish efforts assert autonomy areas capture islamic state local officials also accuse west try appease nato ally turkey see ypg extension pkk kurdish group wag insurgency turkish government turkey want life return barkal say ankara oppose ypg role capture arab-majority areas raqqa say threaten demographic change kurdish self-assertion iraq syria also bring charge mistreatment arabs officials deny western diplomats region say support ypg battle islamic state extend bolster kurdish-led project cement autonomous region washington oppose plan autonomy northern syria international community seek nationwide resolution syria six-year-old civil war people kobani fear upheaval lie ahead syrian president bashar al-assad want win back control syria kurdish-led authorities seek cement regional autonomy elections could increase tensions residents say willingly pay price defeat islamic state grateful u.s. help victory price high term live destruction shereen hassan among first fighters kill defend kobani siege islamic state four months family members learn death try call islamic state militants answer phone say kill daughter post picture head facebook hassan brother ednan hassan say home image late post show grin militant hold 19-year-old sever head fighters bury military cemetery edge town yellow ypg flag flutter gravestones portraits dead kurdish fighters dot wall local administration hang row lamp post violence end completely battle kobani june 2015 months islamic state defeat town group launch raid kill nearly 150 people include 11 members hassan family experience militarize society small scale aid leave people unwilling rely outside help international community leave us hassan say war every home gun every man men town run night watch take turn drive around arm kalashnikov assault rifle protect say locksmith khaled aldamr cut key shop aldamr whose home level air strike say business improve reflect scale damage fight improvement local economy daesh islamic state come kick doors occupy house break lock people need new ones say point pile lock display window service require new build spring home reduce rubble many empty far population kobani nearby areas near original 200,000 people return barkal say although 40,000 live town few inhabitable space kobani tire lucky many work aldamr say hope rebuild good could happen skilled kurds abroad come back send money trap border close turkey close cross kobani 2015 since build concrete wall stretch hundreds kilometers along frontier goods come iraq kurdish region smuggle areas assad control people complain lack medicine despite problems possibility violence people kobani say give defend whoever come last drop blood barkal say syrian town struggle cope alone key victory islamic state