Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barzani thanked Turkey for its role in freeing Kobani from ISIL fighters on Monday.

According to a statement released on the presidency’s website, Barzani thanked Turkey for allowing Kurdish peshmerga forces from northern Iraq to enter Kobani through the country’s borders.

“I want to thank Turkey on behalf of the Kurdistan Regional Government and myself,” the statement said. “I also want to thank the coalition forces for airstrike operations.”

Celebrations in Turkey

News that Kobani was free of ISIL fighters and was completely under the control of opposition and Kurdish groups following four months of fighting was also celebrated in Istanbul, in the southeastern provinces of Diyarbakir, Batman, Sirnak, Siirt and Mardin.

Groups lit fireworks, played and danced to music.

Kobani was attacked by ISIL in Sept. 2014, forcing a wave of around 180,000 Kurdish refugees to flee to Turkey.

[adrotate group=”9″]