The crucial turning point, Mr Kharaba said, the US airforce destroyed a building where Isil leaders had been meeting, killing everyone inside.

“About thirty major fighters were killed and some commanders,” said Mr Kharaba, adding that some Syrians loyal to his group had infiltrated Isil to act as spies.

With its best men gone, Mr Kharaba said, Isil has been forced to call on a “police division” – men who manage the law and order of Isil territories but with little experience of front line battles – to come to Kobane.

And without equipment that could be targeted from the air, the jihadists were forced to resort to the same guerrilla tactics used by their opponents. In this new dynamic, knowledge of the town’s layout became key, and in this the Kurdish fighters, many of who are from Kobane, have the upper hand.