that's how i first met azima. she was one of the kurdish commanders. and she showed me just how close the enemy was. >> she's saying when they come, the isis fighters come in waves. not just one and two they try and infiltrate but 40, 50 fighters will come and try and swarm into the building. >> reporter: she told me isis was aiming to kill everyone who was fighting here, especially the female fighters. but we were resolute, and we fought back. "we defended this place with our lives until the last drop of blood," azima said. "we lost many comrades." kobani turned out to be the beginning of a new kind of war for america in the middle east. with the kurds doing the fighting. over the course of five years, the kurds expanded their ranks and partnered with elite american special forces. together they were devastatingly lethal. killing tens of thousands of isis fighters. as centcomm commander, general votel led the military campaign that defeated the caliphate. >> the syrian kurds were absolutely essential to our success in syria. >> reporter: american troo