Kurdish town Kobane ‘about to fall’ as hundreds dead in ISIS assault
Oct 07, – Jihadists are on the verge of seizing the key Syrian border town of Kobane, Turkey warned Tuesday after a three-week assault by the Islamic State group that has left hundreds reported dead.
The fall of Kobane to the IS group would mark a major victory for the jihadists, who are fighting for a long stretch of the border with Turkey for their self-proclaimed “Islamic caliphate”.
At least 412 people, more than half of them jihadists, have been killed in and around Kobane since mid-September, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that the strategically important town was “about to fall”, saying a ground operation was needed to defeat the militants.
“The terror will not be over… unless we cooperate for a ground operation,” Erdogan said in a televised speech.
With the fight for Kobane entering a crucial phase, Kurdish militia backed by US-led air strikes waged fierce street battles with the advancing jihadists, who pierced the town’s defences on Monday.
Gunfire, explosions and the roar of fighter jets were heard from the Turkish side of the border, while a Kurdish flag was seen flying in the centre of Kobane, according to an AFP journalist.
The IS jihadists “are trying hard to capture the city”, said Idris Nahsen, a Kurdish official still in Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab.
“We need help from the international community,” Nahsen told AFP by telephone. “Either we finish them (IS) or they will finish us.”
Kurdish fighters have ordered civilians to evacuate the town, after the jihadists planted their black flags on its eastern side and entered Kobane on Monday.
The United States and its allies have launched nearly 2,000 air raids against jihadists in both Iraq and Syria in an attempt to stop their advance, including four strikes in Kobane on Tuesday.
In Iraq, at least 17 people were reported killed when a suicide bomber attacked an observation post used by Shiite militiamen watching for IS fighters crossing the Tigris River late Monday.
– ‘Fight to last person’ –
In Syria, the Kurdish fighters are optimistic that their local knowledge of Kobane will compensate for their light weapons, said activist Mustafa Ebdi.
“They are fighting to defend their town and they say they will fight to the last person,” he said.
Ebdi said the latest US air raids had little effect.
Press journalist for HRO Media – Khizer Hayat reports.
Category: Arab uprising
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