Damascus: As the Islamic State fighters pushed deeper into the border town of Kobane in Syria, occupying districts and hoisting their flags over the occupied buildings and hills, the US-led anti-Islamic State coalition on Tuesday launched air strikes on extremist targets near the embattled town.
The Islamic State are said to have taken control of some districts in the eastern region of Kobane after a night of street-to-street clashes with Kurdish fighters, reported the BBC.
According to Syrian Observatory or Human Rights (SOHR), the fight spread to the south and west of the town on Tuesday. Black IS flags were seen perched atop some buildings and hills occupied by the extremist.
The IS had first launched a major offensive on Kobane (known as Ayn-al Arab) on September 16, forcing over one lakh of resident Kurds to flee to Turkey.
Some 2000 additional residents escaped to Turkey border yesterday after the IS came rushing in, battling the Kurds and attacking villages.
According to the SOHR, the border town of Kobane on Tuesday appears to be shrouded by an eerie silence disturbed by frequent clashes and gunfire as anti-IS warplanes hovered over the city.
"Kobane is witnessing a cautioned silence, cut by clashes and snipers fire , amid warplanes flying around the city, after violent clashes took place last night in the eastern neighborhood,” read a Facebook post of SOHR.
The IS was said to have crossed the southern entrance of the city, taken many buildings in the area, added the SOHR post.
There are also reports of many IS fighters being killed in an ambush by YPG, that is, People’s Protection Units, a Syria-based Kurdish rebel group.
SOHR was informed that the city of EIn al-Arab"Kobane " is witnessing a cautioned silence, cut by clashes and... http://t.co/yMVaJQ6dir
— Syrian Observatory (@syriahr) October 7, 2014
The US Central Command had yesterday confirmed carrying out strikes south of Kobane and "destroyed two IS fighting positions".
