Islamic State Fighting on Edge of Kobani--Monitoring Group
Source: Reuters
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria were clashing with Kurdish fighters hundreds of metres from a Kurdish town on the Turkish border on Thursday, a group monitoring the conflict said.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said clashes between IS and Kurdish YPG fighters were occurring just hundreds of metres to the south and southeast of Ayn al-Arab, known as Kobani in Kurdish.
Clashes were also continuing about two to three kilometres away on the western side, the Observatory said, adding there were "serious fears that the Islamic State group could break into the town at any moment."
While many civilians have fled the town, the Observatory said some had stayed behind and refused to leave their homes.
Read more: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/World/2014/10/02/Islamic-State-fighting-on-edge-of-Kobani-monitoring-group/
If ISIS actually takes Kobani, Turkish-Kurdish relations could go into a real tailspin. The imprisoned head of the PKK said today if Kobani falls, there is no peace between Turkey and the PKK. The Kurds think the Turks don't want them to control territory in Syria and that the Turkish parliamentary vote today authorizing military force will be used to take away the gains they've made against Assad.
What a mess.