Kurds frustrate new IS bid to cut off Syria town
(MENAFN- Arab News) MURSITPINAR Turkey: Kurdish forces in the Syrian town of Kobane repulsed a new attempt by IS fighters to cut off the border with Turkey Saturday as troops battled the militants in neighboring Iraq.
It came as the US military said it had unleashed 25 more air strikes in Syria and Iraq since Friday hitting IS fighters and oil infrastructure they control.
But while Washington said it saw 'encouraging' signs it warned the raids might not prevent the fall of Kobane and its priority remained the campaign against IS in Iraq.
Despite a wave of coalition air strikes in recent weeks Iraqi forces are struggling to regain and hold ground from militants.
As fighting raged Iraqi MPs finally agreed on the choices of defence and interior ministers to spearhead the pushback in a moved welcomed as a 'very positive step forward' by US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Heavy IS mortar fire hit the Syrian side of the border crossing with Turkey which is the Kurdish fighters' sole avenue for resupply and the only escape route for remaining civilians Kurdish official Idris Nassen told AFP.
At least three rounds crashed onto Turkey's side of the border one of them near a hill where the Turkish Army is deployed an AFP correspondent at the scene said.
The rebels launched a fierce attack from the east towards the border gate before being pushed back Nassen said.
IS suffered heavy losses in the fighting and was forced to send in reinforcements the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The rebels lost 21 of their people to air strikes and another 14 in ground fighting on Friday the Britain-based monitoring group said. The Kurds lost three of their fighters.
UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura warned earlier this month that about 12000 civilians remained in and around Kobane and risked 'massacre' if the rebels cut off the border.
Overnight coalition air strikes on IS targets elsewhere in Syria killed 10 civilians the said the Observatory which has a wide network of sources inside the country.
Of 15 air strikes in Syria since Friday 12 were aimed at 'degrading and destroying their oil producing collecting storage and transportation infrastructure' the US Central Command said.
It came as the US military said it had unleashed 25 more air strikes in Syria and Iraq since Friday hitting IS fighters and oil infrastructure they control.
But while Washington said it saw 'encouraging' signs it warned the raids might not prevent the fall of Kobane and its priority remained the campaign against IS in Iraq.
Despite a wave of coalition air strikes in recent weeks Iraqi forces are struggling to regain and hold ground from militants.
As fighting raged Iraqi MPs finally agreed on the choices of defence and interior ministers to spearhead the pushback in a moved welcomed as a 'very positive step forward' by US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Heavy IS mortar fire hit the Syrian side of the border crossing with Turkey which is the Kurdish fighters' sole avenue for resupply and the only escape route for remaining civilians Kurdish official Idris Nassen told AFP.
At least three rounds crashed onto Turkey's side of the border one of them near a hill where the Turkish Army is deployed an AFP correspondent at the scene said.
The rebels launched a fierce attack from the east towards the border gate before being pushed back Nassen said.
IS suffered heavy losses in the fighting and was forced to send in reinforcements the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The rebels lost 21 of their people to air strikes and another 14 in ground fighting on Friday the Britain-based monitoring group said. The Kurds lost three of their fighters.
UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura warned earlier this month that about 12000 civilians remained in and around Kobane and risked 'massacre' if the rebels cut off the border.
Overnight coalition air strikes on IS targets elsewhere in Syria killed 10 civilians the said the Observatory which has a wide network of sources inside the country.
Of 15 air strikes in Syria since Friday 12 were aimed at 'degrading and destroying their oil producing collecting storage and transportation infrastructure' the US Central Command said.
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