MURSITPINAR, Turkey (AP) — New U.S.-led airstrikes near the Syrian border town of Kobani are helping Kurdish fighters push back the Islamic State group a day after it appeared on the verge of seizing the town.
The new wave of airstrikes came as several Syrian human rights groups called on the world to save the embattled town from falling into the hands of the Islamic State group, whose fighters have broken through Kurdish defenders’ front lines and entered parts of the town over the last two days.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the airstrikes killed at least 45 Islamic State militants since Monday night. The deputy chief of Kobani’s foreign relations committee says the main Syrian Kurdish militia has been successfully ambushing militants, forcing them to withdraw from parts of the town. He says the town is still in danger and more help is needed, but “the airstrikes have helped.”
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118-a-18-(Fawaz Gerges (FAH’-wahz JUR’-jehs), international relations professor, contemporary Middle East studies lecturer, London School of Economics, in AP interview)-“besieged Kurdish town”-Fawaz Gerges, Middle East studies expert at the London School of Economics, says Turkey is the key to Kobani’s defense and must, despite past differences, resupply the Kurds there and allow Kurds within Turkey to cross the border and fight. (8 Oct 2014)
< 117-a-16-(Fawaz Gerges (FAH’-wahz JUR’-jehs), international relations professor, contemporary Middle East studies lecturer, London School of Economics, in AP interview)-“and its allies”-Fawaz Gerges, Middle East studies expert at the London School of Economics, says the U.S.-led coalition must go well beyond its airstrike campaign to save what he calls the remarkably courageous Kurds fighting in Kobani. (8 Oct 2014) < 120-a-15-(Fawaz Gerges (FAH’-wahz JUR’-jehs), international relations professor, contemporary Middle East studies lecturer, London School of Economics, in AP interview)-“Kurds in Kobani”-Fawaz Gerges, Middle East studies expert at the London School of Economics, says coalition countries have no time to lose in saving Kobani. (8 Oct 2014) < 119-a-20-(Fawaz Gerges (FAH’-wahz JUR’-jehs), international relations professor, contemporary Middle East studies lecturer, London School of Economics, in AP interview)-“American-led coalition”-Fawaz Gerges, Middle East studies expert at the London School of Economics, says Kobani should be viewed as a humanitarian crisis that can be helped with food, arms, additional airstrikes and Kurdish volunteers from the Turkish side of the border. (8 Oct 2014) < 110-r-30-(Sound of explosion in distance, followed by cheering, from video shot by a camera trained on Kobani, Syria, just across the Turkish border)–Sound of a distant explosion and cheering in or near the Syrian town of Kobani, just across the Turkish border. After the explosion as a small mushroom-like cloud of smoke rose into the sky. (8 Oct 2014) < APPHOTO AXLP127: Smoke rises after an airstrike in Kobani, Syria as fighting intensified between Syrian Kurds and the militants of Islamic State group, as seen from Mursitpinar in the outskirts of Suruc, at the Turkey-Syria border, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. New U.S.-led airstrikes against extremists near the northern Syrian town of Kobani have helped in pushing back Islamic State group fighters after they made gains on the ground over the past days, an activist group and a Kurdish official said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) (8 Oct 2014) < APPHOTO AXLP126: In this combo image of two photographs shot from Mursitpinar in the outskirts of Suruc at the Turkey-Syria border, a partial view of Kobani, Syria, top, with a mosque’s minaret, and the same scene, bottom, shot from a different angle several hours later, with smoke rising from a strike that destroyed the minaret, during heavy fighting between militants with the Islamic State group and Syrian Kurds, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. Kobani, also known as Ayn Arab and its surrounding areas have been under attack since mid-September, with militants capturing dozens of nearby Kurdish villages. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) (8 Oct 2014) < APPHOTO AXLP123: In this image shot with an extreme telephoto lens and through heat haze from Mursitpinar on the outskirts of Suruc, Turkey, at the Turkey-Syria border, militants with the Islamic State group, bottom, along with a machine gun-fitted pick up truck, partially seen bottom right, hold positions in Kobani, Syria, during intensified fighting with Syrian Kurds, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. Kobani, also known as Ayn Arab and its surrounding areas have been under attack since mid-September, with militants capturing dozens of nearby Kurdish villages. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) (8 Oct 2014) < APPHOTO AXLP111: Turkish Kurds, standing in Mursitpinar, on the outskirts of Suruc, on the Turkey-Syria border, watch over the border as the intensified fighting between militants of the Islamic State group and Kurdish forces in Kobani, Syria, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. Kobani, also known as Ayn Arab and its surrounding areas have been under attack since mid-September, with militants capturing dozens of nearby Kurdish villages. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) (8 Oct 2014) < Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.