Syria Kurds control 70 per cent of besieged Kobani — monitor

BEIRUT — Kurdish forces have regained control of around 70 per cent of the Syrian town of Kobani near the Turkish border after pushing back Islamic State fighters that have spent months besieging it, a group monitoring the war said on Wednesday.

Backed by US-led air strikes, Kurdish forces made significant advances overnight on Tuesday after violent clashes with Islamic State (IS) in the south of the town, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Known as Ain Al Arab in Arabic, the town has became a symbol in the fight between the ultra hardline IS and its enemies in Iraq and Syria. Hundreds of IS fighters launched a sustained attack on the town more than three months ago.

US-led forces have bombed IS positions around the predominantly Kurdish town almost every day this month.

The observatory, which gathers its information from sources in Syria, said Kurdish fighters now control southern and central parts of the town as well as most of the west in an area stretching up to the border.

Rami Abdulrahman, who runs the observatory, said Kobani was the only clear example of US-led forces cooperating with fighters on the ground in Syria to push back IS.

“There are air strikes every day, they have destroyed many IS bases in Kobani. If there had been no air strikes then I think Kobani would have been controlled by IS by now,” he said. He added Kurdish forces were close to controlling all of the town, thanks to the overnight gains in strategic positions.

The United States says it wants to train and equip “moderate” rebel groups to fight IS on the ground elsewhere in Syria but rebels say there is much uncertainty surrounding the plans.