Relative calm in Syria's Kobani following days of air strikes

The besieged Syrian border town of Kobani was calm early on Sunday (November 16), with occasional plumes of white smoke seen rising from its buildings.

Kobani has become a symbolic test of the U.S.-led coalition's ability to halt the advance of Islamic State, which has poured weapons and fighters into its assault of the town that has lasted almost two months.

On Sunday morning, Turkish troops kept a close eye on the embattled town from near the border.  Kobani has been encircled by the Sunni Muslim insurgents for more than 50 days.

U.S.-led air strikes hit 10 units of Islamic State fighters in Syria in recent days, as well as militants with the al Qaeda-linked Khorasan Group, U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Friday (November 14).

Seventeen strikes near Kobani also destroyed 10 fighting positions, a building and several vehicles in addition to striking the militant units, the statement said.

Weeks of U.S.-led air strikes have failed to break the militants stranglehold, and Kurds are hoping the arrival of the Iraqi-Kurdish Peshmerga forces, welcomed by Washington, will turn the tide. 

The Peshmerga have helped forces in Kobani take control of some villages around it, but have not yet altered the lines of control inside the town. 


REUTERS