Chilling
photographs of Islamic State militants prowling the streets of Kobani
emerged yesterday after air strikes failed to stop their advance.
The
jihadis, carrying guns and wearing casual clothing, were seen wandering
through backstreets in the suburbs of the besieged Syrian town just 200
yards from the Turkish border.
Three
days of US-led bombing raids had pushed the extremists back to the
edges of the border town, which had been besieged for three weeks, and
was about to fall.
But
the photographs of IS militants in the suburbs of the town without
coming under attack is likely to raise fears that the heavily outgunned
Kurdish forces are becoming weaker, with one US official admitting that
‘hell is unfolding’.
Still standing: A vast plume of smoke
from a Coalition airstrike looms over a hill where IS militants planted
the flag of their nascent regime near Kobane (bottom left)
Prowling: An Islamic State militant is
seen wandering through a deserted backstreet in Kobane. The militants
have advanced into the city despite days of U.S. airstrikes
Stalking: An ISIS fighter is seen
wandering through the suburbs of the Syrian city of Kobane. The
photograph was taken from inside Turkey using a powerful camera
Islamic State
militants are seen hunched up against a wall in the outskirts of Kobane
today. The photograph was taken with an extreme telephoto lens and
through a heat haze, making it appear almost like a painting
Hell breaking loose: Smoke rises
during airstrikes on the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab, known as Kobane by
the Kurds, as seen from the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern
village of Mursitpinar, Sanliurfa province, today
A drone flies above Kobane. The
Pentagon warned today that U.S. air power on its own could not prevent
Islamic State jihadists from capturing the Syrian border town, even as
warplanes kept up bombing raids in the area
Dramatic: The escalation in Kobane has
seen the U.S. and Arab coalition carry out the most sustained period of
bombing raids since their campaign to destroy the Islamic State in
northern Syria started two weeks ago
Explosion: An American airstrike
destroys an ISIS-held building in the outskirts of Kobane earlier this
afternoon. Despite the dramatic blast, militants have continued to make
territorial advances over the course of the day
Women
and children armed with AK-47s had been forced to step in to protect
Kobani after desperate calls for international help had either gone
unanswered or the efforts were proving ineffective.
Kurdish
forces said there had been successes but more air strikes were needed
to save the town – where thousands of civilians are still living and
where the Kurdish militia have pledged to fight to the death. US
officials yesterday said they had conducted nine air strikes in Syria –
including six around Kobani targeting armed vehicles and artillery. In
Iraq, five air strikes destroyed IS targets, including buildings and
armed vehicles.
The
Pentagon said some IS militants had left the Kobani area as a result of
the coalition air strikes, but the town could still fall. Rear Admiral
John Kirby said the US was doing everything it could from the air to try
to halt the IS momentum against the town, but added that air strikes
alone would not save the city and there were no plans to send US ground
forces in.
Kobani
has become the focus of international attention since the Islamists’
advance drove 180,000 inhabitants to flee to Turkey – which has come
under fierce criticism for failing to intervene.
The UN's special envoy to Syria,
Staffan de Mistura, said the international community 'cannot sustain'
another town falling into ISIS' hands
ISIS terrorists attacking Kobane have
had their progress temporarily slowed by a night of sustained airstrikes
carried out by US and Arab warplanes
Still standing: The Islamic State flag
is this morning still wrapped around a flagpole on top of an apparently
untouched building in eastern Kobane, despite two days of sustained US
and Arab bombing raids in the area
Brazen: In a chilling scene on Monday
afternoon, militants raised the black flag of jihad over a building in
the eastern suburbs of the largely Kurdish town (pictured)
Blast: Turkish President Recep Erdogan
yesterday declare that the town was 'about to fall' to the terrorists
and that airstrikes alone would not be enough to force the terrorists to
retreat
Cloud: A photograph taken from Suruc
district of Sanliurfa, Turkey, shows smoke rising from the Syrian border
town of Kobane following a US airstrike
Fire: A plume of
thick black smoke is seen coming from an ISIS-held building following
coalition airstrikes in Kobane yesterday morning
Smoke: Smoke rises after a coalition airstrike against an Islamic State target outside Kobane
The U.S.
and Arab coalition have carried out two days of airstrikes on Islamic
State militants inside Kobane (pictured left and right). A senior UN
official has said the international community 'cannot sustain' another
Syrian town falling into ISIS' hands and urged the world to do whatever
is necessary to stop it
Violent
clashes erupted in the Nato member state as the country ignored
desperate pleas to help Kurdish militia – who have struggled against the
tanks and advanced weaponry being used by IS. Riots on Tuesday left 12
dead and scores injured as police threw tear gas and water cannons at
angry protesters in towns across Turkey. Authorities imposed curfews in
five southeastern provinces and sent troops and tanks on to the streets
of Diyarbakir, the largest Kurdish city in the region, to try to quell
the unrest.
Turkey had pledged to prevent Kobani from falling but it appears to have taken little action.
Syrian
Kurds have said that not only are the Turks not helping, they are
actually hindering the defence of Kobani by preventing Kurdish
militiamen in Turkey from crossing the border to help fight. The Turkish
government is said to be reluctant to support the Kurdish forces
because it fears encouraging the Kurdish separatist movement inside its
own borders.
Kurdish fighters defending the city
said the strikes have proven to be the most effective tool so far in
preventing the fall of the town - which lies right on Syria's northern
border with Turkey
Turkish Kurds watch as airstrikes hit
Kobane, inside Syria, as fighting intensifies between Syrian Kurds and
the militants of Islamic State group
Simmering resentment: Turkish Kurds
are furious with the Turkish government over their perceived inaction
over the IS advance into Kobane
No advance: While children armed with
AK-47s fought to the death to defend Kobane, Turkey's powerful military -
which comprises the second largest NATO army - refused to intervene.
Here a Turkish soldier sits in his tank and watches fighting between
ISIS terrorists and massively outgunned Kurdish troops over the border
in Syria
Turkish tanks line up along the border
with Syrian to watch outgunned Kurdish forces battle against ISIS
militants for control of the town of Kobane (background)
Force: Troops
belonging to the Turkish Armed Forces are seen on the hills close to the
Syria border while fighting rages in the nearby town of Kobane
(background)
Rubble: A damaged school building,
which was used by Kurdish fighters as a base, is seen in Al-Aziza
village close to Kobane today. ISIS seized control of the area yesterday
Militant: An Islamic State fighter
relaxes at a checkpoint previously used by Kurdish forces this morning.
ISIS yesterday took control of the area - which is close to Al-Jurn
village, just outside Kobane
An
unnamed senior US official told the New York Times that there was
‘growing angst about Turkey dragging its feet to act to prevent a
massacre less than a mile from its border’.
The official added: ‘This isn’t how a Nato ally acts while hell is unfolding a stone’s throw from their border.’
Meanwhile,
jihadis in Iraq shot down a military helicopter near a town north of
Baghdad. Militants used a shoulder-fired missile to take down the Bell
407 near the oil refinery town of Beiji, killing two pilots on board.
Some
fear the militants might have captured sophisticated weapons – such as
ground-to-air missiles – when they over-ran abandoned Iraqi army bases
in the summer.
IS
fighters have been issued with a handbook advising them how to bring
down military aircraft – raising fears international flights could be at
risk.
No help: Despite pledging to do
everything possible to prevent Kobane (background) falling to ISIS
militants, the Turkish military (pictured today) has so far done little
to assist the campaign
At ease: Turkish tanks are seen lined
up along the Syrian border as Kobane burns in the distance. Instead of
helping fight to against ISIS, the tanks occupants simply watch the
fighting and airstrikes using binoculars
Turkey's huge army is left standing at
the border - just 200 yards from Kobane (background). Turkish soldiers
have so far done little to stop ISIS butchering hundreds of people,
including children, in the Syrian town
Hit: A picture taken from inside
Turkey last night shows smoke rising over the Syrian city of Kobane
following airstrikes against ISIS militants. The terrorists have been
besieging the city for the last three weeks
Spectator: The
Syrian city of Kobane (background) is so close to the border with Turkey
that residents have been able to watch the fighting there using
binoculars
Onlookers: Kurds in southern Turkey watch fighting take place in nearby Kobane this morning
Strike: The U.S. led anti-ISIS
coalition has carried out airstrikes in Kobane. The attacks targeted
ISIS militants who have advanced into the city, which is located right
on northern Syria's border with Turkey
Weapons: Heavily armed female members
of the Kurdistan Workers Party are also helping to patrol the outskirts
of Makhmur, a northern Iraqi town near Erbil, from attacks by ISIS
militants
Armed: Female members of the Kurdistan
Workers Party protect the Iraqi city of Makhmur from ISIS militants
(pictured in this image and the one below)
Brave: Female members of the Kurdistan
Workers Party help patrol the outskirts of Makhmur in northern Iraq
today (pictured in this image and the one below)
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