Fierce fighting as IS look to regain control of key Syrian city of Kobani

A suicide bomber has killed at least five people as Islamic State fighters re-entered the Syrian Kurdish battleground city of Kobani. Activists say the bomb was detonated in the area near the border crossing with Turkey. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights’ director Rami Abdel Rahman added: “Fierce clashes erupted afterwards in the centre of the town and there are bodies lying in the streets.” The fighting was still raging on Thursday morning, when hospital officials said 15 people had been killed and 70 wounded.

Fierce clashes erupted afterwards in the centre of the town and there are bodies lying in the streets.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman said.

Turkish officials said IS militants had entered the town from the Syrian town of Jarablus, rather than from Turkey. Last year IS battled for four months to take Kobani but Kurdish fighters backed by U.S.-led airstrikes took control of the border town in January. Since then the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) have advanced from Kobani in Aleppo province to neighbouring Raqqa province. In the past few days they have captured the strategic border town of Tal Abyad and pushed towards Raqqa city in the Euphrates valley to the south.

Middle East Kobani