Iraqi Kurds approve sending troops to fight Islamic State in embattled Kobane

Iraqi Kurdish lawmakers approved a plan on Wednesday to send fighters to the Syrian town of Kobane to relieve fellow Kurds under attack by Islamic State (IS) militants, marking the semiautonomous region’s first military foray into Syria’s war. Kobane lies on the border with Turkey, and IS fighters keen to consolidate territorial gains in northern Syria have pressed an offensive against the town even as U.S.-led forces started bombing their positions. The battle has also taken on major political significance for Turkey, where the siege has sparked protests among Kurds and threatened a peace process with Turkey’s own Kurdish insurgents, who are angry at the government for failing to aid Kobane.

Today in parliament we agreed to send the peshmerga forces to Kobane as soon as possible.

Mahmoud Haji Omer, Kurdish lawmaker

Under pressure to go beyond humanitarian assistance for those fleeing the violence, Turkey said on Monday it would allow Iraqi Kurdish fighters, known as “peshmerga” or those who confront death, to cross its territory to reach Kobane. Iraqi Kurdish official Hemin Hawrami said on Twitter the peshmerga would be equipped with heavy weapons. This would help the besieged fighters, who say they need armour-piercing weapons to fight the better-armed IS militants. Gunshots rang out throughout the day and an air strike occurred near the center of Kobane in the early afternoon, while five Kurdish fighters were buried in the Turkish border town of Suruc to defiant speeches and Kurdish songs.

Middle East kobane