Kurds struggle to defend besieged Syrian town

Kurdish militiamen are putting up a fierce fight to defend a Syrian town near the border with Turkey but are struggling to repel advances by the Islamic State group, which is pushing in from two sides, Syrian activists and Kurdish officials said Saturday. The battle for Kobane is still raging despite more than two weeks of airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition targeting the militants in and around the town. The strikes, which are aimed at rolling back gains by the group, appear to have done little to blunt the onslaught by the extremists on Kobane that began in mid-September.

We are defending (the town) but … we have only simple weapons and they (militants) have heavy weapon. They are not besieged and can move easily.

Ismet Sheikh Hasan, a senior Kurdish official

Kurds are determined not to allow Kobane to fall and are fighting zealously, but they have not been able to curb advances by the more heavily armed extremists. On Friday, the militants seized the so-called Kurdish security quarter — an area in the town’s east where Kurdish militiamen maintain security buildings and where the police station, municipality and other local government offices are located.

Middle East kobane