The onward march of ISIS

2,000 evacuated as ISIS flag raised on outskirts of Kobani, Syria

RT,

6 October, 2014

The black Islamic State flag has been raised over a building on the outskirts of a strategic town of Kobani on the Syrian-Kurdish border, according to various sources. However, Kurds defending the border town say that the city has not yet fallen.

Attacks in the town intensified on Sunay when Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS or ISIL) militants besieged the city.

The black flag was seen at the top of a four story building, according to the images shot from Turkey. A Turkish military officer who preferred to remain anonymous confirmed to Reuters that the flag had been that of the Islamists.

Fighting kicked off east of Kobani (Ayn al-Arab in Arabic), the northern Syrian town facing a fierce onslaught of Islamic State (IS) on Sunday. However, an initial offensive was launched some two weeks ago. The jihadist group had earlier pledged to overrun the town by the beginning of Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice.

Shortly after news of the flag's planting emerged, a member of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) announced that more than 2,000 people were being evacuated as IS advanced, reported Reuters. Over 186,000 Kurds have already fled to Turkey from the city.

"We can hear the sound of clashes in the street," a translator, Parwer Ali Mohamed, said over the phone as the group made its way to Turkey.

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An official in Kobani has told the BBC that the entire city may fall to Islamic militants “soon.” The official, Idriss Nassan, said the IS was now in control of Mistenur – a hill of strategic importance – in the east of the city.

“Yes, it will certainly fall soon,” he said.

However, Reuters’ sources have been dismissive.

“ISIL have only planted a flag on one building on the eastern side of town,” Ismail Eskin, a journalist in the town told Reuters. “That is not inside the city, it's on the eastern side. They are not inside the city. Intense clashes are continuing.”

Pawer Mohammed Ali, a translator for the PYD inside Kobani also told the news agency that there was active resistance from the Kurdish forces.

“During the day sometimes IS makes advances, but YPG pushes them back. There are clashes within the vicinity, but they are not inside the city, YPG is resisting,” Ali said.

On Sunday night, a Kurdish female suicide bomber detonated herself with a grenade in the struggle against the IS in the town. The woman was identified as Arin Mirkan, a commander in the Kurdish People’s Protection Unit, and the instance marks the first of a female suicide attack.

Some 20 IS jihadists have been killed trying to enter Kobani, AFP cited a monitor as saying on Monday.

Syrian Kurds have been echoing the warnings of a British military official recently who stated that ground troops are necessary in the struggle against the IS.

“Airstrikes alone are really not enough to defeat ISIS in Kobani,” Idris Nassan, a senior spokesman for the Kurdish fighters, told the Guardian on Monday. “They are besieging the city on three sides, and fighter jets simply cannot hit each and every ISIS fighter on the ground.”

Turkish press reported hearing explosions from the other side of the border early Sunday, with a mortar round from the conflict landing inside Turkey’s border.

The situation in Kobani has been getting increasingly desperate. The fighting has already prompted some 186,000 Kurds to flee the area across the border into Turkey, and groups of Kurdish volunteers wishing to cross into Syria to defend the town against IS on Saturday clashed with tear gas-firing Turkish security forces refusing to let them pass.

Around 100,000 people are still staying in Kobani amid the violence, according to TASS.

NATO promises to protect 

Turkey against ISIS threat

RT,

8 October, 2014

NATO will not abandon Turkey if it is attacked by Islamic State fighters which are closing in on the member state's border from Syria, the alliance's secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, said.

“Turkey should know that NATO will be there if there is any spillover, any attacks on Turkey as a consequence of the violence we see in Syria,”

Stoltenberg said, as quoted by Reuters. 

On Monday, Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants raised their black flag on the eastern outskirts of the Syrian town of Kobani (Ayn al-Arab), which is situated near the Turkish border. 

The secretary-general stressed that NATO's main task is to “protect all allied countries,” including Turkey, which joined the alliance in 1952. 



“Turkey is a NATO ally and our main responsibility is to protect the integrity, the borders of Turkey and that is the reason why we have deployed Patriot missiles in Turkey to enhance, to strengthen the airfence of Turkey," Stoltenberg said during a visit to Poland. 


NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (Reuters)

Six Patriot missile batteries were delivered to Turkey in early 2013 after Ankara asked for NATO's help to bolster security along its 900-kilometer border with war-torn Syria. 

Last week, Turkey's parliament authorized the presence of foreign forces on the country’s territory. 

The mandate came after Washington put pressure on Ankara to allow troops to use Incirlik air base in the southern Adana region. 

MPs also gave the Turkish military the go-ahead to engage in military action against Islamic State insurgents in Syria and Iraq. 

Previously, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the “Turkish military alone” would be able to protect the country’s borders from ISIS jihadists. 

Turkey possesses the strongest army in the region, with over 400,000 activepersonnel, more than 3,500 tanks, and nearly 1,000 aircrafts, according to Global Firepower website. 


In April, Business Insider included the country’s army in its list of the “11 most powerful militaries in the world.” It ranked eighth, ahead of South Korea, Japan, and Israel. 

“Turkish military spending is expected to rise 9.4 percent in 2014 over the 2013 budget. 

The ongoing conflict in Syria and possible clashes with the Kurdish separatist organization, the PKK, were key reasons for the spending increase. Turkey's defense budget stands at $18.2 billion,” Business Insider said.

 

“The NATO member has contributed soldiers to various initiatives around the world. The Turkish military took part in operations in Afghanistan, as well as in peacekeeping operations in the Balkans. Turkey also maintains a large military force in Northern Cyprus,” the publication added. 



The violent Islamic Sate jihadist group continues to gain territory, despite airstrikes performed against it in Syria and Iraq by the US-led coalition.

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