Reports: 40% Of Kobani Is Under ISIS Control
Updated: Multiple sources in the Kurdish city of Syria say ISIS has taken over the Kurdish headquarters and government buildings. Developing...
Updated — Oct. 10, 9:01 a.m. ET
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is in control of 40% of the Kurdish city of Kobani in Syria, CNN reported Friday.
ISIS now in control of 40%+ of Kobani, fighter in city says. Govt, security buildings taken; ISIS militants moving west to encircle city
Ram Ramgopal@RamCNNFollow
ISIS now in control of 40%+ of Kobani, fighter in city says. Govt, security buildings taken; ISIS militants moving west to encircle city
8:32 AM - 10 Oct 14ReplyRetweetFavorite
According to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, ISIS militants took control of the Kurdish forces headquarters Friday. The organization also said that the extremist group now controlled 40% of the city located near the Turkey border.
Jenan Moussa, with Arabic Al Aan TV, reported that ISIS had overrun Kobani's police building and court.
#break Kobane Chief Anwar Moslem, tells me over phone from #Kobane: "Security zone (police bldg +court) has fallen into ISIS hands." @akhbar
Jenan Moussa@jenanmoussaFollow
#break Kobane Chief Anwar Moslem, tells me over phone from #Kobane: "Security zone (police bldg +court) has fallen into ISIS hands." @akhbar
7:38 AM - 10 Oct 14ReplyRetweetFavorite
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"ISIS now controls between 30 to 40% of #Kobane" Defense chief inside city tells me over phone. @akhbar
"ISIS now controls between 30 to 40% of #Kobane" Defense chief inside city tells me over phone. @akhbar
8:10 AM - 10 Oct 14ReplyRetweetFavorite
"The capture of the headquarters will allow the jihadists to advance on the border post with Turkey to the north of the town," Syrian Observatory Director Rami Abdel Rahman told Agence France-Presse.
He said Kurdish forces could be completely surrounded by ISIS if the militants succeed.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said today that the embattled town of Kobani, just over the border in Syria, is "about to fall" to ISIS militants, Agence France Presse reported.
Erdogan said a ground operation is required to defeat the jihadi fighters, who have besieged the town for three weeks.
Speaking in a televised speech in the eastern city of Gaziantep, Erdogan (below) said: "The terror will not be over ... unless we cooperate for a ground operation. Months have passed but no results have been achieved. Kobani is about to fall."
An estimated 400 people have died in the three weeks of fighting in the town, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring organization. Around 160,000 people, mainly Syrian Kurds, have fled the area.
ISIS flags have been spotted flying over a large building and on top of a hill in the town.
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The U.S. has conducted several airstrikes in the town, but ISIS continues to make gains in Kobani, with fighting spreading to a southern district of the town today, the BBC reported.
New airstrike is in West #Kobane. There is certainly escalation on side of the coalition. We never saw so many strikes in one day. @akhbar
New airstrike is in West #Kobane. There is certainly escalation on side of the coalition. We never saw so many strikes in one day. @akhbar
12:22 PM - 07 Oct 14ReplyRetweetFavorite
حملات هوايى به داعش در نزديكى كوبانى “@jonathonburch: Second air strike on #Kobane in 15 mins. Definite escalation. ”
Bahman Kalbasi@BahmanKalbasiFollow
????? ????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ?????? “@jonathonburch: Second air strike on #Kobane in 15 mins. Definite escalation. ”
1:32 PM - 07 Oct 14ReplyRetweetFavorite
Turkey is a NATO member with a sizable military, and Erdogan is facing increasing pressure to intervene and defend Kobani.
If only he had NATO's second largest army RT @AFP: #BREAKING Turkey's Erdogan says ground operation needed to defeat IS jihadists
Gregg Carlstrom@glcarlstromFollow
If only he had NATO's second largest army RT @AFP: #BREAKING Turkey's Erdogan says ground operation needed to defeat IS jihadists
12:51 PM - 07 Oct 14ReplyRetweetFavorite
Karwan Zabari, a U.S.-based representative of the Kurdish regional government, told the BBC, "If this continues, if there's no international aid, military aid arriving for the residents of Kobani, and these Kurdish fighters that are fighting in Kobani, it could fall into the hands of ISIS."
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Clashes between Turkish police and Kurds attempting to cross the border into Syria to defend Kobani have been breaking out for a number of days, and tear gas has been used.
Arka plandaki duman Kobanideki patlamalardan yükseliyor ön plandaki duman ise polisin göstericilere attığı biber gazı
Memet Aksakal (Tur)@aksakal_memetFollow
Arka plandaki duman Kobanideki patlamalardan yükseliyor ön plandaki duman ise polisin göstericilere att??? biber gaz?
12:28 PM - 07 Oct 14ReplyRetweetFavorite
Protesters in several Turkish cities clashed with police overnight after taking to the street to implore the Turkish government to intervene, the BBC reported.
The crisis has further exacerbated long-held tensions between Kurds and the Turkish government.
Developing...
Tayyip Erdogan is the Turkish president. An earlier version of this post misidentified him as prime minister.
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Francis Whittaker is a homepage editor for BuzzFeed News and is based in London.
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Tasneem Nashrulla is a reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.
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