MOSCOW, September 29 (RIA Novosti) – Islamic State (IS) militants are within 5 km (3 miles) from the Kurdish town of Ain al-Arab near the Syrian-Turkey border, AFP said.
This is the closest IS militants have come to the city since the IS started their offensive two weeks ago. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the jihadists were firing rockets that hit the town center, according to AFP.
Despite airstrikes by a US-led international coalition to stop the IS, the militants have made advances and captured 67 villages surrounding the area near Ain al-Arab. This has resulted in at least 160,000 people fleeing across the border into Turkey, Ireland’s National Television and Radio Broadcaster RTE reports.
If the IS fighters succeed in taking over the city of Ain al-Arab, which is Syria’s third-largest Kurdish city, the group will have under its control a long stretch of the Syrian border with Turkey, RTE said.
Meanwhile, the US-led coalition began airstrikes to counter the IS advances in Iraq and Syria.
