Islamic State Militants Said To Lose Ground In Kobani

October 16, 2014

Kurdish officials and commanders say Islamic State (IS) militants have been pushed back from parts of the Syrian border town of Kobani.

One official in Kobani was quoted as saying on October 16 that the militants now control less than 20 percent of the Kurdish town thanks to U.S.-led air strikes.

IS fighters were previously said to control up to 40 percent of the town on the border with Turkey.

The U.S.-led coalition against IS has recently stepped up air strikes around Kobani in support of Kurdish forces, with the American military saying its warplanes carried out 14 strikes on October 15-16.

On October 15, the Pentagon said the strikes killed hundreds of militants, adding that Kobani “could still fall" to the fighters.

Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein described the IS group, which has seized large areas in Syria and Iraq, as "a diabolical, potentially genocidal movement."

Based on reporting by AFP, dpa, and the BBC