Airstrikes Near Kobani Not Stopping ISIS Takeover of Syrian Town

Emin Menguarslan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images(ANKARA, Turkey) — Lightly armed Kurdish fighters in the Syrian border town of Kobani have for weeks held off an ISIS onslaught, but the battle has moved to the streets of Kobani as the president of Turkey warned Tuesday that the town was about to fall to the Islamic militants.

The fight for the Kurdish city and its surrounding villages has sent more than 160,000 Kurdish refugees streaming to the Turkish border when many have been prevented from crossing.

Turkish tanks are poised along the border with their guns pointed toward Kobani, but the tanks haven’t moved. Instead, Turkish authorities have been battling desperate Kurdish refugees trapped between ISIS and the border.

The embattled Kurds are also angry that U.S. air power has been used sparingly in recent days as ISIS pushed its way into Kobani. There were a handful of sorties on Monday and the U.S. military said that Tuesday’s strikes around Kobani destroyed five ISIS armed vehicles, a tank and an ISIS unit of fighters.

U.S. and partner nations reportedly fired five airstrikes over the course of Monday and Tuesday that were specifically targeting ISIS tanks and artillery. CENTCOM released a statement Tuesday morning saying that they used “attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft” to strike the targets in the areas surrounding Kobani.

Though the strikes were targeting ISIS anti-aircraft artillery and tanks that were likely headed towards Kobani, there are no reports of clear action being taken against the ISIS fighters who are fighting in Kobani.

The jihadist group’s signature black flags with white writing were spotted flying on top of a few buildings in the outskirts of Kobani on Monday and Tuesday.

Kurdish protesters in Cyprus are demanding further action by Turkey and other European nations to help defend Kobani.

Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio