U.S. and Saudi Arabia launched 8 airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria
The Associated Press Posted: Oct 13, 2014 10:46 AM ET Last Updated: Oct 13, 2014 11:12 AM ET
A Turkish soldier, part of a tank unit holding their position on a hilltop on the outskirts of Suruc, at the Turkey-Syria border, overlooking Kobani, Syria. Hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing ISIS militants have fled into Turkey from Syria. (Lefteris Pitarakis/Associated Press)
A Turkish official says there is no new agreement with the United States on using an air base in southern Turkey for operations against the militant group ISIS.
Turkey and the United States are still negotiating the use of the Incirlik air base as well as Turkish demands for the creation of a no-fly zone and a safe haven for refugees, the government official told the Associated Press on Monday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the issue publicly.
On Sunday, U.S. defence officials said Turkey would let U.S. and coalition forces use its bases to launch attacks against ISIS, also known as Islamic State or ISIL.
On the ground, an ISIS suicide bomber detonated his vehicle Monday in the Syrian border town of Kobani amid fierce fighting with Kurdish militiamen there, the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It said the car was headed to the border crossing between Kobani and Turkey.
A Kurdish activist in the town, Farhad Shami, said the vehicle appeared to have exploded prematurely. It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties.
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U.S., Saudi Arabia launch air strikes
Reuters reported that the U.S. and Saudi Arabia launched eight airstrikes on Sunday and Monday against ISIS targets in Syria, including seven near Kobani, the U.S. military’s Central Command said
Four strikes southwest of Kobani hit ISIS units and destroyed a machine gun firing position while three strikes northeast of Kobani struck a militant unit and damaged a staging location and several buildings, Centcom said in a statement. Another strike hit an ISIS garrison northwest of Raqqa, it said.
The Sunni extremists of ISIS have carved out a vast stretch of territory from northern Syria to the outskirts of Baghdad and imposed a harsh version of Islamic rule. The fighters have massacred hundreds of captured Iraqi and Syrian soldiers, terrorized religious minorities, and beheaded two American journalists and two British aid workers.
In addition, hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled into Turkey from Syria recently ahead of the militants.
A U.S.-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the militant targets in and around Kobani for more than two weeks. The town’s fate has emerged as a major test of whether the air campaign can roll back the extremists in Syria.
The sound of explosions and occasional gunfire could be heard across the border from Kobani a day after Kurdish fighters managed to slow the advance of the jihadist group. What appeared to be a rocket-propelled grenade struck a minaret in the centre of the town, emitting a cloud of white smoke.
Activists said ISIS militants were carrying out a three-pronged attack from the eastern side of the town and that clashes were reported in the southern part.
The Syrian Kurdish enclave has been the scene of heavy fighting since late last month, with the better-armed ISIS fighters determined to capture the border post.
