ISIS suffers heavy losses in battle for Kobane
The Islamic State (ISIS) group was taking heavy losses in the Syrian battleground of Kobane yesterday as Iraqi forces fought the jihadists buoyed by US backing for top government security appointments.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said the appointment of defence and interior ministers after weeks of delay was a "very positive step forward" in the fightback against ISIS in Iraq, which Washington has made its priority.
But US-led warplanes launched 11 air strikes near Kobane on Saturday and yesterday, US Central Command said, helping the town's Kurdish defenders to repulse a new attempt to cut their supply lines into Turkey.
The Kurdish fighters, who have been under IS assault for more than a month, weathered fierce street fighting and at least two jihadist suicide bombings but the front line remained unchanged, a Kurdish official said.
From Saturday into yesterday morning, a total of 31 jihadists died in the battle, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The US military has said it sees "encouraging" signs in the battle for Kobane, although it warns the town may still fall.
Meanwhile, the White House yesterday said President Barack Obama called his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and that they pledged to "strengthen cooperation" against ISIS in Syria.
But US commanders have said repeatedly the main priority remains the battle against ISIS in neighbouring Iraq, where the jihadists swept through much of the Sunni Arab heartland north and west of Baghdad in June.
With Washington voicing approval, Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi's office announced that he is to head to Tehran today to discuss the fightback with his other key ally.
Washington has acknowledged that Tehran has an important role to play in the battle against ISIS, although it has kept the main Shiite power out of the coalition it has forged against the jihadists for fear of alienating Sunnis.
Although it has not been part of the US-led coalition, Tehran has been a key backer of Abadi's government in its efforts to hold back the jihadist advance.
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