LOC11:03
08:03 GMT
AMMAN, Oct 13 (KUNA) -- Kurdish fighters, resisting invading forces of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), seized two ISIL's positions in the contested town of Ain Al-Arab (Kobane) killing 13 warriors of the militant movement, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Monday.
Fierce fighting raged in the southern sector of the town after the ISIL movement launched a four-pronged offensive on the Kurds' defenses, followed with a counter attack by the Kurdish militiamen who succeeded in advancing, overrunning two ISIL's positions, killing 13 of the extremist gunmen and wounding scores others, in addition to seizing caches of light-caliber and medium-caliber arms, the Syrian monitor said.
The monitoring group reported that the Kurdish forces had also made limited advance in eastern districts of the town, besieged by the ISIL since September 16. Since then, the ISIL gunmen have been trying to capture the town and crush the Kurdish defenses, however the Kurds have put up stiff resistance engaging their foes in street and house-to-house fighting with various guns, grenades and rocket-propelled grenades.
The fighting for control of Kobane, a stone's throw from the Syrian-Turkish border line, has continued amid a new wave of air strikes by the Arab-international coalition, targeting the ISIL positions, troop concentrations and bases. The Syrian Observatory said the aircraft struck ISIL's targets in Kobane's southern sector and a nearby mountainous ridge, where smoke billowed into the skies.
In Al-Riqaa, ISIL's positions were targeted with air and rocket attacks. Meanwhile in Hama, the Syrian regime's warplanes dropped explosives-laden barrels killing a number of the militants.
The monitor reported fighting at other axes of the Syrian theatre of military operations over the past hours. (end)
tk.rk