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Islamic State fighters advance into Syrian border town of Kobani

Islamic State fighters pushed into two districts of the strategically important Syrian border town of Kobani in fierce fighting late on Wednesday, Kurdish officials among the town\'s defenders said.
[additional-authors]
October 8, 2014

Islamic State fighters pushed into two districts of the strategically important Syrian border town of Kobani in fierce fighting late on Wednesday, Kurdish officials among the town's defenders said.

“Tonight (Islamic State) has entered two districts with heavy weapons, including tanks. Civilians may have died because there are very intense clashes,” Asya Abdullah, co-chair of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the main Syrian Kurdish group defending the area, told Reuters from the town.

Another PYD official said that despite continuing U.S.-led coalition airstrikes on Wednesday evening Islamic State fighters had seized some buildings on the eastern edges of the town.

The militants were being held in the suburbs by fierce resistance from Kurdish forces defending the town, which has been under assault for more than three weeks, the official added.

Reporting by Daren Butler and Jonny Hogg; Editing by Peter Graff

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