PHOTO: Civilians flee from villages near Kobane in northern Syria, heading towards Turkey

LATEST: Opposition Condemns Regime Barrel Bomb That Killed Dozens in Al Bab

SATURDAY FEATURE

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The Islamic State is reportedly closing on the key Kurdish town of Kobane (Ayn al Arab), in northern Syria near the Turkish border, taking dozens of villages as thousands of civilians flee.

Claims are circulating that Kurdish forces have withdrawn from up to 60 villages this week, as the Islamic State advances with artillery and tanks in their offensive to the west and south of Kobane. Reports say the jihadists are firing rockets into the western part of the town.

Residents of the villages streamed towards Turkey. Initially, they were blocked by Turkish forces from crossing the border, with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu saying they could assisted inside Syria, but Ankara relented on Friday afternoon.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said about 45,000 refugees crossed the border along 30 kilometers (19 miles) between Akcakale and Mursitpinar after the frontier was opened.

Some Kurdish groups, including Turkey’s PKK, have said they will send reinforcements to Kobane, but the troops have been hindered by the Islamic State’s control of routes across northern Syria. Leaders in Kobane have asked for international intervention, including US airstrikes.

Kobane, with more than 40,000 residents, is mainly Kurdish, but there are also Arabs, Turkmen, and Armenians in the town. The Kurdish militia YPG took control in 2012.

Opposition Condemns Regime Barrel Bomb That Killed Dozens in Al Bab

The opposition Syrian National Coalition has condemned a regime barrel bomb attack on a bakery in Al Bab, northeast of Aleppo.

An activist said this morning that the toll from Friday’s attack had risen to 51 dead with at least 80 wounded.

“The Assad regime’s deliberate targeting of civilians in many towns and cities across Syria and the deliberate spreading of panic and fear among them are aimed to cover up the despair experienced by the Assad regime and the militias fighting on its side,” Coalition spokesman Khalid Saleh said.

The Coalition called for immediate implementation of a US initiative to arm the Free Syrian Army, including provision of advanced weapons “to protect unarmed civilians, counter Assad’s air force, and fight terrorism represented by the Assad regime and the Islamic State”.