Most recent developments

— The United States and the United Kingdom have warned that air strikes are not enough to prevent the Islamic State from taking Kobani, a Kurdish town in Syria near the border with Turkey. “Air strikes alone are not going to save the town of Kobani. We know that and we’ve been saying that over and over again,” Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm John Kirby has said.

— The BBC has quoted a leader of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) as saying that Islamic State (IS) entered two more districts of Kobani overnight on October 8-9, bringing heavy weapons including tanks. The reported advances come despite eight coalition airstrikes against targets in Kobani on October 8.

— Al Aan reporter Jenan Moussa also reported that IS had “advanced a bit in the East and retreated in South and West” of Kobani.

— The Turkish Foreign Ministry has announced that Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will pay an official visit to France on October 9 for more talks with his French counterpart about how to move against IS. A written statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that “cooperation in the field of the fight against terrorism, developments in Syria and Iraq” is one of the items on the agenda for the talks.

— France has backed a Turkish proposal to create a buffer zone along the Turkish border with Syria. The zone would host and protect civilians displaced by the fighting with IS. However, the United States has said that such a buffer zone was “not something that is under consideration right now.” London has said the idea is worth examining.

 
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