Islamic State Suicide Bombers Hit Syrian Border Town, Kobani

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Four Islamic State suicide bombers reportedly blew themselves up in the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani sharing border with Turkey on Saturday amid clashes which have killed at least 30 fighters, a local official and a monitoring group said. Reuters report:

Kurdish militia have been holding off Islamic State fighters for more than two months in the town, known as Ayn al-Arab in Arabic. Neither side has been able to gain a decisive advantage despite U.S.-led air strikes aimed at pushing back the Islamist insurgents.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said four Islamic State fighters blew themselves up in suicide attacks – one with a car bomb at the border crossing at dawn, a second with an explosive vest in the same area, and two more on the southwestern edge of the town.

Idris Nassan, a Kurdish official in Kobani, said the first car bomber appeared to have crossed from Turkey and exploded at around 0400 GMT, killing two people and injuring others.

“They also attacked with two cars in the south but (Syrian Kurdish fighters) destroyed them before they reached their targets,” he told Reuters by telephone from Kobani.

A Turkish official had no immediate information.