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Plumes of smoke rose in the air in the border region around Kobani on Monday (November 17) as a U.S.-led coalition launched more air strikes against Islamic State targets following a morning of relative calm.
Loud explosions were heard on the Turkish border with Syria as clouds of smoke filled the sky over the embattled town.
Kobani has been encircled by the Sunni Muslim insurgents for more than 50 days. Weeks of U.S.-led air strikes have failed to break their stranglehold, and Kurds are hoping the arrival of the peshmerga, welcomed by Washington, will turn the tide.
The battle for Kobani - known in Arabic as Ayn al-Arab - has become a test of the U.S.-led coalition's ability to stop Islamic State's advance.
