Kurdish Fighters Reclaim Border Crossing from Islamic State
October 01, 2014 1:53 AM
Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State militants have retaken a key border crossing between northern Iraq and Syria.
The Peshmerga forces took control of Rabia after heavy fighting Tuesday, reclaiming one of the areas the militants seized as they swept into large parts of Iraq this year. The Iraqi Kurds were aided by Kurdish fighters from the Syrian side of the border.
In northern Syria, along the Turkish border, Islamic State fighters pressed an assault on Kobani, also known as Ayn Arab, where clashes have sent more than 160,000 people fleeing for safety.
The battles on the ground come as U.S.-led airstrikes continue to target the Islamic State group in both Iraq and Syria.
President Barack Obama met Tuesday with his National Security Council to get an update on how the airstrikes are impacting the militants.
The White House said the discussion included the importance of putting into place the non-military portions of his strategy to weaken and destroy the Islamic State group. Those efforts include working to stop the flow of foreign fighters to the region, countering the militants' "warped ideology" and providing humanitarian assistance.
Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said Tuesday the U.S.-led coalition "cannot bomb them into obscurity."
Also Tuesday, Britain carried out its first airstrike against the Islamic State in Iraq, joining Arab and other European militaries who have contributed to combat operations targeting the militants.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Wednesday his country's military jets would fly support missions for the U.S.-led coalition, but would not yet conduct airstrikes of their own. VOA
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