Members of the Islamic State (IS) continue to advance on the ground near the Syrian city of Kobani, Western media reports.
The media reports that the Islamists captured the headquarters of the Kurdish militia that participates in the defense of that city on the border with Turkey.
Reports say IS has captured almost half of the besieged city, despite airstrikes by US-led coalition aircraft.
The Kurdish forces (peshmerga), the BBC points out, sent an urgent appeal for more weapons and ammunition, in order to prevent the advance of the Islamists.
An activist from Kobani, Mustafa Ebdi, said the extremists were using civilian vehicles with Kurdish flags to avoid fire from coalition aircraft, France Press reported.
Calling Kobani "a symbol of IS resistance in Syria", Ebdi said that there is a high probability that the city will fall.
The situation is complicated by the close ties between the Kurdish defenders of Kobani and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party in Turkey, which has waged a decades-long struggle for self-rule in the country's southeast, the French agency said, adding that Ankara is very reluctant to allow arms or Kurdish fighters to cross the border.
UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura has warned that approximately 12.000 civilians are still in or near the city, including 700 mostly elderly people in the center, and that IS is "likely to massacre" them if Kobani falls.
According to him, the city is "literally surrounded", except for the narrow entrance and exit from the city to the border.
De Mistura said that between 10 and 13 people had fled the city and that it was located between Kobani and the Turkish border, which represented a "humanitarian tragedy or disaster."
On the other hand, Iraqi officials issued an urgent call for military assistance in the western province of Anbar, fearing that the area would fall into the hands of IS.
The jihadist group is attacking the provincial center of Ramadi and has captured military bases in the area.
A US official told AFP the situation was "fragile" in Anbar, the strategically important province where the second-largest dam is located.
IS members control large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq, and capturing Anbar would allow IS to establish a supply route and potential attacks on Iraq's capital, Baghdad.
Allies ask the US to create a buffer zone
Creating a no-fly zone over Syria, which Turkey and other allies are asking the US to do, would mean that President Barack Obama's administration would have to choose between cooperating with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad or activating its air defenses, which would be tantamount to war.
Obama has long resisted either option, and airstrikes alone might not have prevented Islamic State extremists from continuing the massacre in Kobani.
The AP adds that despite this, the US is not currently considering changing course in its month-long counter-terrorism operation in Iraq and Syria.
There are increasingly frequent requests to create a security buffer zone on the Syrian side of the border with Turkey, in order to prevent the fall of Kobani, where, according to UN warnings, there are massive human casualties.
The "buffer zone" would mean that the Americans and their partners protect the land and patrol the skies, which would mean that the introduction of a no-fly zone is necessary.
Turkey is asking for it for several reasons. One of them is that by introducing a no-fly zone, Ankara would be able to prevent a further wave of refugees to its territory.
It could also provide ground to Syrian opposition fighters for the eventual ouster of Assad, something Turkey wants to see happen.
The US, aware of the possible consequences, wants the focus to remain on trying to defeat the extremists of the Islamic State.
Some of America's closest allies, but also the fiercest critics of Obama's foreign policy in the US, support Turkey's demands.
France issued a statement last week announcing its support for the creation of a no-fly zone, and US Secretary of State John Kerry said the idea was worth considering.
On the other hand, US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel showed little enthusiasm for the idea. He said last week that US leaders are ready to discuss a buffer zone, but its creation is not on the cards.
EU calls for greater cooperation against IS
The European Union called for greater international cooperation in the fight against the Islamic State group after jihadists seized the headquarters of Kurdish fighters defending the city of Kobani.
"We are deeply concerned about the security and humanitarian situation in Kobani and the rest of the Syrian-Kurdish self-proclaimed autonomous region after three weeks of fierce fighting," said a statement from the office of EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, according to AFP.
"The people of Kobani have demonstrated to the international community their determination to use all means to protect basic rights and values and to resist the attacks," the statement reads.
The statement called on the EU, Turkey and other regional and international partners to "cooperate more in order to isolate and suppress the threat posed by ISIL".
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