At least 35 Islamic State (IS) jihadists were killed last night in the north and northeast of Syria in airstrikes by the US-led coalition, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) claims.
This London-based NGO states that 30 jihadists were killed near the city of Shadadi in the northeastern province of Hasakah, and another five near the city of Kobane, in the north of the province of Aleppo on the border with Turkey, France Press reported.
According to the SOHR statement, the coalition launched attacks on at least four areas late last night near the strategically important city of Kobane.
The attacks came after IS forces mercilessly bombarded the third-largest Kurdish city on Friday after encircling it, according to the French news agency.
SOHR and Kobane activist Mustafa Ebdi claim that IS fired at least 80 shells yesterday in an attempt to enter the strategic town on the border.
Ebdi said that Kurdish forces together with Arab rebels repelled an overnight attack by IS jihadists, but that fighting continued.
IS began advancing on Kobane on September 16, hoping to strengthen positions along the Syrian-Turkish border, and during the fighting, according to the SOHR, close to 300.000 people fled the city and surrounding towns.
According to the Turkish government, at least 186.000 of them have fled across the border into Turkey.
Analysts: Airstrikes limited without ground support
The United States of America (US) is facing limitations on its air power in Syria around the city of Kobane, where Islamic State (IS) forces are constantly clashing with Kurdish units.
Planes and drones have carried out at least eight attacks over the past week against IS near Kobane, but they have not affected the battle for this strategic city near the Turkish border, reports AFP.
Analysts point out that this example clearly shows how limited interventions from the sky are without ground forces.
The Kurdish forces are far from being a real army and are poorly armed, says Seth Jones, a former adviser to US special forces.
He emphasized that Kurdish fighters are facing well-organized IS forces. Jones went on to say that there is concern that the US intervention is not well coordinated with ground forces.
Retired general David Deptula said that the pilots in the mission are limited by procedures and restrictive rules, which affects the intervention.
"Without guidance, it is difficult to conduct successful airstrikes in Kobani," said retired US intelligence officer Ben Conable.
He pointed out that despite the advanced cameras and sensors on the planes, it is not possible to clearly identify the enemy's target, and in addition, the weather affects the action.
On the other hand, Kurdish leaders and critics in Washington accuse US President Barack Obama of not using the full potential of airstrikes.
Retired general David Deptula said that the pilots in the mission are limited by procedures and restrictive rules, which affects the intervention.
He emphasized that the situation in Kobana should be monitored 24 hours a day and every time IS movements are seen, it is necessary to intervene immediately, without waiting for the approval of the action.
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