The IS militants have taken half of the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab, known as Kobani to Kurds, as urban warfare rages on in the key town.
According to reports on Monday, the militants fought their way into the central part of the strategic town after fierce clashes with the Kurdish fighters.
The latest advance by the group comes despite more than three-weeks of US-led airstrikes in Syria against IS positions. In their latest airstrikes, American and Saudi warplanes conducted several raids in the southwest and northeast of the town.
Ocalan Iso, the deputy head of the Kobani defense council, said earlier on Monday that the town center is under heavy artillery and mortar fire.
Kobani and its surroundings have been under attack since mid-September, with the IS militants capturing dozens of nearby Kurdish villages.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on the international community to prevent a “massacre” of civilians in Kobani.
“Thousands of lives are at stake. I once again call on all the parties to stand up to prevent a massacre of civilians in Kobani,” the UN chief demanded.
Since September 22, the US, along with its regional allies, has been conducting airstrikes against the IS inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate. The US began its airstrike campaign against the Iraq-based terrorists in August.
Over 500 people have been killed in Kobani. Nearly 200,000 people have been forced to take refuge in Turkey since the IS attacks started in mid-September.
