Turkey to allow Iraqi Kurds to join Kobane fight

Turkey Monday decided to allow Iraqi Kurdish fighters or the Peshmerga to cross the Syrian border to fight Islamic State (IS) militants in the Syrian Kurdish city of Kobane.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that talks on the issue were still continuing, BBC reported.

Tens of thousands of people from Kobane have fled months of fighting between besieging IS forces and Syrian Kurd fighters.

Until now, Turkey had refused to allow Kurdish fighters to cross into Syria.

Earlier in the day, before Cavusoglu’s announcement, the US military carried out air drops of weapons, ammunition and medical supplies to the Syrian Kurdish fighters around Kobane.

Officials said three planes — C130 Hercules — were involved and 27 bundles were dropped. The planes returned safely.

US forces have conducted more than 135 airstrikes against the IS in Kobane since early October.

On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said that he would not allow transfer of American arms to Kurdish fighters.

–IANS