Syria: Islamic State militants advance on Syrian city of Kobani
Islamist militants besieging the Syrian border city of Kobani appeared poised late Friday for a direct assault on the predominantly Kurdish enclave after a day of intense shelling.
After nightfall, at least three massive explosions, apparently from airstrikes, shook Kobani and the surrounding area, lighting up the evening sky. The blasts drew cheers from Kurdish refugees who fled the city and have been watching the fighting from hillsides on the Turkish side of the border.
U.S. warplanes have struck Islamic State positions repeatedly in the last week, and the sounds of a jet plane could be heard overhead late Friday. But there was no immediate confirmation from the Pentagon that the bombardment was part of the U.S.-led aerial assault on the militant group.
Islamic State fighters were less than a mile from Kobani, according to various accounts.