Syria: 16 Iraqi peshmerga fighters and 200 Free Syrian Army rebels join fight against Islamic State in Kobane
Two hundred Free Syrian Army fighters entered Kobane Wednesday morning to bolster the Syrian border city’s dwindling defenses against the self-described Islamic State, even as 160 Kurdish fighters from northern Iraq arrived in Turkey en route to join the fight. Both deployments come at a pivotal moment for Kurdish fighters already in the besieged town.
Col. Abdul Jabar Okaidi, an FSA commander, told CNN that his fighters were armed with mortars and heavy machine guns, and said more men would come if needed. Meanwhile, as one contingent of the Kurdish peshmerga fighters flew to southeastern Turkey Wednesday morning, another was driving from Iraq with weapons, including artillery, according to The Wall Street Journal. They are expected to meet later on Wednesday in Surac, a Turkish town about 10 miles from Kobane, before crossing into Syria.