ISIL pushed back by Kobane airstrikes: Kurdish official

ANKARA - Agence France-Presse

Kurdish people watch smoke billowing from Kobane as they gather upon a hill overlooking Kobane in the southeastern village of Mürşitpınar, Şanlıurfa province, on October 15, 2014. AFP Photo

A Kurdish official in Kobane said Oct. 16 that US-led airstrikes have successfully pushed back Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) insurgents from parts of the besieged Syrian town.
      
"The international coalition has fought ISIL more effectively during the last few days," Nassen told AFP by telephone.
      
"Before they (ISIL) were in control of 30 percent of Kobane and now they control less than 20 percent thanks to the international coalition," he said.        

Nassen said Kurdish forces were "flushing out" ISIL fighters from the eastern and southeastern parts of the town on the border with Turkey, calling for more military assistance.
      
"We need more airstrikes, as well as weaponry and ammunition to fight them on the ground," he said.