Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says militants from the Islamic State group are about to take over the Syrian border town of Kobani, and aerial bombardments alone may not be enough to stop them.
"There has to be cooperation with those who are fighting on the ground," Erdogan said on Tuesday in a call for support from opposition forces. The president also asked for a no-fly zone and safe havens to train and equip those forces.
ISIS militants started advancing on Kobani three weeks ago, taking over surrounding villages. They entered the town on Oct. 7 after conflicting reports that the group raised its flag on the outskirts of the town on Monday. The videos below, which were filmed across the border in Turkey, shows heavy fighting in the area.
Erdogan made his remarks while addressing Syrian refugees at a camp in Gaziantep province, near the border with Syria. Just days ago, Turkey said it wouldn't let Kobani fall.
Reports from journalists at the scene indicate that airstrikes were underway west of the city, marking an escalation in the aerial bombardments.
New airstrike is in West #Kobane. There is certainly escalation on side of the coalition. We never saw so many strikes in one day. @akhbar— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) October 7, 2014
Solidarity actions took place in locations across Europe on Monday and Tuesday in response to the ongoing ISIS advance, with demonstrators calling for international intervention. Kurdish protesters stormed the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday morning demanding action. A demonstration was also held in Heathrow Airport.
Heathrow airport (Terminal 2), London now being occupied by Kurdish protesters regarding #Kobani / #AynalArab, Syria pic.twitter.com/7SrT32rUZU— kristyan benedict (@KreaseChan) October 7, 2014