US military: IS facing Kobane defeat

The so called Islamic State group or  IS  has "impaled itself" on Kobane,  by pouring fighters into the Syrian town, who are then targete  the US-led coalition a senior US envoy said Thursday.

Retired General John Allen, coordinator of the coalition against IS in Iraq and Syria, told Turkey's Milliyet newspaper an estimated 600 IS fighters had already been killed in air strikes and the group would ultimately be defeated in the battle for the town. 

"ISIL has in so many ways impaled itself on Kobane," said Allen, using a variant of the name for IS. 

The US military also said Thursday that its forces carried out six air strikes against  IS  and one against al-Qaeda affiliated Khorasan group in Syria since Monday.

Twenty four air raids were carried out against the group in Iraq during the same period, said the US military.  

The border town of Kobane has assumed a symbolic significance for both the US-led coalition and IS.

Allen said that the IS continues to "pour fighters" into Kobane who can then be bombed by coalition war planes.

"Any time you mass to achieve the affect that they are trying to achieve with respect to Kobane, you create targets," he commented. 

He said the the IS's ultimate retreat from Kobane would indicate that it has not been able to achieve its objectives. 

"I think, the sense is, if they pull out, this is going to be a real indicator that the 'march to victory' of ISIL has finally hit its high water mark." 

He said it was time to reverse the notion that the IS was invincible. "And, in truth, what we are learning is that they are very defeatable."

Kurdish role

The capitulation of Kobani has been prevented in part by the role played by Kurdish forces, lead by the People's Protection Unit's (YPG). 

Kurdish forces renforced by Iraqi Peshmerga and Free Syrian Army fighters have been instrumental in halting the advancement of the IS group in Kobane.

Reinforcement was delayed as Turkey was wary of giving support to the Kurdish militia forces in Kobane, as it has close links with the outlawed Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) - which has lead a three-decade armed struggle for independence against Turkey. 

Allen met with senior Turkish officials in Ankara on Wednesday for discussions aimed at countering the threat posed by the IS fighters, who have captured large swathes of Syria and Iraq right up to the Turkish border. 

Turkey's refusal to play a bigger role in the US-led coalition against the IS group has strained ties between the two NATO allies.  

Ankara has called for a comprehensive strategy to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power, and the formation of a security zone along its volatile border. 

"We absolutely must consider Turkey's national interests and special considerations. It is very clear that Turkey is a front-line state," Allen said.  

Allen, who hailed the US relationship with Turkey as a "long-term friendship, an old alliance", said he was in talks with Turkey over how to deal with its demands.