Mursitpinar (Turkey) (AFP) - The
Islamic State group was taking heavy losses in the Syrian battleground
of Kobane Sunday as Iraqi forces fought the jihadists buoyed by US
backing for top government security appointments.
US Secretary
of State John Kerry said the appointment of defence and interior
ministers after weeks of delay was a "very positive step forward" in the
fightback against IS in Iraq, which Washington has made its priority.
But
US-led warplanes launched 11 air strikes near Kobane on Saturday and
Sunday, US Central Command said, helping the town's Kurdish defenders to
repulse a new attempt to cut their supply lines into Turkey.
The
Kurdish fighters, who have been under IS assault for more than a month,
weathered fierce street fighting and at least two jihadist suicide
bombings but the front line remained unchanged on Sunday, a Kurdish
official said.
"(IS) brought in reinforcements... and attacked hard," Idris Nassen told AFP by telephone.
"But thanks to air strikes and (the Kurdish fighters') response, they did not make any progress."
The IS fighters suffered
heavy losses in Kobane, which has become a key prize as it is being
fought under the gaze of the world's press massed just over the border
in Turkey.
From Saturday into Sunday morning, a total of 31 jihadists died in the battle, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Coalition
air strikes near Kobane hit 20 IS fighting positions, five IS vehicles
and two IS-held buildings, said Central Command, with the Observatory
adding that they killed 15 jihadists.
Clashes on the ground killed
another 16 jihadists and seven Kurdish fighters, said the Britain-based
Observatory, which has a wide network of sources inside Syria.- Hospital counts IS bodies -
A steady flow of bodies from the Kobane fighting have arrived at an IS-controlled hospital further east, the Observatory said.
The corpses of at least 70 jihadists had been brought into the mortuary in the town of Tal Abyad in the past four days.
The US military has said it sees "encouraging" signs in the battle for Kobane, although it warns the town may still fall.
On
Sunday the White House said President Barack Obama called his Turkish
counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and that they pledged to "strengthen
cooperation" against IS in Syria.
But
US commanders have said repeatedly the main priority remains the battle
against IS in neighbouring Iraq, where the jihadists swept through much
of the Sunni Arab heartland north and west of Baghdad in June.
The minority community's
grievances against the Shiite led-government were a major factor in the
lightning advance and Washington has been piling pressure on Baghdad to
form an inclusive government capable of mounting a fightback.
On
Saturday, the remaining posts in a new government line-up were finally
approved by parliament, including a Sunni as defence minister and a
Shiite as interior minister.
"These
were critical positions to be filled, in order to assist with the
organising effort" against IS, the US top diplomat said. "So we're very
pleased."
- Iran-Iraq talks -With Washington voicing approval, Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi's office announced that he is to head to Tehran on Monday to discuss the fightback with his other key ally.
Washington has
acknowledged that Tehran has an important role to play in the battle
against IS, although it has kept the main Shiite power out of the
coalition it has forged against the jihadists for fear of alienating
Sunnis.
Abadi's talks in Iran
are part of his bid "to unite the efforts of the region and the world
to help Iraq in its war against the terrorist group," his office said.
Although
it has not been part of the US-led coalition, Tehran has been a key
backer of Abadi's government in its efforts to hold back the jihadist
advance.
According to a
senior Iraqi Kurdish official, it has deployed troops on the Iraqi side
of the border in the Khanaqin area northeast of Baghdad.
Iranian
forces also played a role in the Shiite Turkmen town of Amerli, where
security forces and allied militiamen broke a months-long jihadist siege
at the end of August, another senior Kurdish official has said.
Evidence
also indicates that Iran sent Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack jets to Iraq,
though it is unclear who subsequently piloted the aircraft.
As
well as Syria, the US-led coalition is carrying out air strikes against
IS in Iraq, including 10 on Saturday and Sunday. It has also deployed
military advisers.
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