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KURDISH MILITIA HAVE driven the Islamic State group from the Syrian town of Kobane, dealing the jihadists a heavy blow after months of heavy fighting.
Across the border in Iraq, meanwhile, a top army officer announced troops had “liberated” Diyala province from IS jihadists.
In Syria, the Kurdish advance in Kobane, on the frontier with Turkey, marked the culmination of a battle lasting more than four months in which nearly 1,800 people were killed.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) had “expelled all Islamic State fighters from Kobane and have full control of the town”.
“The Kurds are pursuing some jihadists on the eastern outskirts of Kobane, but there is no more fighting inside now,” said the Observatory’s Rami Abdel Rahman.
Kurdish forces were carrying out “mopping-up operations” against remaining IS forces in the Maqtala district, on the town’s eastern outskirts.
YPG spokesman Polat Jan also announced the news on Twitter, writing: “Congratulations to humanity, Kurdistan, and the people of Kobane on the liberation of Kobane.”
Mustafa Ebdi, an activist from the town, said the “fighting has stopped”.
YPG forces were “advancing carefully in Maqtala because of the threat of mines and car bombs,” he added.
The Kurdish advance came after the Pentagon said the US-led coalition fighting IS in Syria and Iraq had carried out 17 air strikes against jihadist positions in Kobane within 24 hours.
The loss of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, would be an important defeat for IS.
The group has lost 1,196 fighters since it began its advance on the town on September 16, said the Britain-based Observatory.
At one point, the jihadist group had looked poised to overrun Kobane.
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Shocking stuff this,rip
Garda appeal for public information – aka – Help us out when we need you. Other than that, we are fully justified in ripping you off with penalty points on perfectly good stretches of road with low limits, we’re justified in giving you a bad and condescending attitude at checkpoints and generally being unhelpful with any crime you report.
But please help us out when we’re under the spotlight.
Jaysus mick, the local constabulary must have done a real number on you somewhere along the way.
Must agree! We were robbed before and had to find and retrieve our own items. Hmmm. And we’re then asked to name the culprits as they had robbed a few neighbours also!!
I live about 15 doors away from where this happened. Its around the corner but about 15terraced houses away. There are 2 large cctv cameras pointing in the direction of the back of the eatate. Ive seen no police on my street all day and none yesterday also. Im sure they know what they are doing though!!!!!
Did you think of ringing them and offering this information or are you waiting for them to call and ask you?
rural ireland is now living very much in fear because the entire police and court systems suffers with apathy anger and as a group are only interested in themselves and the cartel its them and us….R.I.P. John
Which cartel would that be Harry? The Cali cartel or the Medellin cartel?
Dublin be f@#ked
⬆ Moron
I’m truly shocked and saddened as I grew up in Ormond square and lived there for the best part of 25 years. I’m out about as long as that man is in so didn’t know him but pray for his family today.
News has to happen! Generally its stories from the recent past.rip
How many stabbings is that in Dublin in the last 2 weeks?! Four? Shotgun city is now stab city. And how people used to slate limerick with this stab city tag is laughable by comparison.
According to a dublin judge stabbings are a daily occurrence in dublin, according to a consultant, st james hospital treats 1,000 stab victims a year, not to mention tallaght and the rest of dublins hospitals.
5,000 stabbings a year in dublin wouldn’t be an overly expansive figure.
But then Dublin was always stab city, the dublin media just projected it on to limerick.
Is this yesterday’s news.
It’s a follow onto the story. Colladh Samh John
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