Iraq Isis Crisis: Kurdish Peshmerga Fighters Enter Kobani to Battle Islamists

Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces have entered the Syrian-Turkish border town of Kobani to fight Islamic State [Isis] militants.

A convoy carrying about 150 Peshmerga fighters moved into the besieged town via the Yumurtalik crossing along with heavy weaponry, including anti-aircraft machine guns.

The Kurdish contingent is entering Kobani, which has recently become the flashpoint of the IS conflict, as the US-led airstrikes have targeted militants' facilities in the area.

Photographs show cheerful Peshmerga fighters flashing the victory sign and holding Kurdish flags as they march through the streets of Kobani. The forces were escorted by Turkish troops.

The border town has been under IS attack for the past six weeks as the extremists continue to seize villages around the town. The US-led airstrikes have so far failed to stop their march but officials say the offensive has inflicted significant damage on the IS Islamists.

The deployment comes in the wake of the failure of the struggling Syrian Kurds to contain the IS jihadists. Besides, reinforcements have been sanctioned by the semi-autonomous Kurdish government.

According to estimates, about 1,000 Syrian Kurds are fighting the IS militants, who are about three times the number.

Meanwhile, Turkey has called on western nations involved in the anti-IS military campaign to focus on areas other than Kobani as well.

"We're only talking about Kobani, a city on the Turkish border where there is almost no one left besides 2,000 fighters. It's difficult to understand this approach: why are coalition forces continually bombarding Kobani? Why don't the coalition forces want to act in other zones?" said Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.