Syria: Isis Flag Flies over Kurdish Kobani as Turkey Masses Tanks on Border

A black flag apparently belonging to the Islamic State (IS) jihadists has been raised atop a building on the eastern side of the Syrian city of Kobani, where the Islamist group has been fighting Kurdish forces in recent days.

Video footage shot from across the Turkish border showed the large flag carrying a with logo flying over a four storey building in the city that has been besieged by IS fighters.

A Turkish military officer confirmed to Reuters that the flag was that of Islamic State. Photos also showed Turkey massing tank on the hillside just across the border from the mebattled town.

BBC world affairs correspondent Paul Adams tweeted:

BBC producer Piers Scholfield tweeted:

Kobani has been the site of fierce fighting in recent days.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that more than 45 fighters on both sides were killed Sunday near the town of Kobani, including a Kurdish female fighter who blew herself up.

The Kobani area has been under attack since mid-September, when the group previously known as ISIS captured dozens of nearby Kurdish villages.