Air strikes alone will not save Kobane, say UK and US

Air strikes alone will not stop the Syrian-Turkish border town of Kobane falling to Islamic State, the US and UK have warned.

American aircraft were attacking IS positions around the besieged town for the third day in a row yesterday, but a Pentagon official has warned that there are limits to what the campaign can achieve.

BBC correspondent Paul Adams described it as a day of "colossal explosions". From the border, Adams said the "relentless" sounds of battle could be heard as the town experienced its most intense street battles so far this week.

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The Washington Post says the air strikes appear to be having some effect but the town still remains surrounded on three sides. The three weeks of fighting has left more than 400 people dead and forced 160,000 refugees across the border into Turkey.

"Airstrikes are not going to save the town of Kobane. We know that," said Pentagon press secretary Rear Admiral John F Kirby. "We all should be steeling ourselves for that eventuality."

Kirby told a press briefing that the strategic goal of US air strikes in Syria was to destroy IS infrastructure to protect Iraq, not to save individual Syrian towns.

Similarly, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, who is visiting Washington, said it was "never envisaged" that the use of air power "in this battle would turn the tide in the short-term".

US officials have expressed growing frustration with Turkey's refusal to intervene. Ankara wants a buffer zone set up on the Turkish border inside Syria to ensure security and ease the refugee influx, but the White House has said it does not support the idea.

Clashes between Turkish police and Kurdish protesters continued in Istanbul last night, with many Kurds angry that Turkey has prevented fighters crossing the border to fight against IS in Kobane. At least 19 people have been killed so far in the protests.