Airstrikes hit IS near embattled town on Syrian border

Warplanes believed to have been sent by the US-led coalition struck positions held by Islamic State militants near a Syrian border town that beleaguered Kurdish forces have been struggling to defend.

Today’s air strikes came after fighters from the extremist group managed to enter some areas of Kobani, a strategic town near the Turkish border.

Journalists on the Turkish side of the border heard the sound of warplanes before two large plumes of smoke billowed just west of Kobani.

The US-led coalition has launched several air strikes near Kobani over the past two weeks in a bid to help Kurdish forces defend the town, but they appear to have done little to slow the Islamic State offensive.