ALEPPO
A replacement battalion of 150 Kurdish peshmerga troops joined the fighting against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on Saturday, a Kurdish commander said on Saturday.
The peshmerga battalion reached the ongoing battle in the besieged border town Kobani, by traveling through Turkey.
"We have launched an operation against ISIL militants overnight with the support of US-led coalition's warplanes," said peshmerga Commander Farhat Abdollah.
Abdollah also said the Kurdish groups cleared some streets of militants, and that the airstrikes were continuing to support their battle in the field.
Shaban Ramazan, a captain of the peshmerga forces, said the ISIL fighters attacked their position from Kobani's southern and eastern sections with heavy arms in the early hours of the morning. The peshmerga forces met the fire with the same kind of attack.
"Street clashes still continue, and the international coalition continues to hit the ISIL targets without pause," Ramazan said. The ISIL fighters were forced to retreat from some positions as they suffered heavy losses.
The second group of peshmerga forces, a convoy of seven minibuses, replaced the first group on Tuesday that had reached Kobani in October by passing through Turkey.
Kobani, also known as Ayn al Arab, has seen fierce battles between ISIL militants and Kurdish fighters since mid-September.
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