Advertisement

  1. National

Peshmerga depart from Turkey to besieged Kobani

A convoy of Kurdish Peshmerga troops departed from Turkey in a convoy overnight to help bolster Syrian Kurds holding out against self-styled Islamic State militants in the besieged town of Kobani.

Islamic State combatants have been trying to capture Kobani, known as Ayn al-Arab in Arabic, for over a month, pressing their assault despite U.S.-led air strikes on their positions and the deaths of hundreds of their fighters.

View all 211 updates ›

US arms 'claimed by IS militants' after air drop

Video posted online shows grenades, which it is claimed were dropped by US forces.. Credit: YouTube

Islamic State (IS) fighters have claimed that munitions dropped by American planes have landed in the areas they control, rather then getting to the Kurdish fighters the US is trying to arm.

ITV News Washington Correspondent Robert Moore reports:

In a video posted online a masked man with a machine gun opens several boxes which hold a variety of shells and explosives. He says: "These are the bombs dropped by American forces to the Kurdish forces. Praise to God, now they are spoils for the Mujahideen."

The United States airdropped arms for the first time to help the defenders resist an assault by IS.

Video posted online shows shells, which it is claimed were dropped by US forces.. Credit: YouTube

The US military said it conducted six air strikes on Islamic State militants near Kobani on Sunday and Monday, one of which destroyed a stray bundle of supplies from an air drop in order to prevent them from falling into enemy hands.

More on this story