KOBANE, Syria-The US-led anti-Islamic State coalition launched airstrikes targeting militant strongholds on the outskirts of the beleaguered Kurdish city of Kobane for the first time early Saturday, according to local officials. The strike follows a weeklong Islamic State (IS or ISIS) offensive that has driven over 140,000 Syrian Kurds across the Turkish border. Ahmed Sulaiman, an official of the Democratic Progressive Party in Syria, told Rudaw that the mission targeted ISIS militants based in Jim-Hiran, Ali-Shar, Mirde Smill, and southern sections of Sheran, all villages east of Kobane, the unofficial capital of the autonomous Kurdish vilayets in Northern Syria. The bombings began at approximately 6am, according to witnesses, and continued through the morning. This is the first time that coalition airstrikes targeted the vicinity of the embattled Kurdish city, arriving after a week of desperate pleas from local residents and opposition militias for the coalition to intervene. ISIS fighters retaliated by shelling the city from positions 10 kilometers away. Residents reported five major explosions inside the city at 3:30pm. This is the first time the city itself has come under attack. Some residents returned to the city in recent days, believing it to be safe, before leaving the city again today. A Rudaw reporter on the border said there were no problems for those wishing to cross in either direction. The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) are holding positions on the outside of the city, and many men have returned to the city from Turkey to join in the city’s defense, vowing to “make Kobane the graveyard of ISIS fighters,” according to one YPG recruit who spoke to Rudaw. Some Kurdish fighters returning to the front admitted that they are outgunned, carrying only light weapons to battle a force wielding sophisticated modern armaments stolen from the Iraqi and Syrian armies. Salih Muslim, the leader of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD)—the political wing of the YPG and the ruling party in the Kurdish controlled areas in Northern Syria--had complained that the coalition had ignored ISIS targets in Kobane even as the Islamic militants targeted civilians. “We see all the fighter jets flying around, but they never target IS near Kobane. Airstrikes will be very helpful to repel IS attacks on Kobane,” said Muslim. The coalition also expanded the air offensive into the central province of Homs Saturday, although strikes were at considerable distance from Homs city, controlled by Syrian president Bashar al Assad. These strikes were carried out in the desert area of al-Hammad. Meanwhile other targets included Minbej, east of Aleppo, and multiple targets in Raqqa province, the center of ISIS activity and support. Raqqa city endured heavy bombardment, according to local witnesses. The western coalition has been reluctant to provide military support for the PYD and their military wing in the past because of their links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which many coalition partners-- including the US and Turkey--classify as a terrorist organization. This story has been updated at 16:22 27/09/14
