Casualties mount as fighting resumes in Kurdish Kobani

KOBANI, Syria – Fighting resumed in the Kurdish Syrian town of Kobane on Thursday and casualties mounted, a day after the Islamic State (ISIS) group launched a wave of deadly car bombs and assaults.

At least 100 people have died and about 150 wounded, according to the latest figures by a Rudaw correspondent on the scene.

"The fighting, which had stopped since 9 pm last night, began again in the early morning,” Rudaw’s correspondent said, adding that the town’s Kurdish defenders are battling the radical group around the Mshtanour hospital.

On Thursday, the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) said in a statement that the day’s fighting had killed 45 civilians and that its fighters had killed 30 of the militants.

The militants are reportedly surrounded by YPG fighters in several areas of Kobani. As the fight continues, the numbers of civilians who died and wounded have reached up to hundreds.

“At least 100 civilians, including women and children, died and up to 150 people are wounded, some in critical health situation” our reporter said.

Kobani was liberated in January after months of heavy fighting. The town is a powerful symbol of Kurdish resistance to ISIS, some referring to it as the "Kurdish Stalingrad."