In Kobane, Kurdish forces prepare for offensive on strategic height

KOBANE, Syria – Kurdish forces in the embattled town of Kobane say they have recaptured more than 70 percent of the city from the Islamic State (ISIS) and prepare for a coordinated attack on the strategic Mistenur heights which are still under the militants’ control.

The joint Peshmerga and People’s Protection Units (YPG) forces, supported by US-led airpower pushed back the jihadist militants from their earlier positions in the city, which has been under an ISIS siege since September last year.

In a separate development, authorities in the Netherlands announced Sunday that 14 of 130 ISIS recruits have been killed in battles in Syria or Iraq, while 30 former militants with Dutch nationalities have so far returned to the country.

Officials said efforts are underway to prosecute former members in the Netherlands as “illegal foreign combatants.”