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Iraqis demonstrate against Islamic State and its militants in Erbil, in northern Iraq, on September 23.
Iraqis demonstrate against Islamic State and its militants in Erbil, in northern Iraq, on September 23.
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IS Monitor

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-- There were reports of clashes between Islamic State fighters and Kurdish forces as IS troops advanced toward Kobane on Thursday. Sources in Kobane reported shelling or tank fire in the vicinity of the town, although the YPG said they had pushed back IS to within around 10 kilometers of the town overnight on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Kurdish YPG has said that it is willing to cooperate with the U.S.-led coalition and provide intelligence about IS positions.


-- Iranian President Hassan Rohani told the UN General Assembly that the West was responsible for creating "terrorist havens" in Syria, the Caucasus, and elsewhere.

-- U.S., Saudi, and United Arab Emirates warplanes carried out further air strikes against 12 Islamic State targets in Syria, targeting oil refineries in the east of the country. The refineries were used by the Islamic State to gain revenues to fund its operations in Syria and Iraq, according to the Pentagon.

-- The U.S. State Department has named 12 groups and individuals it says are backing terror in Syria. The named groups include the Chechen-led faction Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar, which considers itself to be a Syrian branch of the Caucasus Emirate terrorist group.

-- Kurdish refugees who fled from the border town of Ayn al-Arab (Kobane in Kurdish) to southeastern Turkey to escape Islamic State militants have started to return home, despite reports that IS is still advancing toward Ayn al-Arab.

Saudi Paper On U.S., Russia

In an editorial discussing the U.S. decision to strike against IS, Saudi Arabia's "Ar-Riyadh" newspaper says that while Washington is now taking action in Syria as part of a coalition with Arab states, it had previously ignored the growth of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The United States had also left the Syrian opposition without help to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the paper asserts.

"Ar-Riyadh" also criticizes Russia's condemnation of the U.S. strikes on Islamic State, saying that the Russian Foreign Ministry's comments that Syria had not given its approval for the strikes were "bizarre."

Kurdish Refugees Return

Hundreds of Kurdish refugees who fled to Turkey from the Syrian border town of Ayn al-Arab (Kobane) began to go home when Turkey opened the border on September 25.

Lizzie Phelan of Ruptly tweeted these images from the Mursitpinar crossing on the Turkish border on Thursday morning:

Meanwhile, Kurdish sources report that other refugees fleeing from Syria have been kept waiting at the Turkish border.

The news that some Kurds from Ayn al-Arab/Kobane are returning home comes amid reports that the Islamic State continues to advance on Ayn al-Arab. Images posted on September 24 claim to show the Islamic State just several kilometers south of the town.

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