Reinforcements head to Kobani

Fighters from the Free Syrian Army crossed over from Turkey on Wednesday to back up Syrian Kurdish forces fighting against "Islamic State" (IS) militants in the month-long battle for the town of Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab.

Peshmerga fighters from Iraqi Kurdistan remained poised to cross over, after a convoy of trucks carrying troops and weapons crossed over into Turkish territory early Wednesday.

These reinforcements were backed up by air raids by United States fighter jets through Tuesday and Wednesday, the US Military's Central Command said.

Turkey had been wary of allowing the Kurdish fighters to travel through its territory to join the fight for Kobani, given Ankara's long-running conflict with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). However, the town had become a symbol in the battle against IS.

Executions reported

In Iraq, American drones and fighter jets conducted several bombing raids near Sinjar and Fallujah, according to the US Central Command.

Reports emerged on Wednesday that IS jihadists had executed dozens of members of a tribe which had fought against them in Anbar province.

News agencies quoting local sources said an estimated 30 to 46 men were paraded through the town of Hit, before they were lined up and shot dead.

The extremists had declared a self-styled caliphate after sweeping through large areas of Iraq and Syria since June, imposing their own version of Shariah law in the territories they control.

Targeting religious minorities, they had killed hundreds of people and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

se/lw (AP, AFP)