Peshmerga forces enter Syrian town

As reported in 'The Japan News' : The Associated Press, SURUC, Turkey (AP) — A vanguard force of Iraqi peshmerga troops entered the embattled Syrian border town of Kobani from Turkey on Thursday, part of a larger group of 150 fighters that the Kurds hope will turn back an offensive by militants of the Islamic State group. The deployment, accompanied by 50 members of the Free Syrian Army, was condemned by Syria’s government as an act of Turkish aggression and a “blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty.” The first group of Kurdish fighters crossed into Syria following heavy overnight clashes as Islamic State extremists unsuccessfully tried to capture the frontier post, the only gateway in and out of the town. Kobani is under attack by the militants from three sides despite weeks of airstrikes by a U.S.-led coalition. Mustafa Bali, an activist based in the town, said the remaining troops will follow later in installments as a security precaution because the IS fighters were targeting the border area. “The first 10 are now with the People’s Protection Units, and they include doctors and fighters, and the rest are expected to enter in the coming hours at night,” Bali told The Associated Press. The People’s Protection Units, also known as the YPG, are the main force in predominantly Kurdish regions of northern Syria. Other peshmerga forces were assembled in a facility on the outskirts of the Turkish border town of Suruc, about 12 kilometers from the Syrian frontier.Speech