Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga Enter Kobane

Local Editor

Some 150 Iraqi peshmerga fighters on Friday entered the Syrian town of Kobane, after a three day wait to head across the border and fight against "ISIL" extremists.

The fighters drove out of the heavily-guarded warehouse and headed towards the Mursitpinar border crossing to reinforce Syrian Kurds in the battle against the "ISIL" [ISIL] militants for the town.

The pro-Kurdish Firat news agency later reported that the convoy had crossed the Turkey-Syria border, which lies 10 kilometers [6 miles] to the south of their start point in the Turkish border town of Suruc.

Kobane is itself just south of the border.

Amid jubilant scenes, the fighters were cheered by Kurds lining the road to the border who took pictures with their mobile phones.
The peshmerga stood atop of their pick-ups, waving to their supporters and brandishing their rifles in the air.

Turkish police lined the road holding their anti-riot shields to ensure the Kurds did not block the path of the peshmerga.
The peshmerga had arrived from northern Iraq in two contingents -- one by air and one by land -- but both appeared to be heading to the border together.

The air contingent had arrived in the early hours of Wednesday and the land contingent early Thursday. There had been growing frustration among some Kurds over why the deployment was taking so long.

However, earlier Friday there was a hint some movement might be imminent when two trucks took on fuel from a gas station in preparation for the trip to the border.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team