Damascus, Jan 26 (IANS): Kurdish fighters now control around 90 percent of the predominantly Kurdish city of Kobani in northern Syria, a monitoring group reported Monday.
The People's Protection Units (YPG) advanced in several areas in Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab, after months-long battles with the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, Xinhua news agency reported citing the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The IS been cornered in the eastern rim of Kobani, said the observatory, adding that the IS sent a battalion of around 140 fresh combatants, the majority of whom under 18.
It said six of those young combatants were killed in clashes with the YPG.
In late 2014, the IS unleashed a wide-scale offensive against Kobani due to its strategic location on the borders with Turkey.
However, Kurdish fighters, aided by US-led airstrikes, have weakened the IS's control of the city.