Sporadic fighting at contested town continues

Sporadic fighting between jihadi militants and Kurdish fighters has continued for control of the northern Syrian town of Ain Al-Arab (Kobane), the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement on Thursday.
The monitor reported intermittent clashes with automatic guns and rockets between gunmen of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and armed Kurdish groups on roads and alleyways of the town, over the past hours. It also reported bids by the two foes to advance and seize more territory in and around the town, located a stone's throw from the Syrian-Turkish border line.
It indicated that caches of arms that have been dropped by coalition aircraft are not sufficient to tilt balance on theatre of military operations in favor of the Kurds, who have remained in need for greater military support, namely guns and fighters.
Meanwhile, the monitoring body reported that Turkish factions active in northern Syria have formed a joint authority to administer affairs in the predominantly-Kurdish regions and districts.
It also reported in a separate statement that up to 533 people, including scores of gunmen, have been killed since the Arab-international coalition started bombing the ISIL strongholds at Kobane and nearby regions, on the 23rd of the past month. Among the deaths were 32 civilians, including six babies and five women.
The ISIL has been besieging Kobane since September 16th. The Kurds regard the town as an iconic location for glorifying the Kurds' patriotism.