Turkish soldiers stand guard near Mursitpinar border crossing as smoke rises in the Syrian town of Kobani, seen from near the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province, October 3, 2014.
Credit: REUTERS/Murad Sezer

Kurds Warn Of Massacre By Islamic State, Turkey Stops Short Of Action -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Kurdish fighters defending a Syrian border town warned on Friday of a likely massacre by Islamic State insurgents as the Islamists encircled the town with tanks and bombarded its outskirts with artillery fire.

Turkey said it would do what it could to prevent Kobani, a predominantly Kurdish town just over its southern border, from falling into Islamic State hands but stopped short of committing to any direct military intervention.

U.S.-led forces have been bombing Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq but the action has done little to stop their advance in northern Syria towards the Turkish border, piling pressure on Ankara to intervene.

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Islamic State War News Updates -- October 3, 2014

Kurdish fighters gird for battle as ISIS enters besieged Syrian city of Kobani -- CNN
Isis assault on Kurdish city of Kobani ‘reaches decisive moment’ -- The Guardian
Islamic State steps up attack on Syrian town of Kobane -- BBC
ISIS move in on northern Syria border town of Kobane a day after Turkey's prime minister vowed to do everything possible to save it from Islamists -- Daily Mail
Syria warns Turkey against anti-ISIS incursions -- Al Arabiya
Syrian Rebel Commanders Say US Airstrikes Bolster Assad -- VOA
Airstrikes on Islamic State in Syria draw militant response -- Sydney Morning Herald
ISIS losing hearts and minds in its heartland -- CBS
From Bang to Whimper, ISIS Propaganda Withers Under U.S. Strikes -- ABC News
Kurds wary of Turkey role in fight against Islamic State -- Paul Adams, BBC
An expert thinks Obama's "arm the rebels" strategy in Syria could be a disaster -- Amanda Taub, VOX
Competing Goals Could Frustrate Efforts to Fight Islamic State -- VOA
Striking a balance with US military intervention -- Mark Pomerleau, The Hill
Remember Our Syrian Allies -- Robert S. Ford, NYT
In Syria, the United States is bombing friend and foe alike -- Mohammed Alaa Ghanem, Washington Post
Foreign nations’ proxy war in Syria creates chaos -- David Ignatius, Washington Post