US airdrops weapons supplies for Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State

America has given Kurdish fighters weapons to hold down the town of Kobani, in a move likely to anger key ally Turkey.

17:10 20 October 2014

The United States of America has airdropped weapons and supplies for Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State in the town of Kobani in Syria as confirmed by US Central Command.

 

In a statement, it said that Air Force C-130 planes "delivered weapons, ammunition and medical supplies that were provided by Kurdish authorities in Iraq and intended to enable continued resistance against ISIL's (IS) attempts to overtake Kobani".

 

"However, the security situation in Kobani remains fragile as ISIL continues to threaten the city and Kurdish forces continue to resist," 

 

Meanwhile, Kurdish forces confirmed that they received “large quantity of ammunition” from the US airdrop. 

 

America's move is likely to anger key ally Turkey, which has said it would oppose the US helping to arm Kurdish rebels, who have been under IS assault for more than a month. 

 

Ankara views the main Kurdish group in Syria as an extension of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party, which is a designated terror group by the US and NATO.