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AP/Press Association Images

Obama: We are deeply concerned about what's happening in Kobane

The US president has committed to continued air strikes on the northern Syrian town.

US PRESIDENT BARACK Obama has expressed grave concern over the plight of the Syrian town of Kobane under attack by Islamic State jihadists, and said a US-led coalition would keep up bombing raids there and in western Iraq.

“We’re deeply concerned about the situation in and around the Syrian town of Kobane,” Obama said after meeting commanders from a coalition of more than 20 countries fighting the IS group.

The US president, sitting next to his national security adviser Susan Rice and the US military’s top officer, General Martin Dempsey, said the US government was “also focused on the fighting that is taking place in Iraq’s Anbar province.”

US-led aircraft hammered Islamic State jihadists with 21 bombing raids near Kobane over the past two days amid signs the strikes had “slowed” the group’s advance on the Syrian border town, the American military said.

In one of the heaviest bombardments so far against the Sunni jihadists encircling Kobane, coalition air strikes “destroyed” two IS staging locations, a building, a truck, two vehicles, three compounds and damaged several other targets, it said.

The IS group has steadily gained ground around Kobane and has reportedly captured nearly half of the town, which lies close to the Turkish border.

Obama said there had been some “important successes” in the campaign against IS militants, citing the successful bid to retake and hold Mosul dam in Iraq.

Turkey Syria Thick smoke rises following an airstrike by the US-led coalition in Kobani, Syria while fighting continued between Syrian Kurds and the militants of Islamic State group. AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

The coalition chiefs agreed that “this is going to be a long term campaign,” he said.

The effort to defeat IS was not merely a military operation and the campaign would require tackling the group’s extremist ideology and its funding sources, Obama said.

Earlier today, Secretary of State John Kerry insisted that Turkey is allowing a US-led coalition to use some of its facilities in the battle against Islamic militants, but refused to go into detail.

He said that Turkey, a NATO ally which borders both Iraq and Syria, would define its role “on their timetable as we go forward in assigning and undertaking responsibilities within the coalition”.

© AFP 2014.

Read: Kurds fight back as Islamic State attempts to take centre of battleground city >

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    Mute Padraig Mac Floinn
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:21 PM

    Kurds are extraordinary people – the women in particular – modern , feminists who wear make-up and combat fatigues as they fight alongside the men on front lines . They are secular Muslims fighting abhorrant enemies bent on their annihilation . They need support desperately and I pray they get it

    118
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    Mute Ahippo
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    Oct 15th 2014, 12:19 AM

    Some Kurds.. the Kurds have their Islamists too. And quite a few of the Kurds are Alevi.

    11
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    Mute ptriley
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:08 PM

    It’s a pity you can’t infect IS with Ebola,that would be nice for the head chopping savages

    67
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    Mute inproperganda
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:10 PM

    which savages the arab or American ones?

    33
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    Mute inproperganda
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:08 PM

    the expansion of the American Empire marches on, will this go down in history as the FOURTH REICH

    30
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    Mute charles
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:11 PM

    Don’t be silly.

    71
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    Mute Ablitive
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:21 PM

    Zi0nist regime is the fourth Reich and the US is Israel’s side kick.

    The US is fighting Israel’s wars.

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    Mute inproperganda
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:29 PM

    900 military bases in 153 different countries and expanding, if that’s not an Empire marching forth what is then, whose next Iran after Iraq Syria and Libya…??

    31
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    Mute Declan Noonan
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:43 PM

    For the personnel question, we turned to a Sept. 30, 2010, Pentagon document titled, “Active Duty Military Personnel Strengths by Regional Area and by Country.”

    We tallied up all the countries with at least one member of the U.S. military, excluding those with personnel deemed to be “afloat.” We found U.S. military personnel on the ground in a whopping 148 countries — even more than Paul had said. (There are varying standards for what constitutes a “country,” so that may explain the divergence from Paul’s number.)

    However, we should add a caveat. In 56 of these 148 countries, the U.S. has less than 10 active-duty personnel present. These include such obscure locales as Mongolia, Nepal, Gabon, Togo and Suriname.

    By contrast, the U.S. has disclosed only 13 countries outside the United States and its possessions that are host to more than 1,000 personnel. They are: Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Japan, Bahrain, Djibouti, South Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.

    In addition, this is a snapshot of the global military footprint, so it may not include all temporary training missions and humanitarian assistance activities. “Such activities are so pervasive you almost have to wonder how the other 70 countries manage to avoid hosting such operations,” said John Pike, the director of globalsecurity.org, a national security think tank.

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    Mute Declan Noonan
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:46 PM

    Another report has a number of 660 bases in 38 countries.
    You should really do your homework instead of believing in extreme figures because it suits your way of thinking.

    19
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    Mute inproperganda
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:50 PM

    they have set fire to and invaded about 55 countries since the end of the so called second world war after dropping nukes on civilians in Japan, if that’s not the Terrorist who is?

    13
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    Mute Ciarán Masterson
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    Oct 15th 2014, 12:06 AM

    @inproperganda

    The Japanese civilian death toll would have been much higher if the Americans had invaded instead of dropping Little Boy and Fat Man. The Imperial Japanese Army committed rape, massacres and the enslavement and starvation of Allied civilians and prisoners-of-war. Have you not heard of the Rape of Nanking and the Bridge over the River Kwai? Didn’t you know that Japanese soldiers bayoneted and buried Chinese people alive?

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    Mute inproperganda
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    Oct 15th 2014, 12:14 AM

    you quote is like something straight out of a U.S propaganda training manual, we have heard all the excuses, it would be a different story if jihadists dropped a nuke, what excuses would you use then?

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    Mute Ahippo
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    Oct 15th 2014, 12:15 AM

    Don’t be silly.

    23
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    Mute Ablitive
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    Oct 15th 2014, 12:23 AM

    At least the Army of the 3rd Reich did not arm highly volatile terrorist organisations to the teeth which in itself has become a global threat and global epidemic.

    No doubt the psychopaths behind this rising fourth Reich will use this to their advantage in their quest to conquer, murder and steal as we are currently witnessing in Syria.

    http://s15.postimg.org/7i5kdgsyj/usasteal.jpg

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    Mute Ahippo
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    Oct 15th 2014, 12:27 AM

    Agitprop… I for one am glad there is one country in the world which is prepared to mount a military operation against the extremist barbarians who threaten our safety and our old civilisation even if it was their misguided imperial reflex which created the barbarians in the first place. I am glad too that they destroyed Japans capacity and will to make war and that they are prepared to stand up against the awful Chinese regime which is empire building by stealth and the even worse Russian one which is rebuilding its empire by violence. Glad too that US energy policy is keeping us all in cheap oil… the barrel price has fallen 12 to 15 per cent in the last six months. And that they prepared to help combat Ebola in West Africa and the plague of Boko Haram in the Sahel. Go USA.

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    Mute Ablitive
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    Oct 15th 2014, 12:49 AM

    Declan Noonan ..No doubt when US and their Jihad terrorists complete the task of ousting Assad we will see bases set up across Syria and after this IRAN no doubt. Adolph Hitler never had it so easy.

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    Mute ekumen kelly
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    Oct 15th 2014, 1:29 AM

    @Ahippo & inproperganda…. I like to be able to say anything I want to say, I like to drink and eat anything I like, and I don’t want my children to live in a world that says there is only one prophet and his name is Bla Bla and everybody else is Kuffar you can look at the flowers for your enjoyment, no wine women and song for you…but you can play with an AK47 if you like.
    This IS outfit are a bit insane do you not think, That’s Mad Ted

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    Mute Justin McNulty
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    Oct 15th 2014, 6:43 AM

    “so called” second world war, I thunk you’ll find everyone caps it that. It indicates how far on the fringe you are

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    Mute inproperganda
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    Oct 15th 2014, 6:47 AM

    you do you realize the U.S. backed I.s in overthrowing Gaddaffi in Libya,how is sharia law coming along there,not forgetting the FSA jihadist headhackers in Syria armed by the Brits and the U.S. , where is the condemnation of these headhackers eh, talking about prophets how many native ameriCans were murdered by Christian Jihadists, not forgetiing the Australian ones also and others, you have no problem Christians hacking peoples head off in the name of the prophet Jesus when muslims do it everyone starts throwing their toys out of the pram

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    Mute inproperganda
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    Oct 15th 2014, 6:51 AM

    SO Justin they instruct you its called world war 2, and you bend the knee and believe everything they tell you. not capable of working it out for yourself then?

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    Mute inproperganda
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    Oct 15th 2014, 7:04 AM

    yeah Justin those Christian countries starting world wars, cant blame that murderous madness on muslims can you?

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    Mute Jopmarsy
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    Oct 15th 2014, 7:36 AM

    Inproper, the Japs got their just desserts, same thing will happen to ISIS, the tide always turns.

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    Mute Justin McNulty
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    Oct 15th 2014, 7:44 AM

    Yeah pretty sure most normal people are happy with WWII or some variation thereof “they” haven’t told me anything mate, as you yourself need to use the phrase “so called world war two” I can only assume you haven’t dreamt up a suitable “conspiracy theory” “tin foil hat gang” description yet. Now don’t be bothering me I’ve got a real world to engage with.

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    Mute Endeus™
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    Oct 15th 2014, 1:31 AM

    Concerned and yet he still doesn’t do anything meaningful. President Doolittle this man is a useless politician just like Enda and Comedy Dave Cameron…

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    Mute Foghorn Leghorn
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    Oct 15th 2014, 10:18 AM

    He’s damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t

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