IS re-enters Kurdish held town of Kobane

Islamic State fighters have entered the northern Syrian city of Kobane, battling Kurdish forces, activists say, the BBC reports.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says a number of people were killed in fierce clashes in the centre of the town on the Syrian-Turkish border.

Kurdish forces drove IS forces from Kobane early this year after a long campaign backed by US-led air strikes.

The battle made international headlines – heralding what some saw as a symbolic defeat for the IS.

The jihadist group has suffered a string of defeats to Kurdish forces since it was forced to withdraw from Kobane in January after a four-month battle.

Early this week, Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG) forces said they had captured a key town, Ain Issa, just 50km (30 miles) from the IS headquarters at Raqqa, days after seizing Tal Abyad and cutting a major supply line for IS.