Islamic State 'driven out of Kobane'

Damascus, Jan 27: Kurdish forces have driven Islamic State (IS) militants from Kobane, officials say, ending a four-month battle for the northern Syrian town.

Fighters from the Popular Protection Units (YPG) were said to have entered outlying areas in the east of the town after the jihadis retreated, BBC reported.

The US said anti-IS forces were in control of 90% of the town.

Kobane was seen as a major test of the US-led coalition's strategy to combat IS in Syria with air strikes.

Tens of thousands of people fled over the nearby border with Turkey after IS launched an offensive in September, capturing about 300 nearby villages before entering the predominantly Kurdish town itself.

The fighting has left at least 1,600 people dead, among them 1,196 jihadis, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says.

Photographs posted on social media Monday afternoon showed the YPG flag being flown around Kobane, and male and female fighters shaking hands. As night fell, celebratory gunfire echoed across the town.

IANS