Amerikanske fly har kastet våben, ammunition og medicin ned til de kurdiske militssoldater, der kæmper mod den militante bevægelse Islamisk Stat, IS, nær den syriske by Kobane.
Det oplyser den amerikanske centralkommando i en erklæring søndag aften amerikansk tid.
Ifølge erklæringen har C-130-fragtfly gennemført "adskillige" nedkastninger over området. De "har til formål at muliggøre en fortsat modstand mod Isils (andet navn for Islamisk Stat, red.) forsøg på at erobre Kobane".
Lang kamp om vigtig by
IS lancerede i midten af september en offensiv mod Kobane, der ligger tæt på den syrisk-tyrkiske grænse. Men ifølge USA's militære chefer har en række luftangreb den seneste uge sendt bevægelsen i defensiven.
I alt er der gennemført 135 luftangreb mod IS nær Kobane over de seneste dage, lyder det fra den amerikanske centralkommando.
- Men sikkerhedssituationen i Kobane er fortsat skrøbelig, da Isil fortsætter med at true byen, hedder det i erklæringen.
Tyrkiet nægter at åbne grænsen
Tyrkiet har hidtil afvist at åbne grænsen ind i Syrien, så de pressede kurdiske militssoldater kunne få nye våben og forsyninger ind.
Det syriske parti PYD's væbnede gren, YPG, der fører an i forsvaret af Kobani, er nemlig allieret med Kurdistans Arbejderparti, PKK, som står på både USA og Tyrkiets liste over terrororganisationer.
USA's præsident, Barack Obama, ringede ifølge Det Hvide Hus søndag til sin tyrkiske kollega, præsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Men Erdogan afviser fortsat at sende våben over grænsen.
Samtidig har Erdogan udtrykt modstand mod eventuelle amerikanske våbenleverancer til kurderne, og derfor må nedkastningerne forventes at vække harme i Ankara.
Den amerikanske lufthjælp er den første af sin slags i den igangværende konflikt mellem en bred koalition af lande på den ene side og Islamisk Stat på den anden.
Forsyningerne stammer fra myndighederne i det selvstyrende kurdiske område af Irak.
Syrian Kurdish women stands outside tents in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix) A Kurdish refugee children from the Syrian town of Kobani walk besitde their tents in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix) A Kurdish refugee woman from the Syrian town of Kobani washes her dishes in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix) A Kurdish refugee family from the Syrian town of Kobani rests beside their tent in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix) A Kurdish refugee child from the Syrian town of Kobani washes his face in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix) Syrian Kurdish refugees that fled the Syrian town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, walk past tents in a refugee camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, in the Turkish Sanliurfa province, on October 16, 2014. Kurdish fighters backed by a flurry of US-led air strikes were holding out on October 16 against jihadists in Kobane, as an Islamic State (IS) offensive on the Syrian border town entered its second month. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix) : Syrian Kurdish refugees who fled the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab (known as Kobane by the Kurds), gather outside tents in a refugee camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, in the Turkish Sanliurfa province, on October 16, 2014. Kurdish fighters backed by a flurry of US-led air strikes were holding out on October 16 against jihadists in Kobane, as an Islamic State (IS) offensive on the Syrian border town entered its second month. (Foto: © Zein Al-Rifai, Scanpix) A Kurdish refugee from the Syrian town of Kobani hangs her clothes in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix) : A Syrian Kurdish boy stands in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix) Syrian Kurdish refugees who fled the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab (known as Kobane by the Kurds), receive towels in a refugee camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, in the Turkish Sanliurfa province, on October 16, 2014. Kurdish fighters backed by a flurry of US-led air strikes were holding out on October 16 against jihadists in Kobane, as an Islamic State (IS) offensive on the Syrian border town entered its second month. (Foto: © Zein Al-Rifai, Scanpix) A Syrian Kurdish girl is reflected in a puddle in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014 during sun rise. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix) A Kurdish refugee children from the Syrian town of Kobani walk besitde their tents in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix) A Syrian Kurdish woman walks in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix) Syrian Kurdish woman walks in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix) Syrian Kurdish man stands in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix) A Syrian Kurdish woman walks in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014 during sun rise. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix) A Syrian Kurdish woman stands outside tents in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix) A Kurdish refugee child from the Syrian town of Kobani peeks our of a tent in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 16, 2014. The United States is bombing targets in Kobani for humanitarian purposes to relieve defenders of the Syrian town and give them time to organize against Islamic State militants, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix) Syrian refugee children who fled from Kobane, shout slogans against Islamic State in a refugee camp at Suruc district, Sanliurfa, Turkey, 16 October 2014. Islamic State militants were retreating from areas of Kobane, a key Kurdish town in northern Syria on the border with Turkey, as the jihadists faced a combination of US-led airstrikes and attacks by Kurdish fighters. But US officials have warned that Kobane could still be overrun by the jihadists. (Foto: © Tolga Bozoglu, Scanpix)
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Syrian Kurdish women stands outside tents in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix)
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A Kurdish refugee children from the Syrian town of Kobani walk besitde their tents in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix)
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A Kurdish refugee woman from the Syrian town of Kobani washes her dishes in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix)
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A Kurdish refugee family from the Syrian town of Kobani rests beside their tent in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix)
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A Kurdish refugee child from the Syrian town of Kobani washes his face in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix)
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Syrian Kurdish refugees that fled the Syrian town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, walk past tents in a refugee camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, in the Turkish Sanliurfa province, on October 16, 2014. Kurdish fighters backed by a flurry of US-led air strikes were holding out on October 16 against jihadists in Kobane, as an Islamic State (IS) offensive on the Syrian border town entered its second month. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix)
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: Syrian Kurdish refugees who fled the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab (known as Kobane by the Kurds), gather outside tents in a refugee camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, in the Turkish Sanliurfa province, on October 16, 2014. Kurdish fighters backed by a flurry of US-led air strikes were holding out on October 16 against jihadists in Kobane, as an Islamic State (IS) offensive on the Syrian border town entered its second month. (Foto: © Zein Al-Rifai, Scanpix)
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A Kurdish refugee from the Syrian town of Kobani hangs her clothes in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix)
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: A Syrian Kurdish boy stands in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix)
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Syrian Kurdish refugees who fled the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab (known as Kobane by the Kurds), receive towels in a refugee camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, in the Turkish Sanliurfa province, on October 16, 2014. Kurdish fighters backed by a flurry of US-led air strikes were holding out on October 16 against jihadists in Kobane, as an Islamic State (IS) offensive on the Syrian border town entered its second month. (Foto: © Zein Al-Rifai, Scanpix)
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A Syrian Kurdish girl is reflected in a puddle in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014 during sun rise. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix)
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A Kurdish refugee children from the Syrian town of Kobani walk besitde their tents in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 17, 2014. A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, including the besieged town of Kobani, the State Department said on Thursday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix)
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A Syrian Kurdish woman walks in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix)
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Syrian Kurdish woman walks in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix)
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Syrian Kurdish man stands in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix)
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A Syrian Kurdish woman walks in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014 during sun rise. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix)
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A Syrian Kurdish woman stands outside tents in a refugee camp in the town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on October 17, 2014. Kurdish rebels have been infuriated by the lack of action by Turkey against Islamic State (IS) jihadists trying to take the mainly Kurdish town of Kobane just across the Syrian border. (Foto: © Aris Messinis, Scanpix)
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A Kurdish refugee child from the Syrian town of Kobani peeks our of a tent in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, October 16, 2014. The United States is bombing targets in Kobani for humanitarian purposes to relieve defenders of the Syrian town and give them time to organize against Islamic State militants, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday. (Foto: © Kai Pfaffenbach, Scanpix)
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Syrian refugee children who fled from Kobane, shout slogans against Islamic State in a refugee camp at Suruc district, Sanliurfa, Turkey, 16 October 2014. Islamic State militants were retreating from areas of Kobane, a key Kurdish town in northern Syria on the border with Turkey, as the jihadists faced a combination of US-led airstrikes and attacks by Kurdish fighters. But US officials have warned that Kobane could still be overrun by the jihadists. (Foto: © Tolga Bozoglu, Scanpix)
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/ritzau/Reuters