Thousands Flee Into Turkey From Syria as Kurds Fight Islamic State

Thousands of people crossed from Syria into Turkey on Wednesday to flee a battle pitting Islamist insurgents against Kurdish and opposition forces for the Syrian border town of Tel Abyad. Many of them were reportedly women and children and they had entered Turkey through a make-shift border crossing between official gates. Islamic State is in control of the border town in Hasaka province. Local media had reported a buildup of refugees waiting to cross in recent days.The northeastern corner of Syria is important because it links areas controlled by Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Syrian Kurds have also sought to expand their territorial control over a region stretching from Kobani to Qamishli they see as part of a future Kurdish state.