Turkey: Smoke over Kobane as Kurdish forces drive ISIS from city

Footage filmed from the Turkish city of Suruc, Saturday, showed smoke rising above the Syrian city of Kobane amid reports that Kurdish forces have driven Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIL, ISIS) militants from the city following intense fighting. Kobane has seen intense fighting over the last two weeks, as IS try to retake the strategic location. Islamic State militants have reportedly killed more than 120 civilians since they resumed attacks on the city. Before Kobane became one of the strategic points of the Islamic State's assault, the city and surrounding villages contained around 400,000 people, mostly of Kurdish heritage. The IS offensive, launched in September 2014, forced over 100,000 citizens to flee the area, crossing the border into Turkey.