Syrian forces on Wednesday night rolled into the strategic border town of Kobani, blocking one path for the Turkish military to establish a “safe zone” free of Syrian Kurdish fighters along the frontier as part of its week-old offensive, AP reports.
The convoys of government forces drove into Kobani after dark, a resident said.
Syria’s state-run media confirmed its troops entered the town. Syria’s presence in Kobani puts a firm limit on Turkish ambitions in its offensive.
The town lies between a Turkish-controlled enclave farther west and smaller areas to the east that Turkey seized in the past week.
Turkey had talked of creating a 30-kilometer (19-mile) deep “safe zone,” driving out Kurdish fighters from the border region. Turkish forces had shelled Kobani in recent days as part of the offensive but had not advanced ground troops on it.
