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Emphasizing the U.S. position, Kerry said Wednesday that although the Obama administration is “deeply concerned about the people of Kobani,” preventing the town’s fall to ISIS militants was not a strategic objective for the U.S.

“As horrific as it is to watch in real time what’s happening in Kobani, it’s also important to remember, you have to step back and understand the strategic objective,” Kerry told a news conference in Washington.

Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, also conceded Kobani could fall because “air power alone is not going to be enough to save that city.”

“We all need to prepare ourselves for the reality that other towns and villages — and perhaps Kobani — will be taken by ISIL,” Kirby said, adding that the key to eventually defeating the militants is to train and enable indigenous ground forces.

Turkey is ambivalent about the fight across its border, because of its distrust of the Kurdish fighters protecting Kobani, also known as Ayn Arab. It views them as an extension of the Kurdish PKK, the rebel group that has waged a long and bloody insurgency against Ankara. In recent days, Turkish officials have emphasized that they view both ISIS and the PKK as terrorist groups.

Left unsaid is which group they view as the greater threat. But, Turkey’s strict neutrality as the lightly-armed Kurds face annihilation speaks volumes.

While Turkey maintains it does not want Kobani to fall, Turkish officials say they will not enter combat until they are assured that the U.S.-led coalition has a long-term strategy in Syria. They see Assad as a greater nemesis on their border than even ISIS. Taking out the militants without a plan to fill the inevitable vacuum, they say, will lead to further chaos that will only strengthen Assad. They want the U.S. to set up a no-fly zone and a humanitarian corridor, as well as ramp up assistance to Syrian rebels battling to overthrow Assad.