The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) raised on Monday its flags on a building on the eastern side of the Syrian town of Kobane where ISIS militants have been fighting Kurdish forces for three weeks.

A black flag apparently belonging to the group was visible atop a four storey building close to the scene of some of the most intense clashes in recent days, images shot by Reuters TV from neighboring Turkey showed.

An ISIS flag is placed on a hill in the Syrian town of Kobane as seen from the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on Oct. 6, 2014. (AFP)

A Turkish military officer who did not give his name said that the flag was that of ISIS, which has seized swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq in recent months.

An AFP photographer reported that seeing two flags, black with the Arabic lettering of the group, from the Turkish side of the border. One flew on a building while another larger flag was planted on a hill in the eastern part of Kobane.



Idris Nahsen, the deputy foreign minister of Kobane region, told AFP by telephone he could not confirm if ISIS jihadists were inside the town.

Kurdish officials have said in the last days that ISIS militants were advancing to several hundred meters of the city but were meeting with tough resistance from Kurdish fighters.

[With Agencies]

Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:44 - GMT 06:44