Turkey accused of not doing enough to combat ISIS,

can access several bases, including Incirlik near the Syrian border


The Iraqi military has abandoned a strategic military base in Anbar province following intense fighting with Islamic State terrorists.

The base near the city of Hit was one of the few remaining army bases controlled by the Shiite-led government in Anbar.

Now, its fall effectively leaves the capital Baghdad surrounded by ISIS militants.

The news comes as a suicide bomber detonated a truck laden with explosives in the besieged Syrian town of Kobane.

Massively outgunned Kurdish fighters continued to bravely resist ISIS's advances there against increasingly poor odds.

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Smoke from an airstrike by the US-led coalition ascends in the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab, known as Kobane by the Kurds

Choking: Heavy smoke rises from an ISIS-held building in Kobane following an airstrike by a US-led coalition aircraft

Horror: Fighting continues to rage between Islamic State militants and Kurdish forces in besieged Syrian city of Kobane (pictured)

Two Kurdish fighters in the YPK, the force known as the People's Protection Units, walk along a street in a district of Kobane

Destroyed: Fighting between Kurdish forces and Islamic State militants inside the Syrian city of Kobane has intensified in recent days

Thick smoke rises following an airstrike by the US-led coalition in Kobane as fighting continued between Syrian Kurds and militants from the Islamic State group this morning

Iraqi security forces inspect the site of a bomb attack in Kirkuk. A parked motorbike blew up, killing one and wounding 16 others

ISIS' relentless capture of territory in both Syria and Iraq comes despite sustained airstrikes on the group.

This included eight this morning by U.S. and Saudi Arabian planes, seven of which were in Kobane, with the other in ISIS's de facto capital Raqqa.

With the bombing raids appearing to have little impact on the militants, there are increasing calls for Western ground troops to go into Syria and Iraq.

Britain's Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond was the latest to say today that airstrikes would not be enough to defeat the terror group.

Mr Hammond, who is visiting Baghdad, said airstrikes have halted ISIS's advances, but 'heavy work on the ground' is required to beat them.

The politician added that this work will have to come from the Iraqi government and from inside the Sunni communities occupied by the group.

He said: ‘The coalition can only deliver effective support to the Iraqi government and Iraqi security forces.

‘The Iraqi people, the Iraqi security forces and Iraqi government will have to take the lead on the ground.’

Black smoke, rising after US-led coalition's air forces airstrikes against Islamic State members in Ayn al-Arab of northern Syria

A Syrian Kurd gestures at the Turkey-Syria border, as thick smoke rises following an airstrike by the US-led coalition in Kobane

Calm: Syrian Kurd Kiymet Ergun, 56, checks her mobile phone in Mursitpinar, southern Turkey. Thick smoke rises behind her, following an airstrike by the US-led coalition across the border in Kobane

Erupt: Smoke rises from a small ISIS-held building inside Kobane following an airstrike by a U.S.-led coalition warplane

Thick: A cloud of black smoke rises from ISIS-held buildings inside Kobane following an American airstrike

No fear: A person is seen walking in northern Kobane as fighting continues to rage between Syrian Kurds and Islamic State militants

Mr Hammond continued: ‘We always understood that our campaign alone was not effective to be decisive in turning the tide against ISIL.

The Iraqi people, the Iraqi security forces and Iraqi government will have to take the lead on the ground Phillip Hammond, Foreign Secretary

‘But it has halted the ISIL advance, it has forced ISIL to change its tactics and it is degrading their military capabilities and their economic strength, their ability to exploit oil revenues, for example.’

His comments came as the Iraqi army abandoned a military base in Anbar, allowing ISIS to gain more territory in the province, located near Baghdad.

But the Iraqi military still controls the Ayn al-Asad military base, which helps defend Iraq's second-largest dam and the provincial capital of Ramadi.

Earlier Turkey agreed to allow American and Arab forces to use air bases in the country for operations against ISIS militants, according to U.S. officials.

The bases include one near the southern town of Incirlik, which is located just 100 miles from the Syrian border where ISIS jihadists are continuing to besiege the Kurdish town of Kobane.

The Obama administration has been pressing Turkey to take a larger role in the fight against ISIS.

This pressure comes amid claims it hasn't done enough to combat the thousands of militants who have been raping and massacring their way to huge territorial gains in countries that border Turkey.

TURKISH PRESIDENT LAUNCHES FURIOUS TIRADE AT MODERN DAY 'LAWRENCE OF ARABIAS' CAUSING TROUBLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched an angry tirade at modern day 'Lawrence of Arabias' who he said were bent on causing trouble in the Middle East. British officer T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, helped Arab leaders fight a guerrilla insurgency against the forces of the Ottoman Empire in the desert during World War I. Especially after the hugely successful 1960s film, Lawrence is still regarded as a hero in Britain and many Arab countries. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) is pictured with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Today Erdogan launched an angry tirade at modern 'Lawrence of Arabias' causing trouble in the Middle East Hero: British officer T.E. Lawrence (right), better known as Lawrence of Arabia, helped Arab leaders fight a guerrilla insurgency against the forces of the Ottoman Empire during World War I. He is still regarded as a hero in Britain and many Arab countries - especially after the 1960s film staring Peter O'Toole (left) But Erdogan made clear he saw the iconic British officer - who famously adopted customs of Arab dress - as a symbol of unwanted outside meddling in a region where Turkish influence should count. 'Lawrence was an English spy disguised as an Arab,' Erdogan said in a televised speech at a university in Istanbul. 'There are new voluntary Lawrences, disguised as journalists, religious men, writers and terrorists,' he added. 'It is our duty to explain to the world that there are modern Lawrences who were fooled by a terror organisation,' he added, without specifying which organisation. It was not clear if Erdogan's tirade had a specific target, but it was aimed at those outside forces who he feels want to weaken Turkey and destabilise the Middle East. Advertisement

Armed men, presumed by local sources to be Islamic State fighters, are pictured at a checkpoint in the west of Syrian town of Kobane this morning

A truck mounted with a machine gun belonging to the YPK patrols in the western district of the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab (Kobane)

Launch: The bases include one near the southern town of Incirlik (pictured), which is located just 100 miles from the Syrian border where ISIS jihadists are continuing to besiege the predominately Kurdish town Kobane

Force: Turkish soldiers hold their positions with tanks on a hilltop on the outskirts of Suruc, which overlooks the besieged city of Kobane in Syria

On Saturday a senior U.S. official confirmed that Ankara has also agreed to train and moderate up to 4,000 Syrian rebels on Turkish soil.

They (ISIS fighters) tried to advance towards the (border) crossing but the (Kurdish) People's Protection Units repelled them Idris Nassan, Kurdish official in Kobani

Idris Nassan, a Kurdish official in Kobani, said two Kurdish fighters had been wounded during this morning's suicide bomb attack.

It appeared to have been aimed at clearing a way for the ISIS fighters to advance further into the town.

'They (ISIS fighters) tried to advance towards the (border) crossing but the (Kurdish) People's Protection Units repelled them ... and they were not able to push forward,' Mr Nassan said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported more heavy clashes today inside the city, where U.S.-led air strikes have so far failed to halt the militants' advance.

The monitoring group said there had been at least five U.S.-led strikes early on Monday, mainly targeting southern districts of Kobani, which is known as Ayn al-Arab in Arabic.

Clashes also continued to the east, killing a dozen Islamic State fighters, the Observatory said.

The militant group wants to seize the town to consolidate a dramatic sweep across northern Iraq and Syria.

Proximity: The Obama administration has been pressing Turkey to take a larger role in the fight against ISIS, amid claims it hasn't done enough to combat the thousands of militants who have been raping and massacring their way to huge territorial gains in countries that border Turkey

Close quarters: Turkish soldiers on the Syrian border watch as a explosions rock the besieged Syrian town of Kobane in front of them

Strike: Smoke rises inside Kobane after Islamic State militants shell a Kurdish-held building inside the town

Blast: Thick smoke, debris and fire rise into the air following an airstrike by the US-led coalition against Islamic State targets in Kobane. Turkey has previously been accused of not doing enough to assist the operation

180,000 DISPLACED BY HIT FIGHTING Up to 180,000 people have been displaced by fighting in and around Hit in western Anbar province since the city fell to Islamic State militants earlier this month, the UN said today. ISIS fighters overran a military base that the Iraqi army had abandoned about five miles west of Hit earlier today, according to an army officer and three members of a government-backed Sunni militia. The jihadists looted three armoured vehicles and at least five tanks and then set the camp ablaze, the officer and Sunni militia fighters said. ISIS has been on the offensive in the desert province of Anbar, bordering Syria, in recent weeks, taking the town of Hit on October 2 and nearby Kubaisa on October 4. As a result of the fighting and air strikes, carried out by the Iraqi government and U.S.-led military coalition, up to 30,000 families or 180,000 individuals have fled Hit, which lies 20 kilometres west of Ramadi, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. Advertisement

The advances by the group, which espouses a rigidly conservative brand of Islam, has sent shockwaves through the Middle East.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel previously said the U.S. wanted to access Turkish air bases, including one at Incirlik, from which to launch strikes against the Islamic militants.

That base is part of the agreement, according to U.S. defence officials. Beyond the training and bases, there are other issues the U.S. hopes Turkey will agree to.

American officials have not said what all of those would be because discussions are continuing.

The militants have taken over large swaths of Iraq and Syria and driven refugees into Turkey.

Mr Hagel yesterday spoke by telephone with Turkey's defense minister, Ismet Yilmaz, and thanked him for his country's willingness to assist in the fight against Islamic State militants.

Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said Mr Hagel 'noted Turkey's expertise in this area and the responsible manner in which Turkey is handling the other challenges this struggle has placed upon the country, in terms of refugees and border security.'

Earlier, President Barack Obama's national security adviser, Susan Rice, made clear that the U.S. has not asked 'the Turks to send ground forces of their own into Syria.'

American officials are 'continuing to talk to the Turks about other ways that they can play an important role.

'They are already essential to trying to prevent the flow of foreign fighters' and extremists from exporting oil through Turkey.

'So Turkey has many ways it can contribute,' Ms Rice told NBC's 'Meet the Press.'

Turkey and other American allies are pressing the U.S. to create a no-fly zone inside Syrian territory, and seeking creation of a secure buffer on the Syrian side of the border with Turkey.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond (left) and his Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari (right) give a news conference in Baghdad, Iraq

Islamic Front members train to fight against ISIS to take over Ehtimalat village, in Aleppo, Syria, at the weekend

Islamic Front members prepare a howitzer to fight against Islamic State in Aleppo, Syria

Islamic Front members on a tank as they prepare to fight against the Islamic State of Iraq to take over Dabik village, in Aleppo, Syria

A 'safe zone' would require Americans and their partners to protect ground territory and patrol the sky, meaning enforcement of a no-fly area.

Mr Hagel has said American leaders are open to discussing a safe zone, but creating one isn't 'actively being considered.'

General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has estimated it would require hundreds of U.S. aircraft and cost as much as $1billion (£600million) a month to maintain an area in Syria safe from attacks by the Islamic State group and Syria's air force, with no assurance of a change in battlefield momentum toward ending the Syrian civil war.