ISIS Advances On Turkish Border Town

06:35

October 02, 2014

The city center of Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani seen from the Turkish side of border as thousands of new Syrian refugees from Kobani arrive at the Turkey-Syria border near Suruc, Turkey, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014. U.S.-led coalition airstrikes targeted Islamic State fighters pressing their offensive against a Kurdish town near the Syrian-Turkish border on Tuesday in an attempt to halt the militants' advance, activists said.(Burhan Ozbilici/AP)

Forces from the Islamic State are closing in on Kobani, a town on Syria's border with Turkey.

The advance comes as Turkey's parliament debates joining the U.S.-led coalition that is battling the Sunni militant group known as the Islamic State in Syria and also Iraq.

Turkey would allow its military to enter the two countries and would also allow foreign forces to use its territory as a base for its operations in Iraq and Syria.

The BBC's Paul Adams joins Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson to describe the fighting.

Note: This BBC interview can be heard in the Here & Now podcast or with the WBUR app.

Guest

Paul Adams, BBC's world affairs correspondent. He tweets @bbcpauladams.

This segment aired on October 2, 2014.

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