Fighting IS: Turkey boosts security along Syrian border

Turkey is further boosting security measures along the Turkish-Syrian border in a bid to confront threats from the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Syria by sending military tanks to southeastern Turkey, media reported Thursday.

A shipment of military vehicles was delivered from Gaziantep province to Kilis province bordering Syria, as fierce clashes continue in the Kurdish city of Kobane, also known as Ayn al-Arab, in northern Syria, Xinhua reported citing private Cihan News Agency.

Eight armoured vehicles and four military personnel vehicles, delivered from the 5th Armoured Brigade Command in Gaziantep province, were also positioned Thursday on the border, said the report.

The IS, succeeding in capturing hundreds of Kurdish villages around Kobane, has forced tens of thousands of people to flee.

Turkey has opened its door to 200,000 people following assaults by the IS on Kobane, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, stressing that there were 130,000 Syrian refugees in Europe while Turkey alone hosted 1.5 million.

On Oct 2, the Turkish parliament passed a motion to authorise cross-border military action in Syria and Iraq, joining the US-led anti-terror coalition that is carrying out a mission in Syria against IS and like-minded groups.

However, the Syrian foreign ministry slammed the decision, calling it an act of violent aggression against Syria.