IS seizes weapons airdropped for Kurds in Syria

The Islamic State (IS) militants captured one of the weapons shipments airdropped by the US to the Kurdish fighters of the People Protection Units (YPG) in the city of Kobane in northern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said Tuesday.

Two weapons shipments airdropped by the US fighters landed in areas under IS control in the vicinity of Kobane, also known as Ayn al-Arab, and one of them was captured by the IS, Xinhua reported citing SOHR.

The second arms load was likely destroyed by the US war jets after being confirmed to have landed in the wrong area, said the SOHR.

Meanwhile, the IS released video footage on Tuesday showing one of its fighters showcasing the captured weapons near Kobane. The weapons included grenades and RPG shells.

On Monday, a US aircraft dropped large quantities of weapons, munitions and medical supplies to outgunned Kurdish fighters of the YPG battling the IS in Kobane.

Kurdish activists were cited by some Arab television stations Monday as saying the new weapons supplies could contribute to tilting the balance of power in favour of the Kurds in Kobane, but the US Central Command warned that Kobane could still fall as the security situation there remained "fragile."

Over the past month, the IS militants armed with heavy weapons have been on a crushing offensive to capture the strategically important Kobane on the Syrian-Turkish border.