Kurds kill 33 IS militants in Syria's Kobane

Thirty-three Islamic State (IS) militants were killed Friday in clashes with Kurdish fighters in the northern Syrian city of Ayn al-Arab, or Kobane.

The killing of the IS militants in Kobane, a city which borders Turkey, was reported by Xinhua, citing the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV and notably, this setback for the IS comes after Kurdish forces reportedly liberated Mount Sinjar in Iraq from the Sunni jihadi group.

The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) killed the IS fighters in the predominantly Kurdish city of Kobane, where the YPG has been making progress against the terrorist group, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) - an information office opposed to the government of Syria -- said that 32 mortar shells were fired by the IS in Kobane during clashes between the IS and the YPG.

The IS also shelled the positions of the Iraqi Peshmerga forces in Kobane, said the observatory, giving no details however, on the outcome of the shelling.

It said that the US-led anti-terror coalition carried out two airstrikes against IS positions in the city, leaving unknown losses.

Battle between the IS and the YPG and affiliated Kurdish fighters has been raging on since last September when the IS unleashed a large-scale offensive to control the strategic city of Kobane.

However, resistance by the YPG and strikes by the US-led anti-terror coalition have so far succeeded to hinder the IS's takeover of the city.

The Iraqi Peshmerga had also joined the battle with their fellow Kurds in Kobane.