Turkish Kurds welcome peshmerga convoy from Iraq

Turkish Kurds flocked onto the streets to greet a military convoy of Iraqi peshmerga fighters and weaponry making its way towards Kobani.

Thousands came out in the Turkish border town of Suruç from which it is only 30 kilometres to the besieged Syrian town.

The convoy’s imminent arrival in Kobani comes after its Syrian Kurdish defenders called for help after more than a month of fighting ISIL militants.

As well as the Iraqi peshmerga approaching from the north, Free Syrian Army (FAS) members are also said to be preparing to enter Kobani.

As reinforcements gather a huge air strike hit the town on Wednesday signaling the beginning of what is expected to a be a hard fought battle against the Islamist militants.

The US is leading a coalition that has carried out dozens of air strikes targeting the militants in an around the strategic town.

ISIL launched its offensive on Kobani and nearby Syrian villages in mid-September, killing more than 800 people, according to activists.

More than 200,000 people have fled across the border into Turkey.