Syrian Kurds try to grab water thrown over the border from Turkey at the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa Province on Sunday. Tens of thousands of Syrian Kurds flooded into Turkey on September 20, fleeing an onslaught by the jihadist Islamic State group that prompted an appeal for international intervention. Photo: AFP

Turkey said Monday that some 130,000 people had flooded across its border from Syria as Kurdish fighters battled Islamic State (IS) group jihadists trying to capture a strategic town.

The militant group's spokesperson meanwhile issued a statement urging Muslims to kill citizens from countries participating in a US-led anti-jihadist coalition.

IS fighters have been advancing towards Ain al-Arab, Syria's third-largest Kurdish town and known by the Kurds as Kobane, for nearly a week.

But a monitoring group said Monday that Kurdish fighters had ramped up attacks and were holding back the jihadists.

Syrian opposition officials and Kurdish activists have called for international intervention by the US-led coalition assembled to fight IS, but there has been no sign yet of Washington expanding its air campaign in Iraq to Syria.

The IS group has seized large parts of Syria and Iraq, declared an Islamic "caliphate" in areas under its control and committed widespread atrocities including beheadings and crucifixions.

Ankara has opened its door to the fleeing Syrian Kurds, with Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus saying Monday that the number of arrivals was now more than 130,000.

In Ankara, a Turkish official said three crossings would be open Monday for new arrivals, though earlier an official from the country's emergencies directorate had said only the Mursitpinar crossing would be open.

IS hopes to seize Ain al-Arab to secure its grip over a long stretch of Syria's northern border with Turkey.

Across the border in Turkey, the PKK Kurdish rebel group called on Kurds to cross into Syria to help battle IS.

Turkey, the US and the European Union consider the PKK a "terrorist" group, though Ankara entered peace talks with the organization two years ago that have now stalled.

The group has joined forces with Kurdish units fighting IS in both Iraq and now Syria, and the main Syrian Kurdish militia, the People's Protection Units, is often described as close to the PKK.

Several hundred Kurdish fighters have crossed into Syria to join the fight, but Syria's opposition National Coalition and Kurdish officials have urged Washington and other anti-IS coalition members to intervene, including with air strikes.

Washington has said it would consider strikes against IS in Syria, even without permission from Damascus, but its UN envoy said Sunday "no decisions" had been taken.

Some 40 countries have signed up to the US-led coalition against IS, and on Sunday US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the threat posed by the group in rare high-level talks with his Iranian counterpart in New York.


Newspaper headline: 130,000 Syrians flood into Turkey