Syrian Kurds say airstrikes push IS militants back from Kobani (LIVE BLOG)

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Protests around the world against Islamic State's siege of Kobani

Protesters chant slogans as riot police guard the main entrance of the European Parliament during a demonstration calling for support for the Syrian Kurdish town of Ain al-Arab, known as Kobani by the Kurds and currently besieged by the Islamic State, in Brussels on October 7, 2014. EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images

Protesters and policemen face each other during demonstration against the Islamic State militant group on Oct. 8, 2014 in Hamburg, northern Germany. MARKUS SCHOLZ/AFP/Getty Images Kurdish protesters gather and block Parliament Square during a demonstration against Islamic State militant group on Oct. 8, 2014 in London, England. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Riots in Turkey over failure to aid besieged Syrian Kurds kill 19

Reuters — At least 19 people were reported killed in riots acrossTurkey, the deadliest street unrest in years, after the Kurdish minority rose up in fury at the government's refusal to protect a besieged Syrian town from Islamic State.

Street battles raged between Kurdish protesters and police across Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast, as the fallout from war inSyria and Iraq threatened to unravel the NATO member's own delicate peace process. There were also clashes in the commercial hub Istanbul and capital Ankara.

Meanwhile, keep an eye on Anbar

This is from the Institute for the Study of War in Washington, DC:

The death toll in Kobani

Key details about the YPG militia battling IS

From Agence France-Presse:

The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) defending the Syrian border town of Kobani from Islamic State group militants is the de facto army of Syria's Kurdish region.

Here are some details about the force:

What is the YPG?

YPG (Yekineyen Parastina Gel in Kurdish, or People's Protection Units in English) is a militia operating in majority-Kurdish areas in the north and northeast of Syria. The group is the long-standing armed branch of Syria's powerful Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).

Wladimir van Wilgenburg, an analyst at the US-based Jamestown Foundation, says the YPG was reportedly first established in 2004 after Kurdish demonstrations against the Syrian government. But it was not officially announced until July 2012, more than a year into Syria's civil war, when its logo was made public.

The YPG patrols the borders of that region, mans checkpoints and has played a key role fighting Islamic State jihadists, including in defence of Kobani, Syria's third-largest Kurdish town.

Who backs the YPG?

Experts and regional governments, including Turkey, say the PYD and YPG are tied to the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), which fought an armed struggle against Ankara for Kurdish self-determination.

What are YPG's relations with Syria's rebels, regime?

The withdrawal of Syrian forces from Kurdish regions led to accusations of collaboration between the PYD/YPG and the regime.

As a result, Kurdish forces have had tense relations with the Syrian opposition, and have angered rebels by refusing to let them fight the regime from Kurdish areas.

But experts say the relationship is less an alliance with the regime than a strategic understanding that freed government troops to battle on other fronts while the Kurds focus on autonomy. Kurdish fighters have fought against the regime alongside rebels in limited areas. In general, however, opposition fighters have eyed them with suspicion, accusing them of placing their bid for autonomy above toppling the government.

How strong is the YPG?

The International Crisis Group reported earlier this year that the YPG pays salaries of around $150 (118 euros) a month to between 25,000 and 30,000 fighters, although experts acknowledge there are no official statistics on the size of the force. Both men and women fight in the militia.

Although the force consists of trained members, there are reports of entire families fighting side by side in Kobani to defend it. For funds, experts say the group relies on taxes collected in Kurdish areas and the support of the PKK, which has a network of donors in Europe, Turkey and elsewhere in the Kurdish diaspora.

A look at an airstrike near Kobani

The Associated Press captured footage of an airstrike near Kobani:

What happens in Kobani could be a turning point in the war

This piece in Foreign Policy by Elias Groll is an important read to understand what makes the battle for Kobani so crucial:

Kobani is now the sole remaining Kurdish-controlled town along a huge stretch of the Syrian border. To understand how isolated it is from the rest of the country, consider the map below. Syrian Kurds have in recent weeks been battling with Islamic State militants elsewhere in Syria, but it is in Kobani where that fighting has entered a key phase, as the militant group attempts to consolidate its rule in the north. 

Read on here.