A Syrian woman cries after an airstrike hit the eastern part of the Syrian town of Tal Abyad at the Turkish crossing of Akcakale in the southeast Sanliurfa province, on June 14, 2015. (Agence France-Presse))
Kurdish militia advanced today to the gates of a strategic jihadist-held town on Syria's northern border with Turkey amid fierce fighting with the Islamic State group, a local commander told AFP.
"The clashes are ongoing now on the eastern edges of Tal Abyad, 50 metres (yards) from the town. We are fighting for control of the first checkpoint," said Hussein Khojer, a commander with the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).
Tal Abyad lies on the Syrian-Turkish border and is used by IS as a gateway from Turkey into its bastion province of Raqa.