ISIS Raises Flags over Key City Near Turkey's Border
Syrian Kurds are making an urgent appeal for help to save their border city of Kobani from the Islamic State.
ISIS fighters are closing in, and are now poised to capture the city. Turkey responded by increasing its military presence along the border as the Islamic militants raised black ISIS flags over parts of the town.
Heavy street battles raged in the strategic Syrian city as Kurdish fighters battled Islamic state jihadists for control.
Numerous explosions could be heard and seen from afar. And U.S. warplanes reportedly bombed ISIS positions Monday in hopes of pushing them away from the area,
Meanwhile, a growing number of U.S. military and defense analysts say military airstrikes are not enough to stop the ISIS advance, and U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey told ABC News he's pessimistic about Kobani's future.
"Yeah, I am fearful that Kobani will fall," he said.
Fearing another massacre and human rights tragedy, the U.N.'s special envoy for Syria appealed for help for Kobani. He says the international community must act now.
But at this point, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan only appears willing to fight to protect Turkish soil -- no boots on the ground inside Syria and the city of Kobani.
Meanwhile, Turkish police used water canons and tear gas to push Kurdish protesters back from the border. The demonstrators are demanding help for Kobani.
Kurds also clashed with police in Istanbul and six other Turkish cities.
And the Kurds and the U.N. aren't the only ones making impassioned pleas for help. The parents of Peter Kassig, the next American set to be beheaded, appealed to ISIS to release their son.
Ed Kassig implored his son's captors to "show mercy and use their power" to let his son go.
Peter Kassig's mother, Paula said, "Our hearts ache for you to be granted your freedom so we can hug you again."
Meanwhile, the FBI says it wants the American public's help in identifying the ISIS terrorist appearing in the latest propaganda footage.
In the video, a masked ISIS terrorist points to several captives as they can be seen using shovels, digging in the soil behind him.
""You can see them now digging their own graves in the very place where they were stationed," the terrorist said.
FBI Director James Comey says the man is speaking perfect English with a North American accent -- he could be from the United States, a home-grown terrorist. Informants around the world are being asked if they know his voice.
The FBI is concerned the terrorist could return to the U.S. and cause havoc here.
Comey says thousands of foreign jihadists, including Americans, are joining the Syrian civil war.
"And then they're coming back-- they're coming back to Europe and to North America and its something that all of us in the counterterrorism unit are worried about every day," he said.
As the fall election approaches, some congressional candidates are now asking: is the Obama administration really doing enough to stop these and other terrorists from entering the United States?
And is the U.S. doing enough to help our allies and defeat ISIS once and for all?
