Thousands flee as Kurds advance on IS-held Syria town

Akçakale (Turkey) (AFP) - Kurdish forces advanced Sunday to the gates of a Syrian town and clashed with Islamic State jihadists, an upsurge in violence that saw Turkey open its border to fleeing civilians. Backed by Syrian rebel fighters and US-led air strikes, the Kurdish militia pressed their offensive on the northern town of Tal Abyad, a strategic supply route from Turkey to IS's self-proclaimed capital of Raqa. Hussein Khojer, a commander with the Kurdish People's Protection Units