Islamic State (IS) militants on Thursday executed 20 people in Syria's predominantly Kurdish city of Kobane, also known as Ayn al-Arab, and detonated a car bomb at a border crossing within hours, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.The IS militants executed 20 civilians and wounded 15 after local residents fought back an IS surprise attack in Kobane's Barkh Butan area, Xinhua quoted the Observatory as saying.Five IS militants were killed when they were encircled by Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG), according to the London-based monitor group.Meanwhile, intense clashes continued in several southern areas of Kobane.
A total of 12 Kurdish fighters and civilians along with eight IS militants were killed during Thursday's battle in the north Syrian city, where Kurdish fighters drove out IS militants five months ago, said the Observatory.It added that the IS militants also detonated a car bomb at a border crossing between Syria and Turkey, without giving further details.The latest attack on Kobane apparently came as retaliation to a major attack by Kurdish fighters on an IS stronghold in Syria's northern province of Raqqa, IS's de facto capital.The IS on Wednesday dispatched reinforcement to areas in northern Raqqa to buttress its stance against the YPG.