http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/29/world/middleeast/refugees-flood-turkish-border-as-isis-steps-up-attacks-on-syrian-kurds.html 2014-09-29 00:59:04 Refugees Flood Turkish Border as Islamic State Steps Up Attacks on Syrian Kurds New streams of Syrian refugees fled toward the border with Turkey as shelling hit the town of Kobani. === MURSITPINAR, Turkey — Shelling intensified Sunday on Kobani, the Syrian town at the center of a region of Kurdish farming villages that has been under a weeklong assault by Islamic State militants, setting fire to buildings and driving a stream of new refugees toward the fence here at the border with Turkey. The extremist Sunni militants have been closing in on the town from the east and west after moving into villages with tanks and artillery, outgunning Kurdish fighters struggling to defend the area. The Kurds fear a massacre, especially after recent Islamic State attacks on Kurdish civilians in Iraq. More than 150,000 people have fled into Turkey over the past week. There were no sounds of jets overhead to indicate to the Kurds that help was coming from the American-led coalition, whose stated mission is to degrade and destroy the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. Two airstrikes on the eastern front hit Islamic State armored vehicles on Saturday, but did not appear to halt the advance. “Where’s Obama?” one Turkish Kurd demanded, watching in anguish near the border fence as the headlights of cars could be seen streaming out of Kobani toward the border, although there was no way to cross it. “Does he care about the Kurds?” At least eight projectiles, possibly artillery shells, hit Kobani, also called Ayn al-Arab, during the afternoon and evening, appearing to have come from the east. One hit the main mosque, whose minaret can be seen just across the border from Turkey. As twilight fell, a shell streaked red through the sky and landed in the town. Dozens of cars were parked near the fence, as they have been over the past week as people have gathered against the chain-link border barrier, trying to get as close to safety as possible. The main border crossing, which crowds had rushed to and pressed up against on Saturday after the first shells hit the town, appeared to be closed, and workers were constructing an earthen berm around it. Even as it has accepted tens of thousands of refugees, Turkey has closed seven of nine crossing points in the area. Several times, the authorities have used tear gas to disperse crowds trying to cross, while also preventing Turkish and Syrian Kurds from crossing the border to fight the Islamic State militants. Kurds accuse Turkey, which has remained vague on how it will assist the American-led coalition, of tacitly supporting the Islamic State to weaken Kurdish efforts to gain more autonomy in northern Syria. At least two people have been killed and 16 wounded while crossing minefields along the border in an attempt to escape the fighting, including five who lost limbs, according to Syrian Arab Red Crescent relief workers.