Syrian activists say Islamic State (IS) militants have advanced deeper into the Syrian town of Kobani on the Turkish border.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on October 10 that the IS fighters have taken at least 40 percent of the town, seizing almost complete control of an area where the local Kurdish administration is based.
A Syrian Kurdish official said there was fighting next to a building used by Kurdish internal security forces, but denied any major advance by the group.
In Geneva, UN envoy Staffan de Mistura called on Turkey to allow volunteers to cross the Syrian border to defend Kobani and prevent a possible massacre by IS fighters.
De Mistura said up to 700 mainly elderly civilians are still inside the city center, with another 10,000 to 13,000 gathered nearby.
The gains by Islamic State came even after the U.S. military said it carried out nine air strikes against Islamic State targets around Kobani on October 9.
In a statement, the U.S. Central Command said six air strikes south of Kobani struck a large Islamic State unit and two small ones, and destroyed two buildings held by the militants along with a tank and heavy machine gun.
Three air strikes north of Kobani struck two small Islamic State units and destroyed two buildings held by the militants, the statement added.