Advancing ISIL terrorists seized control of a third of the Syrian border town of Kobani Thursday, as Turkey rejected sending in troops on its own against the ’jihadists’.

Advancing ISIL terrorists seized control of a third of the Syrian border town of Kobani Thursday, as Turkey rejected sending in troops on its own against the 'jihadists'.

Despite intensified US-led air strikes, ISIL militants captured more ground in overnight fighting that left dozens dead, as calls grew for ground action to support Kobani's beleaguered Kurdish defenders.

But after talks with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara could not be expected to act alone.

"It's not realistic to expect that Turkey will lead a ground operation on its own," he said.

Ankara has come under pressure over its inaction as the 'jihadists' advance on its doorstep, with protests in Kurdish areas in Turkey sparking clashes that claimed at least 22 lives and forced authorities to declare a curfew in six provinces.

Kobani, where Kurdish militia have been holding out against a three-week siege by the 'jihadists', has become a crucial battleground in the fight against ISIL.

With tens of thousands of refugees, local residents and the global media gathered just across the border in Turkey, its conquest would be a highly visible symbolic victory for the extremists.

The US-led coalition carried out at least four fresh strikes early Thursday, an AFP reporter across the border in Turkey said, as it continued a flurry of bombing raids on ISIL positions in and around the town.

At least 20 coalition bombing raids have hit near Kobani since Tuesday.

"Air strikes are not helpful alone. We need heavy weaponry and tanks to support a ground operation," 37-year-old Azad, a refugee from Kobani, told AFP on the border.

"If weapons are sent, civilians would also join Kurdish fighters to defend the town," he added.
 
Street battles have been raging in Kobani since the 'jihadists' breached its defenses earlier this week.

ISIL fighters pulled out of some areas on Wednesday but have since renewed their offensive and seized more ground, a monitoring group said.

"Despite fierce resistance from the Kurdish forces, ISIL advanced during the night and controls more than a third of Kobani," Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the UK-based opposing Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP.

The Observatory said ISIL fighters were also closing on an area with several official buildings and the command of the Kurdish forces.

It said at least 42 ISIL terrorists were killed in the battle on Wednesday, including 23 in coalition air strikes, as well as 15 Kurdish fighters.

Kobani, also known as Ain al-Arab, would be a major prize for the 'jihadists', giving them unbroken control of a long stretch of Syria's border with Turkey.

US President Barack Obama has dispatched retired US general John Allen, and the US pointman on Iraq, Brett McGurk, to Ankara to squeeze commitments from Turkey on what role it can play in the coalition.

The Turkish response has been complicated by concerns over emboldening Kurdish separatists who have waged a deadly insurgency for the past three decades.

Pro-Kurdish protesters angered by the Turkish government's lack of action have clashed with police for three nights running, defying a curfew imposed by the army.