TOPSHOTS Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters walk on a hill at the western outskirts of the Syrian town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, on October 17, 2014, after placing YPG flags. A US commander said on October 17 that "encouraging" signs were coming from the Syrian border town. The battle between Kurdish fighters and Islamic State (IS) militants has now been raging for a month and around 200,000 people, mainly Kurds, from the Kobane region have fled to Turkey. AFP PHOTO / ARIS MESSINIS