Extremists from Islamic State (IS) have launched an attack on the Syrian border town of Kobani from Turkey - a first in the ongoing siege.

Nawaf Khalil, a spokesman for Syria's powerful Kurdish Democratic Union Party, said IS militants in Turkey attacked the border crossing point that links the country to Kobani. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Khalil said the offensive began with an armoured vehicle suicide attack on the border crossing. It added that the latest fighting has killed eight Kurdish fighters and 17 jihadis.