The US has airdropped weapons and supplies for Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State (IS) in the town of Kobani in Syria.
A statement from US Central Command said Air Force C-130 planes "delivered weapons, ammunition and medical supplies that were provided by Kurdish authorities in Iraq and intended to enable continued resistance against ISIL's (IS) attempts to overtake Kobani".
Multiple airdrops were completed near the town, which is close to the border with Turkey and would be seen as a strategic coup for IS if it is captured.
Kurdish forces said they had received a "large quantity of ammunition" from the US airdrop.
Spokesman Redur Xelil told the Reuters news agency: "It will have a positive impact on the course of military operations and certainly we are still hoping for more support."
The US statement said 135 airstrikes near Kobani - combined with continued resistance on the ground - had slowed IS advances and killed hundreds of its fighters.
"However, the security situation in Kobani remains fragile as ISIL continues to threaten the city and Kurdish forces continue to resist," the statement added.
The Kurds have been under IS assault for more than a month - and US Commander General Lloyd Austin has warned that the city could fall.
However, airdrops are likely to anger key ally Turkey, which has said it would oppose the US helping to arm Kurdish rebels.
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Gallery: The Kurdish Refugees Of Kobani
A Kurdish refugee woman and her child from the Syrian town of Kobani rest in front of their family tent in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc, Turkey
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The United States is bombing targets in Kobani to relieve the defenders of the Syrian town and give them time to organise against Islamic State militants, a senior US official said
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A Kurdish refugee from the Syrian town of Kobani sweeps a passage in the camp
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A child looks out of a tent
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Kurdish people watch smoke billowing from Kobani as they gather on a hill overlooking the Syrian town of Kobani
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A child walks through the camp in Suruc
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A Turkish aid worker distributes food to Kurdish refugees
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Kurdish refugees from the Syrian town of Kobani queue to get food
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Smoke rises from the Syrian town of Kobani
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Kurdish people shout slogans while standing upon a hill opposite the Syrian town of Kobani
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The graves of Kurdish people killed fighting alongside People's Protection Units (YPG) against IS jihadists in Kobani
Ankara views the main Kurdish group in Syria as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an organisation that has waged a 30-year insurgency in Turkey.
The PKK is designated a terror group by the US and NATO.
Turkey has resisted pressure from the West to take a more direct role in fighting IS in Kobani.
However, in an earlier call with Barack Obama, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to "strengthen cooperation".
An unnamed official said that while the results of the airdrop mission were still being assessed, it appeared "the vast majority" of the 27 bundles reached the intended Kurdish fighters.
Another official suggested "you might see more" drops in the days ahead.
:: Sky's Stuart Ramsay joined the forgotten Kurds who have held off IS for more than two years with homemade weapons and armoured cars.
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