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Blasts rock Syria's Kobane: Reports

Blast comes shortly after a larger explosion rocked the southern Turkish town of Suruc

Three blasts have rocked the Syrian border town of Kobane on Monday, journalists based in the majority Kurdish town have said. 

It is as yet unclear how many people have been killed or injured or who carried out the attacks. 

A first explosion hit the town around 11am local time (10.00 GMT) with much uncertainty surrounding the incident. 

Kobane-based journalist Barzan Iso told Middle East Eye that the explosion was caused by a mine planted by IS. 

"IS left many mines and other explosives in the city," said Iso who was hundreds of metres from the incident when it happened. "It is now extremely hot and the hot weather makes them particularly unstable." 

Last month the Islamic State group was able to infiltrate Kobane and reportedly killed 120 civilians before it was beaten back. 

However, two subsequent blasts have now reportedly also hit the border town, with some indications that one YPG fighter has been killed. 

The initial attack came shortly after a larger blast hit the Kurdish-majority town of Suruc over the border in Turkey. At least 28 people have reportedly been killed and dozens injured. 

"The nature of the Suruc and Kobane attacks suggests both good intelligence and sophisticated operational coordination by whoever organised it," MEE columnist and Turkey analyst David Barchard said in an email. 

A Turkish government official also told AFP that his government had "strong reasons" to believe that the attacks have been carried out by the Islamic State group. 

"The Turkish authorities have strong reason to believe that the terrorist attack was perpetrated by ISIS [IS]," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP. 

Last year Islamic State fought an almost five-month battle for Kobane but was eventually kicked out in January this year by Kurdish YPG forces, flanked by US-led anti-IS airstrikes and also aided by local Free Syria Army forces. 

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