At a cemetery on the Turkish side of the Syria-Turkey border, a group of mourners chant, “martyrs never die,” as the bodies of fallen Kurdish fighters are lowered into their graves. Watch FRANCE 24’s report.

There’s a mixture of grief and defiance at the funeral for these Kurdish fighters killed in the battle against the Islamic State (IS) group in the Syrian town of Kobane across the border.

“These martyrs died protecting our homes, our lands and our families,” said Feyza Abdi, a refugee from Kobane.

As the battle for this symbolic Kurdish-dominated town continues amid mounting international frustration over Turkey’s refusal to intervene, Ankara has tightened security along its porous border with Syria.

But even as Turkey is accused of blocking Kurdish volunteers from joining the battle in Kobane, Ankara has been looking the other way as Kurdish fighters killed or wounded in the campaign against the Islamic State group are transferred from across the Syrian border.

‘No quick fixes,’ says Obama

Over the past two days, the US has stepped up strikes against IS militants in Kobane. On Monday and Tuesday alone the coalition carried out 21 strikes, according to US officials.

Reporters on the Turkish side of the border said there were at least four US-led air strikes on the town early Wednesday. The London-based monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said overnight fighting had concentrated on the former Kurdish military headquarters in Kobane, which the IS group seized last week.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, US President Barack Obama said the coalition was “deeply concerned” about the situation in and around Kobane.

Obama also noted that the coalition, which includes Arab allies, was facing a “long term campaign” in the fight against IS.

"There are no quick fixes involved. We're still at the early stages," said Obama after meeting military commanders from 22 allies involved in the campaign at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington DC.

The dead lie in temporary repose

While the coalition strikes have had a significant impact on the ground, officials of a pro-Kurdish political party in Turkey believe they have not been significant enough to turn the tide of the battle, said FRANCE 24’s Fatma Kizilboga, reporting from the Turkey-Syria border.

“The jihadists have adapted their tactics, they no longer travel in groups, so in terms of casualties, the toll remains very low," explained Kizilboga. "The coalition strikes are mostly aimed at military targets and weapons caches,” she added, noting that the jihadists receive regular arms supplies from the Syrian city of Raqqa, which has turned into the de facto capital of the IS-controlled territory.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that since the battle for Kobane began on September 16, nearly 600 people – mostly fighters – have been killed. These include more than 200 IS group fighters.

On the Turkish side of border, a man kneels beside the makeshift tombstones painting just a number and a name on each stone.

These graves of fighters from across the border will not rest on Turkish soil for long, the mourners explained. “These martyrs are the children of Kobane,” said Aftar Medeni, a Kurdish activist. “They died suffering, they died for their freedom. We have buried them in their death shrouds so that they can be returned to Kobane when it has been liberated.”

Until the dead can return to their native land, the fighting continues in Kobane and more and more gravestones spring up on the Turkish side of the border.

France24