Iraqi Kurds Join The Fight Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters have crossed into Syria from Turkey to help defend the embattled town of Kobani from Islamic State militants. Around 150 fighters cheered and brandished rifles as they made the short trip across the border. They were applauded by fellow Kurds who lined the road leading to Syria. The fighters will join Syrian Kurds in Kobani who - backed by US-led airstrikes - have been engaged in fierce clashes against IS. The fighters will reinforce Syrian Kurds battling IS in Kobani Turkey finally gave in to US pressure to allow the Iraqi Kurdish forces to join the battle last week. Ankara's decision was condemned by Damascus, which called it a "flagrant violation of Syrian sovereignty." Gallery: Kurds Celebrate Peshmerga's Kobani Mission Air strikes have been taking place ahead of the peshmerga's arrival to take part in the battle for Kobani A series of explosions took place in Kobani on Wednesday morning A Turkish army vehicle is seen in the foreground as smoke rises from Kobani following the air strikes A Kurdish boy in Turkey welcomes the peshmerga with a US and Kurdistan flag painted face Kurdish people in Turkey welcome fellow Kurdish fighters from Iraq A peshmerga fighter makes the V for victory sign as their convoy arrives at the Habur crossing along the Turkey-Iraq border The peshmerga appeared upbeat after receiving the authority of both Turkey and Iraq to travel to the under seige town Crowds along the Kurdish section of the road lined the route to wish them well About 150 peshmerga entered Turkey from Iraq, where they were due to travel on to Syria A senior official in the Kurdistan Democratic Party said that a number of others were due to fly to Turkey and then travel on overland The fighters were expected to reach Kobani late on Tuesday night Many in Arbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, celebrated late into the night Kurdistan's Minister of Peshmerga, Mustafa Sayyid Qader, said there was no limit on how long the forces would remain in Kobani Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had said earlier that airstrikes alone would not be enough to push back the insurgents The battle for Kobani, which has been under siege for six weeks, has left an estimated 800 people dead and forced over 200,000 people to flee into Turkey. Further fighting was reported by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Friday, which said coalition airstrikes had destroyed IS artillery pieces and left a number of militants dead. "Kurdish fighters were able to advance towards an IS position in the north of the town after an operation that killed dozens of jihadists," it said. Gallery: US-Led Airstrikes on Kobani Smoke and flames rise over a hill near the Syrian town of Kobani after an airstrike, as seen from the Mursitpinar crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in Sanliurfa province US military forces again focused airstrikes on the area near the Syrian city in their campaign to turn back Islamic State forces and also hit oil facilities held by the militant group Three IS fighters pray as others inspect a hill in the outskirts of Kobani A Kurdish fighters position in the outskirts of the Syrian town Members of media watch Kobani from a hill near the Mursitpinar border crossing Syrians wait to cross to the northern Syrian city of Tal Abyad at the Akcakale border gate in Sanliurfa province, southeastern Turkey Kurdish refugee children from Kobani in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc A Turkish army tank drives downhill, in front of ruins of Kobani A Turkish flag flutters on the top of a silo in the Syrian town Turkish Kurds watch Kobani from a hill near the Mursitpinar border crossing Britain has so far limited its involvement in the US-led operation against IS to airstrikes in Iraq. The Foreign Office (FCO) has warned that in light of the UK's contribution, Britons abroad could be targeted by possible revenge attacks. It updated its travel advice to reflect a "heightened threat" of attacks across the globe from "groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria." Video: IS Hostage Appears In New Video The FCO urged all Britons living or travelling overseas to remain "vigilant," but specified that the move was not a response to a specific threat. Gallery: Human Cost Of Battle For Kobani A Syrian Kurdish woman and her children at a refugee camp at Suruc, Turkey. These images have emerged as Islamic State (IS) continues to fight for control of the border town of Kobani in Syria Turkey dropped its refusal to allow Kurdish fighters over the border to defend besieged Kobani, saying it was now helping Iraqi peshmerga to cross the frontier in a major policy shift A woman boils a kettle of tea as her children gather around in Suruc Children try to get warm around the fire Children look out from their tent A Kurdish refugee child from the Syrian town of Kobani sits on a makeshift swing A woman boils a pot of tea in front of her tent The centre of Kobani is seen from near the Mursitpinar border crossing A US-led coalition aircraft flies over Kobani Smoke rises as bullets with tracers fly through the air after an explosion in Kobani during a reported suicide car bomb attack by IS militants