Ryan Lucas

US-led coalition airstrikes against the Islamic State group and other extremists in Syria have killed more than 860 people, including civilians, since they began in mid-September, a monitoring group said Wednesday.

The Turkish border crossing of Oncupinar, an hour’s drive from the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo, is a chaotic buzz of people waiting to pass into one of the most violent regions in the world.

Idriss Nassan, deputy head of Kobani’s foreign relations committee said coalition airstrikes were “effective” but not enough to defeat the jihadis.

Kneeling over his brother’s fresh grave, Ali Mehmud gathered clumps of dirt in his hands, raised them to his lips to kiss them, then softly placed them back on the small mound.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says coalition airstrikes have not halted the advance of Islamic State forces.