Turkey opens border to 45,000 Kurds fleeing Isis militants in Syria

Eight crossing points opened to allow in people fleeing Islamic State fighters who have seized control of 60 villages near border

Syrians approach the Turkish border after fleeing Isis attacks on 60 Kurdish villages. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Tens of thousands of Syrian Kurds have fled across the border intoTurkey in the last 24 hours to escape Islamic State (Isis) fighters, the Turkish government has said.

The country opened eight crossing points along a 20-mile (32km) stretch from Akcakale to Mursitpinar, allowing about 45,000 Kurds to escape from the Islamist extremists, the deputy prime minister, Numan Kurtulmus, said on Saturday.

The exodus began as Isis fighters seized control of 60 Kurdish villages near the border in a two-day campaign as they approach the town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab.

At least 18 militants from Isis, which is also known as Isil, were killed in heavy clashes with Kurdish fighters in the area overnight, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The news of the exodus came as Turkey announced that Isis had released 49 Turkish hostages, including diplomatic staff, who were seized in Mosul, Iraq, on 11 June when militants stormed the Turkish consulate.

Kobane, in Aleppo province, is Syria's third-largest Kurdish town and would give Isis control of a long stretch of the country's northern border with Turkey, which fears that a further 100,000 Kurds could seek refuge as they flee possible reprisal attacks by the jihadists.

Syria's exiled opposition National Coalition has warned of "the danger of a massacre" in the area, where Kurdish fighters, who have resisted Isis for months, have been forced to retreat in recent days.

A spokesperson for the People's Protection Units, one of the Kurdish groups battling Isis, said his fighters' weapons were no match for the looted US arms the militants took from fleeing Iraqi soldiers in June.

"Isis has highly advanced and sophisticated American weapons. We need weapons too," said Redur Xelil. "Isis is now aiming to take over Kobane, as they aimed to take over Erbil."

Masoud Barzani, the Iraqi Kurdish leader, has called for international action to protect the Kobane region, saying the insurgents must be "hit and destroyed wherever they are".

France mounted its first air strikes against the militants in Iraq on Friday, destroying ammunition stores, vehicles and fuel reserves in the Mosul area, while the US is drawing up plans for military action against Isis in Syria.

The US secretary of state, John Kerry, met representatives of 35 countries, including Iran, on Friday to bolster support for the campaign against the jihadists.

He said after the meeting at the UN security council in New York that the grouping, which includes Britain, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, showed "the clear need for all of us to come together, to welcome and to support the new inclusive government in Iraq and of course to put an end to Isil's unfettered barbarity".

Tehran is backing both Iraq and Syria in their battle against the Islamic State group, and Kerry said there was "a role for nearly every country to play, including Iran" in combating the jihadist threat.

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Goals from Marouane Fellaini and Dries Mertens saw Belgium come from behind to beat Algeria in their World Cup Group H opener in Belo Horizonte.

The north African side took a shock lead when Sofiane Feghouli scored from the spot after being fouled by Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen.

Manchester United's Fellaini, a second-half substitute, equalised with a looping header shortly after coming on.

And Mertens scored the winner when he finished off a swift counter-attack.

The 80th-minute strike prompted an eruption of relief from the Belgium bench, not least from coach Marc Wilmots, who had spent most of the match looking understandably pensive.

His side had 65% possession but for most of the game found it difficult to penetrate an Algeria defence marshalled by former Rangers centre-half Madjid Bougherra.

The European side, the seeded team in the group and widely tipped to do well in Brazil after an impressive qualifying campaign, fielded an imposing starting XI, with the Chelsea pair of Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku in attack, while Spurs' Mousa Dembele and former Chelsea man Kevin de Bruyne sat in midfield.

Pre-tournament fifth favourites with some bookmakers, they looked anything but for 69 minutes.

They were rocked in the 24th minute when forward Feghouli was hauled down by Vertonghen in the area as he aimed to convert Faouzi Ghoulam's cross.

The Valencia player recovered to sidefoot a tame penalty past another Blues player Thibaut Courtois, who dived the wrong way. That was Algeria's first World Cup goal since 1986 - 506 minutes of football.

Belgium's best early chances were from long distance and fell to Zenit St Petersburg's Axel Witsel, who had two efforts saved before failing to convert a header.

The pattern changed with the Belgium substitutions. First to test the goal was 19-year-old Lille striker Divock Origi, who forced a brilliant low save from Rais Mbolhi.

Gaps began to grow in a tiring Algeria defence, and a fresh Fellaini took advantage of that when he outmuscled marker Carl Medjani and flicked his effort beyond the reach of Mbolhi.

The winner came from a move that showed off Belgium's attack at its best.

De Bruyne tackled Feghouli in his own half and when the ball found its way to Hazard on the left, the PFA young player of the year sped down the wing and fed Mertens, who slammed his shot high into the net.

Belgium almost grabbed a third through Fellaini, but Mbolhi produced another good save from point-blank range.

Belgium coach Marc Wilmots:

"It was a tough match but we were patient throughout and at the end we were rewarded.

"We stayed calm after doing a small mistake in the first half. We got a new momentum. We saw that Algeria were getting more and more tired. At half-time people were a bit down, but I said 'don't worry, we will score and we will change totally the match'."

Algeria coach Vahid Halilhodzic:

"It's a major disappointment. I would have liked to have a couple of tougher and more resilient players to resist their attacks but I don't have much of a choice.

"We missed a great opportunity here. But in the second half it was a bit tough. We left too much space to the Belgian team and the two goals scored against us were to be expected."

Iraq conflict: PM fires senior officers over rebel advance

Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki has fired senior officers for failing to halt a sweeping advance by Sunni Islamist rebels.

Four army commanders were dismissed for failing to perform "their national duty", a government statement said on Tuesday.

Iraqi forces have been engaged in heavy clashes with the rebels who have seized several key cities in the past week.

The US is deploying up to 275 military personnel to protect staff at its huge embassy in the capital, Baghdad.

The militants, led by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), took control of the northern cities of Mosul and Tikrit in a rapid advance last week, and Tal Afar on Monday.

They also briefly captured parts of the city of Baquba - just 60km (37 miles) from Baghdad - in an overnight assault, before government troops and allied Shia militia regained control on Tuesday.

Qasem Suleimani, the commander of an elite unit of Iran's revolutionary guards, is reported to be in Baghdad, helping military and Shia leaders co-ordinate their campaign against the rebels.