Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants captured the Kurdish town of Kobani as Syrian Kurds backed by U.S.-led air campaigns fight to push back their advances.

The clash between ISIL militants and the Syrian forces continued until Sunday, with a rocket fire injuring five people in a Turkish village.  The victims, who were reportedly members of the same family, were not severely wounded, but there were several others who suffered similar injuries from mortar strikes.

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The hill near Kobani, which lies on the Syrian-Turkish border, is a strategic place for ISIL because it gives the group a view of the whole town, according to Deutsche Welle.

ISIL, also known as Daesh, has also spread to the eastern, western and southern sides of Kobani and managed to capture part of the hill that overlooks the town on Saturday, UK-based group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights detailed.

Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Observatory, told AFP that the extremist group now controls a portion of the Mishtenur hill and is still fighting to take hold of the rest of the region. Gaining complete control of the hilltop would give ISIL a full view of Kobani, making it easier for them to conquer the whole town, Rahman explained.

The jihadists began attacking Kobani in September in a bid to take the Turkish frontier from the Kurds. The violence sent thousands of refugees across the border, fearing for their lives.

The militants have been accused of harassing the surrounding regions in its bid to establish a stronghold in the area. They reportedly conducted mass executions, kidnapped civilians and forced women to become their slaves.

On Friday, the jihadist group posted a new video online showing the execution of British citizen Alan Henning via beheading. Before Henning, ISIL also beheaded three other Western citizens including James Foley, Steven Sotloff and David Haines.

In the video posted on Friday, ISIL threatened to murder Peter Kassig, a U.S. aid worker who was kidnapped from Syria in October. Last week, his parents released a video begging the terror group to spare their son's life and release him.

TagsISIL, ISIS, Kobani, Kurds, Syria-Turkey border, violence