DAMASCUS: Islamic State group fighters closed in Monday to within only a few kilometers of a key Kurdish town on Syria’s border with Turkey, despite continued airstrikes by the US-led coalition.

NATO member Turkey’s government meanwhile said it would ask Parliament to debate joining the coalition against the militants operating on the country’s doorstep from as early as Thursday.

The alliance carried out fresh raids against IS positions in Syria overnight, but the militants still managed to advance within 5 km of the strategic Syrian town of Ain Al-Arab, known as Kobane to the Kurds, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Britain-based monitoring group said it was the closest the militants had come to the town since they began advancing toward it nearly two weeks ago. The militants fired at least 15 rockets at the town center, killing at least one person, as they advanced, the Observatory said, adding that other rockets hit the Syrian-Turkish border.

In Ankara, parliamentary speaker Cemil Cicek was quoted by NTV television as saying motions for discussions on Turkey joining the coalition could land with lawmakers on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the motions would be debated on Thursday. “We will hold discussions with our relevant institutions this week. We will definitely be where we need to be,” Erdogan said on Sunday.

“We cannot stay out of this.”

On Monday, the Observatory reported fresh overnight strikes in two northern provinces, Raqa and Aleppo.