A convoy of Peshmerga fighters from northern Iraq arrived at the Turkish border town of Mursitpinar early on Thursday, as they prepared to cross the border into Syria to help fellow Kurds fight Islamic State militants.

The convoy of jeeps and flatbed trucks, some bearing heavy machine-guns, headed toward the Syrian town of Kobani.

Weeks of airstrikes around the town have tested the U.S.-led coalition's ability to combat the Sunni Muslim insurgents.

The Kurds and their international allies hope the arrival of the Peshmerga, along with heavier weapons, can turn the tide.

The Kurdish fighters were given a heroes' welcome as they crossed the border.