BREAKING: Pentagon says US air strikes alone will not 'save' Kobane

US-led air strikes are not enough to prevent Islamic State militants from capturing the Syrian border town of Kobane, the Pentagon said.

"Air strikes alone are not going to do this, not going to fix this, not going to save the town of Kobane," spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters. Ultimately, "capable" ground forces - rebel fighters in Syria and Iraqi government troops -would have to defeat the IS group, he said.