Why does IS want Kobani so badly?

Kobani is straddling the Syrian Turkish border. If ISIS holds Kobani they cant really use it as an border crossing to transport material, because it will be cut off by the Turkish Army and where the Turkish army isnt, there is a thick mine belt. Even worse, if Kobani falls Turkey can invoke NATO. ISIS leadership must know this, yet they are throwing most of the armor and heavy weapons they conquered at Kobani.

Its as if the single mission of ISIS is to invoke NATO intervention in Syria, because thats all what taking over Kobani will yield them.

From what I understand they are possibly trying to wage a jihad?

Or they just really, really like sex slaves. Idk

I cannot be sure but the theory that they are a false flag controlled at the top by Turkey and Saudi Arabia seems more likely than any other explanation. Also it explains why US is so insanely incompetent when it comes to bombing them and are more wasting ammo for show than really hitting them where they are. Killing Kurdish is killing the enemy of Turks to not get free Kurdistan.

a reply to: Merinda

Taking Kobani would be a symbolic victory over the Kurds for ISIS, and a demonstration to the international community that they are unstoppable.

Over the past months the build up to the battle for Kobani has generated huge public interest around the world.

ISIS have stated that they will crush the Kurdish defence of Kobani, and now it has become their "Stalingrad", the Kurds have stopped them in their tracks against all odds, but they(ISIS) do not want to give up so they keep on piling more reinforcements into the town, and still the Kurdish defenders hold them off. By all accounts ISIS are at this stage sending in Western fighters with little combat experience, and the defenders, along with coalition airstrikes, are killing a lot of them.

Turkey is playing it's part by blockading the border and stopping the resupply and reinforcement of the town's defenders. They want ISIS to kill as many PKK fighters as is possible, this in turn has raised the ire of the international community, and the more attention this fight has gained, the more determined and desperate ISIS has gotten.

Edit: Of course this is just my reading of the situation.

Kobani is in the last corner of north-eastern Syria that IS does not fully control. Taking Kobani would effectively make them the masters of the entirety of north-eastern Syria and north-western Iraq all the way to the Tigris river. They are just consolidating their position. Once Kobani falls, they are then free to move on to their next Military objectives. My guess is Baghdad; now that will be a huge symbolic victory for them.