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At least four people were hospitalised with stab wounds in violent clashes that broke out in Hamburg late Tuesday, after around 40 supporters of the Islamic State (IS) armed with knives and machetes fought with hundreds of Kurdish protesters. Police wearing anti-riot armour deployed water cannons to quell the violence. The clashes occurred after Kurdish protesters who had earlier occupied Hamburg's central train station had gathered near the Al Nour Mosque on the Steindamm, a street near the train station. The clashes occurred around 11:30 p.m. local time (2130 GMT). The Kurdish protesters were upset over the perceived lack of action to protect predominantly the Kurdish settlement of Kobane, located in Syria near the Turkish border, from IS fighters. Some have questioned why airstrikes by the United States and other nations directed against IS fighters in Syria have not focused on protecting Kobane.