( CNN ) In what 's sure to be a moment fraught with symbolism and broadcast around the world , an infantry company-sized contingent of Iraqi Peshmerga will cross over Wednesday into Kobani , Syria , from Turkey . They 'll bring heavy weapons , artillery and gear crucial to the ongoing Kurdish defense of Kobani , now in its sixth week . But , despite all the attention it will garner , the troop movement does n't necessarily signal a major shift in the fight , analysts say . `` In terms of a major war that 's of some significance to U.S. national security , the arrival of 150 militiamen to an area is probably not of tectonic significance , '' said Steve Biddle , a senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations . That 's particularly , Washington Institute defense fellow Jeff White says , since most tacticians consider Kobani to be of little inherent strategic interest in the fight against ISIS , which has captured large areas in Syria and Iraq . What could be significant , Biddle says , is the back story explaining how Turkish leaders came to allow the movement in the first place . The United States wants Turkey to do more , including committing ground troops to the fight , Biddle said . It could signal a backroom deal unlocking greater Turkish cooperation in the fight against ISIS , the militant group that calls itself the `` Islamic State . '' Or , Biddle says , it could simply be the product of a Turkish government holding its nose in an effort to deal with an increasingly rotten crisis on its doorstep . America 's newest allies : Syria 's Kurds . The Peshmerga force . The Iraq Peshmerga contingent arrived by air from Irbil , Iraq , and landed in Urfa , Turkey , early Wednesday , Turkey 's Anadolu news agency reported . The group was driven in six minibuses toward the border , Anadolu reported , while a separate convoy crossed into Turkey carrying weapons for the Iraqi Kurds . The fighters will enter Kobani soon to reinforce fellow Kurds who are defending against ISIS , a Peshmerga general told CNN on Tuesday . `` The Peshmerga have been ready for a few days , then had logistical problems , but they no longer do , '' Brig . Gen. Halgurd Hikmat said of the Iraqi Kurdish forces . The force is made up of 161 Peshmerga fighters with weapons `` that will be of good help to our brothers in Kobani , '' according to an official with the Ministry of Peshmerga , the defense ministry for the semiautonomous Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq . Separately , about 200 Syrian rebels entered Kobani at dawn Wednesday with weapons that included mortars and heavy machine guns , Syrian rebel commander Col. Abdul Jabar Okaidi told CNN by phone . More fighters are available if needed , he said . What impact will they have ? The Peshmerga fighters are better trained and equipped than their Syrian Kurdish counterparts , and are bringing heavy weapons sorely lacking in Kobani , White said . They will roll into a city defended by a beleaguered band of Syrian Kurds and Free Syrian Army fighters who have seen few reinforcements since ISIS ' siege of the city began in mid-September . And their arrival probably cements the city 's defenses against ISIS , White said . Still , ISIS is also reinforcing its contingent in Kobani , White said , setting out the prospect of a protracted fight over the city that has become important less for its strategic value than its role as a television star . Kobani lies just across the border from Turkey , giving international journalists a clear vantage point to report on the battle there . But there is a military significance as well , analysts say . With all the attention on the fight and both sides bringing in reinforcements , White said , the fight for Kobani continues to give U.S. and allied forces the opportunity to bloody ISIS there , and to keep its forces tied up . `` As long as the city does n't fall , it works to the advantage of the U.S. strategy , '' he said . `` The ISIS guys who are fighting in the city are n't available to fight somewhere else . '' The Turkish role . Turkish officials were not immediately available to comment on Wednesday 's Peshmerga movements . But Turkey has previously said it would allow the Peshmerga to pass through its territory into Syria . With ISIS controlling the Syrian land surrounding Kobani , the Peshmerga 's easiest path into Kobani is through Turkey . Turkey 's decision to let the Peshmerga traverse Turkish territory represented a major policy shift . The Syrian Kurdish fighters , part of the People 's Protection Units , or YPG , have ties to the Kurdistan Workers ' Party , or PKK , which has fought a 30-year guerrilla war against the government of Turkey , where about 20 % of the population is Kurdish . Turkey , the European Union and United States consider the PKK a terrorist organization . Earlier this month , Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Syrian Kurdish and ISIS militants were `` terrorists . '' The Turkish government also has bristled at the United States ' efforts to parachute weapons , ammunition and medicine to YPG fighters . But while Turkey did nothing to intervene in Kobani , Kurds protested in Turkish streets . More than 30 people were killed in cities around Turkey this month as ethnic Kurds clashed with Islamist and nationalist groups as well as Turkish police . CNN 's Nick Paton Walsh , Gul Tuysuz , Jason Hanna , Ivan Watson , Zeynep Bilginsoy and Holly Yan contributed to this report .
Peshmerga 's arrival will be symbolic , but not a major development , analyst says . Official : Iraqi Kurdish fighters heading to Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani . Turkey has said it would allow the fighters to enter Kobani through Turkey . Kobani has been under ISIS attack since September .