More than 500 people trapped in Kobani could be "massacred" if Islamic State wins the fierce battle for the Syrian town.
Staffan de Mistura, UN envoy to Syria, made the warning as militants reportedly took more territory and shelled a border crossing to try to isolate the town.
He said 500 to 700 people - many of them elderly - were trapped in Kobani, with only a small area available for a possible escape through the fighting.
Mr de Mistura said a UN analysis showed 10,000 to 13,000 more people remain stuck near the border.
Since the siege began in mid-September, some 200,000 people have fled the Kurdish-dominated town into Turkey.
Despite seven more US-led airstrikes, IS fighters could be close to seizing Kobani, according to monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
People still living there "will be most likely massacred" if the town falls, said Mr de Mistura.
The UN envoy urged: "When there is an imminent threat to civilians, we cannot, we should not be silent."
Calls have been growing louder for Turkey to send ground forces to support the town's defenders but it has ruled out a ground operation on its own.
The US has said the Kurds "continue to control most of the city and are holding out against ISIL".
However, the situation could be approaching tipping point.
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Gallery: Protests Rage In Turkey Over IS
Residents walk through a damaged street in central Diyarbakir following overnight clashes with police
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Violence erupted in Turkish towns and cities, mainly in the Kurdish southeastern provinces, as protesters took to the streets to demand more be done to protect Kobani
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Kobani, a predominantly Kurdish settlement, has been surrounded by Islamic State fighters for three weeks
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Kurdish protesters set fire to a barricade set up to block the street as they clash with riot police in Diyarbakir
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Flames are seen near a Turkish police vehicle in Diyarbakir during a demonstration of Kurds to demand more Western intervention against Islamic State militants (IS) in Syria and Iraq
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Kurdish protesters set fire to a bank
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The Halkbank branch was set ablaze
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Kurdish protesters clash with Turkish riot police
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Police used tear gas and water cannon in Istanbul
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Smoke rises from the Gaziosmanpasa district in Istanbul
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A public bus burned by Kurdish protesters is pictured in the Gaziosmanpasa district
UK-based SOHR said IS, also known ISIL or ISIS, now has "at least 40%" of Kobani after winning control of an local government area on Friday.
Deputy head of the Kurdish forces Ocalan Iso gave a different assessment and said IS was still bombarding the town from afar and probably only had 20% control.
Islamic State, which wants to expand its repressive Islamic 'caliphate', has already been accused of massacring minority populations in its push through Iraq.
The US State Department warned there was a "an increased likelihood" of reprisal attacks from IS since America and its coalition partners launched military action against the group in Iraq and Syria.
The US wants access to an air base in southern Turkey which could become a strategic stronghold in the battle against the militants.
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said US officials have raised the possibility of using the Incirlik air base during discussions this week.
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