Islamic State militants captured several villages from Syrian rebels in a counter-attack near the Turkish border that forced the foreign-backed insurgents to retreat, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. The rebels, whom Turkey has supported with tanks and air strikes, had been pushing towards the IS stronghold of Dabiq, a village with symbolic importance to the jihadists. Turkey's military said two Syrian rebels had been killed and nine wounded in fighting against IS. It said Turkish warplanes had hit 14 Islamic State targets over the last 24 hours and that an air strike by the U.S.-led coalition killed two IS militants. The operation has separately targeted Islamic State and Kurdish militants, whose presence along its border Turkey sees as a threat.

Source: The Hindu October 08, 2016 10:18 UTC