Reuters
Beirut, August 11: Islamic State (IS) has launched a new offensive against Syrian rebels north of Aleppo, gaining ground near the Turkish-Syrian border in an area where Turkey and the United States aim to create an area free of the jihadist group.
Dozens of combatants have been reported killed on both sides during fighting in and around the town of Marea, 20 km (12 miles) south of the border with Turkey, where Islamic State suicide attackers detonated four car bombs overnight.
The attack on Marea followed the capture of a nearby rebel-held village, Um Hosh, by Islamic State fighters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a rebel commander said.
The rebel commander said it was the most fierce Islamic State attack in the area in several months. “There is fierce fighting,” he added, declining to be identified for security reasons. “The situation in northern Aleppo is bad.”
Meanwhile, Islamic State bombers are in Britain and are ready to carry out lone-wolf attacks with World War II victory commemorations involving the Queen and the royal family being among the targets, according to a media report. Fictional characters created online by Sky News were sent terror guidebooks by senior jihadists in Syria, including advice on raising funds and making weapons.
