Syrian rebels have taken back lost ground from Islamic State (ISIS) forces in the northern countryside of Aleppo Thursday as clashes continue near the Turkish border, a rebel source said.
Rebel groups seized the village of al-Kherba, taking advantage of Turkish support to craft an ISIS-free zone on the border.
The main target of the anti-ISIS offensive is to halt the group’s advances in the northern countryside, rebel commander Abu Omar told Zaman al-Wasl.
According to Abu Omar, there is a public consensus in northern villages of Aleppo that ISIS should be cleansed from their land ahead of the planned 'safe zone'.
ISIS has faced a number of setbacks in the last few weeks in the northeast of Syria as the US-led coalition inflicts significant losses on the group's ranks.