Earlier today, rebel fighters retook the villages of Fayruziyah and Tall al-Hisn after clashing with ISIS fighters in northern Aleppo countryside.
The advances were supported by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes and Turkish artillery shelling which have increasingly targeted the Islamic State in recent weeks.
During today’s battle, several rebel faction were involved, including Ahrar ash-Sham, Jabhat Al-Shamiya (Levant Front) and two groups affiliated with the Free Syrian Army, namely Tajammu Fastaqeem and ‘the 13th Division’.
Although ISIS still controls strongholds such as Dudiyan, rebels have now secured the eastern flank of Azaz city which was threatened by a looming Islamic State offensive.
In retaliation for Turkish cross-border shelling, ISIS mortar crews have targeted the Turkish border city of Kilis, subsequently killing and injuring many civilians in recent weeks.
Remarkably, the Opposition-ISIS skirmishes in northern Aleppo were brought into effect by a government offensive 3 months ago which isolated insurgents in a northern enclave often refered to as the ‘Azaz pocket’.
Map credits: IUCA Analysts.
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