ISIL overruns several Kurdish villages in Syria

Latest reports say the ISIL Takfiri militants have seized control of at least five more Kurdish villages in the troubled northern Syria, increasing the number of captured villages there to 21.

Local Kurdish sources say ISIL militants captured the new areas in a major advance towards the city of Ayn al-Arab bordering Turkey on Thursday.

The new wave of operations by the ISIL militants started on Wednesday, during which 16 Kurdish villages were seized.

Sources say the ISIL terrorists used heavy weaponry, including tanks and artillery, during the raids.

Dozens of people have been killed in the ongoing fierce clashes between the ISIL militants and the Syrian Kurds. The casualties included both militants and the Kurdish military and local residents.

Takfiri terrorists have recently stepped up their attacks against civilians as Syrian army soldiers have achieved major victories in their battle against the foreign-backed militants.

This comes as Syrian army continues to destroy foreign-backed militants’ hideouts in Ghouta region located east of the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Several militant positions have been pounded by the Syrian army’s intensive air and ground attacks in various parts of eastern al-Ghouta, mainly in Jobar.

Eastern al-Ghouta is considered the main stronghold for militants in the east of Damascus.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011, with ISIL Takfiri terrorists currently controlling parts of Syria’s east and north. ISIL also sent its Takfiri militants into Iraq in June, seizing large swathes of land straddling the border between Syria and Iraq.

The Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey — are reportedly supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

JR/AB/SS