Islamic State launches 2 major attacks in northern Syria

Islamic State militants launched major attacks in northern Syria on Thursday after a string of recent setbacks, storming government-held areas in a mostly Kurdish city and setting off deadly car bombs as they pushed into a border town they were expelled from six months ago. The two-pronged counteroffensive left dozens of people dead or wounded. On one front, Islamic State fighters advanced early in the morning into the northeastern city of Hassakeh, long split between Syrian Kurds and government forces, capturing parts of it. The other push was into the Syrian border town of Kobani, which famously resisted a months-long IS assault before the extremists were driven out in January.

Fierce clashes erupted afterwards in the center of the town, and there are bodies lying in the streets.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman

IS tried to storm the city earlier this month and reached its southern outskirts before facing strong resistance from Syrian government troops who pushed them away. The Hassakeh and Kobani attacks came just days after YPG fighters and their allies captured the Islamic State stronghold of Tal Abyad on the border with Turkey and the town of Ein Issa to the south. Kurdish fighters have been advancing since January under the cover of airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition. The IS group captured large parts of both Syria and Iraq a year ago. A major IS attack was widely expected during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began last week.

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