More Than 50 Dead in Fighting Between IS and Rebels in Northern Syria

The IS managed to take control of the town of Suran Azaz, located 10 km (6 miles) from the city of Azaz and the Bab al Salama border crossing point with Turkey, and the advance opens the door to an attack against the crossing point.

Thirty-one insurgents and 22 members of the IS – one of them a Qatari and one a Saudi – died in the fighting, according to Observatory figures.

The IS also managed to gain control of the nearby towns of Al Bal and Al Hasia, north of Aleppo.

The fighting, including bombardments and car-bomb attacks, also wounded dozens of people on both sides.

Since March 2011, Syria has been mired in a bloody civil war that has taken more than 220,000 lives, according to the United Nations.