ALEPPO, Syria
ISIL has seized control of three villages situated in Syria's eastern Al Hasakah province, according to Syrian rebels.
The Syrian Revolution General Commission issued a statement on Saturday saying the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant militants took control of the villages as fighting continued around Kobani, known as Ayn al-Arab, near the Turkish border.
Fighters from the Free Syrian Army and Kurdish People's Protection Units, known as YPG, are engaging ISIL as it tries to push its territorial control up to the border.
In Iraq, a senior Peshmerga officer denied claims that Kurdish fighters had crossed from Iraq to assist in the battle for Kobani.
"Peshmerga can only cross to Kobani via Turkey as the other provinces are controlled by ISIL militants," Major-General Jabbar Yawar said.
ISIL’s advance on Kobani has forced around 160,000 Syrian Kurds to cross the border into Turkey over the past week.
www.aa.com.tr/en
