Islamic State fighters withdrew from frontlines with Syrian rebel forces north of Aleppo today as they mounted a counter attack against the jihadist group near the Turkish border, an opposition source and monitoring group said. 
 
The sudden withdrawal from villages around the rebel-held town of Marea points to the pressure Islamic State is feeling from offensives being waged by other enemies further east, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. 
 
Islamic State had managed to besiege the rebel-held town of Marea in a significant advance late last month, stranding thousands of civilians there and prompting a US-led coalition to air drop weapons to rebels, rebel sources said. 
 
Rebel fighters in Marea broke the siege today when they captured the village of Kafr Kalbin on the road linking Marea with Azaz, 20 km (12 miles) to the northwest at the border with Turkey. The advance was preceded by a rebel statement saying they were uniting their ranks. 
 
&quot;It seems they (IS) can&#39;t keep several fronts open at the same time. It is a strategic area, they were on the verge of entering Azaz,&quot; observatory director Rami Abdulrahman said. The opposition source said Islamic State had withdrawn from the area quickly, and Free Syrian Army(FSA) factions had filled the void. 
 
FSA rebels fighting Islamic State north of Aleppo have received military assistance from states opposed to President Bashar al-Assad. 
 
Their battle with Islamic State is separate to one being waged further east by a US-backed group, the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes the Kurdish Yek?ney?n Parastina Gel&lrm;(YPG) militia. The Syrian army, backed by Russian air strikes, has also advanced against Islamic State since last week. 
 
The FSA rebels are fighting separate conflicts with both the SDF and Assad, their main enemy.

Withdrawal points to the pressure IS is feeling from offensives being waged by other enemies further east

Islamic State fighters withdrew from frontlines with Syrian rebel forces north of Aleppo today as they mounted a counter attack against the jihadist group near the Turkish border, an opposition source and monitoring group said. The sudden withdrawal from villages around the rebel-held town of Marea points to the pressure Islamic State is feeling from offensives being waged by other enemies further east, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. Islamic State had managed to besiege the rebel-held town of Marea in a significant advance late last month, stranding thousands of civilians there and prompting a US-led coalition to air drop weapons to rebels, rebel sources said. Rebel fighters in Marea broke the siege today when they captured the village of Kafr Kalbin on the road linking Marea with Azaz, 20 km (12 miles) to the northwest at the border with Turkey. The advance was preceded by a rebel statement saying they were uniting their ranks. "It seems they (IS) can't keep several fronts open at the same time. It is a strategic area, they were on the verge of entering Azaz," observatory director Rami Abdulrahman said. The opposition source said Islamic State had withdrawn from the area quickly, and Free Syrian Army(FSA) factions had filled the void. FSA rebels fighting Islamic State north of Aleppo have received military assistance from states opposed to President Bashar al-Assad. Their battle with Islamic State is separate to one being waged further east by a US-backed group, the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes the Kurdish Yek?ney?n Parastina Gel‎(YPG) militia. The Syrian army, backed by Russian air strikes, has also advanced against Islamic State since last week. The FSA rebels are fighting separate conflicts with both the SDF and Assad, their main enemy.

Islamic State withdraws from northwest Syria frontlines

Philippine security forces killed 54 Islamist militants linked to the Jemaah Islamiah group in a week-long air and ground offensive in the country&#39;s south, an army spokesman said today.The fighting took place near the stronghold of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which signed a peace deal with the government in 2014 to end 45 years of conflict that killed 120,000 people and stunted growth in the resource-rich areas.

Major Filemon Tan said two soldiers were killed and nine wounded after air force planes dropped bombs on the militants&#39; positions and ground troops pounded them with artillery fire&nbsp;in the town of Butig in Lanao del Sur.

&quot;The artillery fire did more damage than the bombs,&quot; Tan added. &quot;Our troops saw the enemies fall and, based on estimates, we killed 54. They beheaded two sawmill workers and toppled a ppwer line in the area.&quot;

The fighting has displaced about 2,000 people from five villages in Butig, regional officials said.

About a decade ago, the MILF had expelled Jemaah Islamiah members from the area in preparation for peace talks brokered by Malaysia, and avoid getting a &quot;terrorist&quot; tag from the U.S. State Department.

The military said Jemaah Islamiah-linked militants returned to the area when a law to grant autonomy to Muslim areas, under the government deal with the MILF, failed to pass in Congress.

President-elect Rodrigo Duterte has promised to pursue peace with Muslim rebels, proposing a new federal scheme to grant more political and economic powers to Muslim-dominated areas in the south.

Two soldiers have been killed, and nine have been injured after air force planes dropped bombs in Butig. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) had expelled Jemaah Islamiah--a Southeast Asian militant Islamist terrorist group--from the area about a decade ago to avoid getting branded a 'terrorist' by the U.S.

Philippine security forces killed 54 Islamist militants linked to the Jemaah Islamiah group in a week-long air and ground offensive in the country's south, an army spokesman said today.The fighting took place near the stronghold of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which signed a peace deal with the government in 2014 to end 45 years of conflict that killed 120,000 people and stunted growth in the resource-rich areas. Major Filemon Tan said two soldiers were killed and nine wounded after air force planes dropped bombs on the militants' positions and ground troops pounded them with artillery fire in the town of Butig in Lanao del Sur. "The artillery fire did more damage than the bombs," Tan added. "Our troops saw the enemies fall and, based on estimates, we killed 54. They beheaded two sawmill workers and toppled a ppwer line in the area." The fighting has displaced about 2,000 people from five villages in Butig, regional officials said. About a decade ago, the MILF had expelled Jemaah Islamiah members from the area in preparation for peace talks brokered by Malaysia, and avoid getting a "terrorist" tag from the U.S. State Department. The military said Jemaah Islamiah-linked militants returned to the area when a law to grant autonomy to Muslim areas, under the government deal with the MILF, failed to pass in Congress. President-elect Rodrigo Duterte has promised to pursue peace with Muslim rebels, proposing a new federal scheme to grant more political and economic powers to Muslim-dominated areas in the south.

Philippine troops kill 54 Islamist militants in the south

Turkey is offering to &quot;join forces&quot; with Washington for a special operation inside Syria on condition it doesn`t include a Syrian Kurdish militia blacklisted by Ankara but seen as an ally by the US, the foreign minister said. 
Washington`s support of Kurdish fighters in Syria in the fight against Islamic State jihadists has angered Ankara, especially after AFP pictures last week revealed US commandos sporting patches of the Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG) detested by Turkey. 
&quot;If we join forces, they (the US) have their own special forces and we have our special forces,&quot; Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a small group of journalists in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya. 
Such a coalition could &quot;easily&quot; head to IS` de facto capital in Raqa to the south in a second front, he said. 
There was no immediate reaction to the proposal from the United States, whose strategy for fighting jihadists inside Syria is pinned on its alliance with the &nbsp;Syrian Kurds. 
The US is supporting an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters-- the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)-- as the most effective fighting force on the ground against IS. 
But the SDF is still dominated by the YPG, which Turkey sees as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has fought a three decade insurgency against the Turkish state. 
Cavusoglu said Syrian Arab opposition forces opposing the regime of President Bashar al-Assad could be backed up with special forces from Turkey, the United States as well as from France, Britain and Germany. 
&quot;The subject we are discussing with the Americans is the closure of the Manbij pocket as soon as possible... and the opening of a second front,&quot; Cavusoglu said, referring to a backdoor border route favoured by IS for smuggling jihadists into and out of Syria. 
&quot;We say okay, a second front should be opened but not with the PYD,&quot; he said, referring to the Democratic Union Party, the YPG`s political wing.&nbsp;&quot;Unfortunately, both Russia and the United States see a terrorist organisation as a partner and support it,&quot; he added. 
In Ankara, government spokesman Numan Kurtulmus declined to comment on details of any operation, but said Turkey placed top priority on protecting a line stretching between Syria`s flashpoint towns of Marea and Jarablus. 
&quot;Turkey is determined whatever is needed to protect the line from terrorist groups,&quot; he said on Monday after a cabinet meeting.The dispute over the role of the YPG has proved a major bone of contention in relations between the two NATO allies. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the weekend accused the US of dishonesty. 
Cavusoglu lamented the delay in the delivery of American light multiple rocket launchers to be deployed along its border with Syria to combat IS. 
The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) was supposed to be deployed along the Turkish border by the end of May, but Cavusoglu said it would now only happen in August. 
&quot;The United States is unfortunately not keeping its promise,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;We are completely ready. Not us, but the US is responsible for the delay,&quot; he added. 
The system would allow Turkey to hit IS positions within a 90-kilometre (56-mile) range, while Turkish artillery has a more limited range of 40 kilometres. 
Yet Turkish cooperation is critical for the US-led fight against IS, with coalition war planes using the southern Turkish base of Incirlik as a hub for attacks on the group. 
Cavusoglu said US support for YPG was &quot;very dangerous&quot; for the future of Syria. 
Asked if could have implications for the US use of Incirlik, he replied: &quot;The United States is our NATO ally, model partner. To be honest, we don`t want the business to reach that stage.&quot;

With support from Turkey and the US-led coalition, rebels in the northern province of Aleppo have been fighting for months to clear the Islamic State (IS) from the Aleppo countryside.

Turkey is offering to "join forces" with Washington for a special operation inside Syria on condition it doesn`t include a Syrian Kurdish militia blacklisted by Ankara but seen as an ally by the US, the foreign minister said. Washington`s support of Kurdish fighters in Syria in the fight against Islamic State jihadists has angered Ankara, especially after AFP pictures last week revealed US commandos sporting patches of the Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG) detested by Turkey. "If we join forces, they (the US) have their own special forces and we have our special forces," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a small group of journalists in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya. Such a coalition could "easily" head to IS` de facto capital in Raqa to the south in a second front, he said. There was no immediate reaction to the proposal from the United States, whose strategy for fighting jihadists inside Syria is pinned on its alliance with the Syrian Kurds. The US is supporting an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters-- the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)-- as the most effective fighting force on the ground against IS. But the SDF is still dominated by the YPG, which Turkey sees as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has fought a three decade insurgency against the Turkish state. Cavusoglu said Syrian Arab opposition forces opposing the regime of President Bashar al-Assad could be backed up with special forces from Turkey, the United States as well as from France, Britain and Germany. "The subject we are discussing with the Americans is the closure of the Manbij pocket as soon as possible... and the opening of a second front," Cavusoglu said, referring to a backdoor border route favoured by IS for smuggling jihadists into and out of Syria. "We say okay, a second front should be opened but not with the PYD," he said, referring to the Democratic Union Party, the YPG`s political wing. "Unfortunately, both Russia and the United States see a terrorist organisation as a partner and support it," he added. In Ankara, government spokesman Numan Kurtulmus declined to comment on details of any operation, but said Turkey placed top priority on protecting a line stretching between Syria`s flashpoint towns of Marea and Jarablus. "Turkey is determined whatever is needed to protect the line from terrorist groups," he said on Monday after a cabinet meeting.The dispute over the role of the YPG has proved a major bone of contention in relations between the two NATO allies. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the weekend accused the US of dishonesty. Cavusoglu lamented the delay in the delivery of American light multiple rocket launchers to be deployed along its border with Syria to combat IS. The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) was supposed to be deployed along the Turkish border by the end of May, but Cavusoglu said it would now only happen in August. "The United States is unfortunately not keeping its promise," he said. "We are completely ready. Not us, but the US is responsible for the delay," he added. The system would allow Turkey to hit IS positions within a 90-kilometre (56-mile) range, while Turkish artillery has a more limited range of 40 kilometres. Yet Turkish cooperation is critical for the US-led fight against IS, with coalition war planes using the southern Turkish base of Incirlik as a hub for attacks on the group. Cavusoglu said US support for YPG was "very dangerous" for the future of Syria. Asked if could have implications for the US use of Incirlik, he replied: "The United States is our NATO ally, model partner. To be honest, we don`t want the business to reach that stage."

Turkey offers US joint Syria operation, without the Kurds

More than 20 people were killed and about 50 injured in three bombings, including two suicide attacks&nbsp;that hit Baghdad today, police and medical sources said.

The attacks came as Iraqi forces and Shi&#39;ite militias were fighting Islamic State militants in Falluja.

Twelve people were killed and more than 20 injured when a car bomb blew up in Baghdad&#39;s northern Shaab Shi&#39;ite district.

Eight were killed and 21 wounded by a suicide bomber who detonated a car packed with explosives near a government building and a police station in Tarmiya, a predominantly Sunni suburb north of Baghdad.

Another suicide bomber riding a motorcycle set off his explosive belt in Sadr City, a popular Shi&#39;ite district of Baghdad, killing three and injuring nine.

The attacks come in the wake of the Iraqi Army and Shi'ite militia storming Falluja to recapture it from the Islamic State.

More than 20 people were killed and about 50 injured in three bombings, including two suicide attacks that hit Baghdad today, police and medical sources said. The attacks came as Iraqi forces and Shi'ite militias were fighting Islamic State militants in Falluja. Twelve people were killed and more than 20 injured when a car bomb blew up in Baghdad's northern Shaab Shi'ite district. Eight were killed and 21 wounded by a suicide bomber who detonated a car packed with explosives near a government building and a police station in Tarmiya, a predominantly Sunni suburb north of Baghdad. Another suicide bomber riding a motorcycle set off his explosive belt in Sadr City, a popular Shi'ite district of Baghdad, killing three and injuring nine.

More than 20 killed in multiple blasts in Baghdad

The Japanese government said today that&nbsp;it was doing all it could to secure the release of a Japanese journalist being held hostage by an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, after an apparent photograph of the man was posted on the Internet.

The photograph, apparently uploaded to the Internet late on Sunday, showed a bearded man dressed in orange holding a hand-written sign in Japanese.

&quot;Please help me. This is my last chance,&quot; said the sign, written in shaky characters and signed &quot;Jumpei Yasuda.&quot;

Yasuda&#39;s plight came to attention in March, when a video surfaced showing him reading a message to his country and his family. Japanese media said he was capture by a group called Nusra Front after entering Syria from Turkey last June.

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said the government was analysing the new photo and believed it was Yasuda, while Chief Cabinet Spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the government was doing what it could.

&quot;Since preserving the safety of Japanese citizens is our most important duty, we are making use of a broad net of information and doing everything we can to respond,&quot; Suga told a news conference.

Asked if this meant contacting the Nusra Front, Suga said &quot;that sort of thing was included&quot; but declined to give further details.

Early in 2015, the Islamic State militant group beheaded two Japanese nationals - a self-styled security consultant and a veteran war reporter. The gruesome executions captured the attention of Japan but the government at that time had said that&nbsp;it would not negotiate with the militants for their release.

Yasuda, a freelance journalist since 2003, was held in Baghdad in 2004 and drew criticism for drawing the Japanese government into negotiations for his release.

In December, media freedom organization Reporters Without Borders retracted and apologized for a report it had issued that said Yasuda had been threatened with execution in Syria. The government said at the time it was seeking information.

Jumpei Yasuda, a freelance journalist since 2003 has been held captive in Baghdad since 2004. He had earlier pleaded for help by reading a message to his family in a video. The Japanese government is saying it is doing its best to get the victim released.

The Japanese government said today that it was doing all it could to secure the release of a Japanese journalist being held hostage by an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, after an apparent photograph of the man was posted on the Internet. The photograph, apparently uploaded to the Internet late on Sunday, showed a bearded man dressed in orange holding a hand-written sign in Japanese. "Please help me. This is my last chance," said the sign, written in shaky characters and signed "Jumpei Yasuda." Yasuda's plight came to attention in March, when a video surfaced showing him reading a message to his country and his family. Japanese media said he was capture by a group called Nusra Front after entering Syria from Turkey last June. Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said the government was analysing the new photo and believed it was Yasuda, while Chief Cabinet Spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the government was doing what it could. "Since preserving the safety of Japanese citizens is our most important duty, we are making use of a broad net of information and doing everything we can to respond," Suga told a news conference. Asked if this meant contacting the Nusra Front, Suga said "that sort of thing was included" but declined to give further details. Early in 2015, the Islamic State militant group beheaded two Japanese nationals - a self-styled security consultant and a veteran war reporter. The gruesome executions captured the attention of Japan but the government at that time had said that it would not negotiate with the militants for their release. Yasuda, a freelance journalist since 2003, was held in Baghdad in 2004 and drew criticism for drawing the Japanese government into negotiations for his release. In December, media freedom organization Reporters Without Borders retracted and apologized for a report it had issued that said Yasuda had been threatened with execution in Syria. The government said at the time it was seeking information.

New photo of Japanese hostage in Syria appears, message reads "Please Help"

islamic-state

Islamic State, News on Islamic State, stories on Islamic State, articles on Islamic State, Islamic State stories at Wion, Islamic State news, Islamic State latest news

islamic state

Islamic State withdraws from northwest Syria frontlines

Philippine troops kill 54 Islamist militants in the south

Turkey offers US joint Syria operation, without the Kurds

More than 20 killed in multiple blasts in Baghdad

New photo of Japanese hostage in Syria appears, message reads "Please Help"