Syrian rebels

Syrian rebels capture symbolic ISIS-held town

The Free Syrian Army (FSA), a Turkish-backed faction, took back Sunday the town of Dabiq from ISIS, Turkish state media and a monitoring group said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based organization, said it received reports that groups of ISIS fighters had withdrawn from Dabiq overnight.

Though ISIS forces left, Turkish security sources told Anadolu's reporter the recapture of Dabiq was the hardest part so far for Operation Euphrates Shield.

Syrian rebels 'seize key town Manbij from IS'

Manbij is situated at an intersection of roads just south of the Turkish border.

It has been under IS control for more than two years.

Small numbers of IS militants are still resisting, using civilians as human shields, the alliance says.

The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition of US-backed fighters including the powerful Kurdish YPG militia, launched a campaign to retake the northern city two months ago.

They were backed by US-led air strikes on IS positions.

After some heavy fighting, Manbij was encircled and completely cut off in June.

Rebels in Syria call boy's beheading a 'mistake'.

The video that emerged on social media showed a visibly frightened boy lying in the back of a truck alongside what appeared to be several rebel fighters.

U.S. jets diverted to Iraq, abandoning Syrian rebels

Speaking to reporters on a flight to Warsaw, Poland, for a NATO meeting, Carter said the review will "see if there are any lessons learned."

One aircraft flying air support missions over Al-Bukamal during the recent fighting there was called off and diverted to strike at a massive convoy of suspected ISIS militants that had been observed to be trying to leave the southern outskirts of Fallujah, according to a senior U.S. official. Several aircraft were diverted from various patrols in different parts of Iraq, but only one was taken away from the Al-Bukamal battle.

Putin criticizes US policy in Syria ahead of Obama meeting

Putin made a point of noting the Pentagon's recent admission that an effort to train more than 5,000 Syrian rebels had yielded only four or five fighters after about 50 others were captured, wounded or fled in their first encounter with extremist militants.