Kurdish militants kill 41 IS fighters in northern Syria

DAMASCUS, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- A total of 41 fighters of the Islamic State (IS) group were killed in clashes with Kurdish militants in a predominantly Kurdish city in northern Syria on Tuesday, a monitoring group reported.

The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) killed at least 24 IS fighters during clashes and ambushes set up by the YPG in the surrounding of the al-Muhadatha School in the city of Ayn al-Arab, or Kobane, according to the oppositional Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The IS militants were trying to attack the YPG's positions in the school in a bid to recapture it, the Observatory said, adding that 20 bodies of those killed were taken by the YPG.

Also in Ayn al-Arab, 17 IS fighters and seven YPG fighters were killed during the clashes between the two sides in the northern neighborhood of Mashtah Nour, the Observatory said, adding that two other civilians were killed in a fresh IS' mortar attack against that key city.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition carried out a number of airstrikes against the IS positions in Ayn al-Arab, destroying four trucks outfitted with machine guns and armored vehicle, said the Observatory.

Late last year, the IS unleashed a wide-scale offensive against Ayn al-Arab due to its strategic location on the borders with Turkey.

However, the resilience of the Kurdish fighters in addition to the U.S.-led strikes have so far contributed to reining in the advancement of the IS in that city.

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Source http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2015-01/07/c_133901013.htm