MESOP FLASH : Syrian Democratic Rebels recapture towns in Aleppo from ISIS

24-6-2014 – MESOP – Rebels reportedly recaptured three towns from the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) Monday in north Aleppo province near the Turkish border, according to opposition media and activists.The Jabhat a-Nusra-led rebels said in a statement Monday that they had captured Thalthana, Kesar, al-Jeb and killed seven ISIS fighters in clashes, according to pro-opposition news agency Shahba Press.

The claim could not be immediately verified, but matched the account of activists on the ground.

On Sunday, ISIS seized the border villages with the help of American Humvees brought from the group’s gains in Iraq. The fighting is part of a larger struggle between opposition forces and ISIS in the Aleppo countryside that have intensified recently with the arrival of new military supplies from Iraq. “ISIS is trying to control the entire area around the Turkish border,” pro-opposition activist Ahmed al-Ahmed told Syria Direct Tuesday.