IS militants unleash broad offensive against Syrian border city: activists

The Islamic State (IS) militant group has launched a "violent" attack on predominantly-Kurdish city of Ras al-Ayn in northern Syria near Turkish borders, a monitoring group reported Wednesday.

Intense clashes have been raging since Tuesday evening between Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG) and IS militants near Tal Khanzir and Manajir areas in the countryside of Ras al-Ayn, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Kurdish fighters and allied forces have been in control of Ras al-Ayn and other Kurdish areas since Syrian troops withdrew in 2012.

Since then, a number of jihadist groups attempted to attack those areas without scoring a win on the Kurdish YPG.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition carried out several airstrikes overnight on IS positions near city of Shadadi in the countryside of northern province of Hasaka, also a predominantly Kurdish province, said the Observatory.

On Wednesday morning, clashes also erupted between the YPG and the IS in western and southern countryside of predominantly-Assyrian city of Tal Tamr with no reports on losses yet, according to the Observatory. Endit