Several al Qaeda ideologues have issued a fatwa saying it is “compulsory” to fight the Islamic State in Aleppo. The edict was issued after the Islamic State seized towns and villages from other rebel groups in the province.
The Assyrians were kidnapped in the Al Hasakah province of Syria where the Islamic State is engaged in fierce fighting with Kurdish and Assyrian forces for control of the area.
After months of fighting for control of the Syrian border town, the Islamic State has withdrawn from Kobane in the face of advances by Kurdish forces and Syrian rebels.
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The Islamic State has released a propaganda video featuring John Cantlie, a British photojournalist who is being held hostage by the group. Cantlie is made to rebut Western claims about the efficacy of airstrikes in Kobane, a town that sits on the border of Syria and Turkey.
