Syrian Kurdish forces regained full control of Tal Abyad on Wednesday, expelling Islamic State militants who had seized a district of the strategic border town, a monitor said.
"Kurdish fighters expelled IS from the Mashur al-Fawqani district that they had captured (on Tuesday)," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, AFP reported. He said at least three fighters of the Kurdish YPG and four IS militants were killed in clashes on Wednesday.
Tal Abyad, on the border with Turkey, was formerly an IS stronghold and served as a key conduit for the group to bring in weapons and insurgents, and export black market oil.
But just over two weeks ago, Kurdish forces, backed by Syrian militias and US-led airstrikes, seized the town from the extremist group.
IS forces launched a surprise attack against the town on Tuesday, overrunning the Mashur al-Fawqani district in heavy fighting. But by late Wednesday morning, the town was back under full Kurdish control, the observatory said.
