Daesh repels advance by US-backed Syria rebels

Daesh militants on Wednesday pushed back US-trained Syrian rebels from the outskirts of a town on the Iraqi border, dealing a setback to a budding offensive that aims to sever the militants’ transit link between the two countries, a rebel spokesman said.
Daesh-linked Aamaq news agency said terrorists repelled the New Syrian Army from an airbase, which the rebels had briefly captured earlier in the day. Daesh said it seized 15 hostages and ammunition, and was still advancing against the rebels.
Earlier Wednesday, the Pentagon-trained force entered the Hamdan air base — northwest of the border town of Boukamal — following intense clashes, rebel spokesman Mozahem Al-Saloum said.
He said airborne fighters were dropped from coalition helicopters on Boukamal’s southern edge, helping the fighters advance. 
Foreign airborne fighters were also dropped to the north, enabling the takeover of the base. The rebels were heavily backed by US-led coalition airstrikes and were coordinating their fight with Iraqi tribesmen.
Meanwhile, aid was delivered to the besieged Syrian towns of Zamalka and Irbin for the first time since 2012, when the two rebel-held areas east of Damascus were besieged by government forces. The 37-truck convoy organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent carried enough food and medical aid for 20,000 people.

Source: Arab News