A Syrian Kurdish official and an activist group say Islamic State militants have launched a large offensive against a predominantly Kurdish town on the Turkish border.
Kurdish Democratic Union Party spokesman Nawaf Khalil said on March 11 that IS militants began a "wide-scale and powerful" attack against Ras al-Ayn, a town of some 50,000 people which has a border crossing with Turkey.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said IS militants overnight captured the village of Tal Ghanzeer, which is located some 30 kilometers west of Ras al-Ayn.
The Observatory said the new clashes have left dozens dead on both sides.
The offensive comes just weeks after Kurdish fighters drove IS out of the Syrian town of Kobane further west along the Turkish border.
Meanwhile, in neighboring Iraq, police said IS fighters on March 11 attacked government-held areas of the western city of Ramadi, involving seven almost simultaneous suicide car bombs.
At least 10 people were killed and 30 wounded in the attack.
Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and dpa
