Jihadists kill 74 in Syria

An offensivFront,e by the jihadist Islamic State group against Syrian government-held territory has killed at least 74 people in the past 24 hours, a monitoring group said yesterday.
Buoyed by their capture of swathes of western and north-central Iraq last month launched multiple attacks on army positions across northern and northeastern Syria on Thursday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was the first time that IS, accused by rival rebel groups of focusing its formidable firepower more on them than on the Damascus regime, had launched such coordinated assaults on army positions.
The jihadists went on the offensive near the main northern city of Aleppo, in Hasakeh province in the northeast and in Raqa province around their Euphrates valley stronghold, the Observatory said.
The IS, which in June announced a "caliphate" straddling Syria and Iraq, controls swathes of both countries and is seeking to seize more territory.
The Britain-based Observatory said at least 74 people were killed in clashes in 24 hours, mainly in Hasakeh and Raqa.
The more than three-year conflict in Syria is becoming increasingly complex as the IS battles regime forces, mainstream rebels, its former allies of Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra  as well as Kurdish militia.
IS jihadists are seeking to expand the fiefdom they have carved out along the Euphrates Valley by taking the battle to neighbouring government-held areas after routing rival rebels in Deir Ezzor province in Syria's east earlier this year.