Syrian army, allies push back Islamic State near Aleppo - monitoring group

Rebel fighters carry their weapons on the outskirts of Al-Bab town in Syria January 22, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces and their allies drove Islamic State militants out of several villages northeast of Aleppo between Tuesday and Wednesday, a monitoring group said, bringing them closer to territory held by Turkish-backed rebels.

Advances in the last week have brought the Syrian army to within 8 km (5 miles) of the Islamic State-held town of al-Bab, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.