Islamic State kills Syrian soldiers, captures parts of base - group

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Fighters from al Qaeda offshoot Islamic State killed at least 50 Syrian army soldiers and took over parts of their base on Friday outside the northern city of Raqqa, as the radicals escalated their attacks on government forces, a monitoring group said.

Fighters from the ultra-hardline group captured and killed at least 50 members of the army's 17th Division after ambushing them outside Raqqa when they withdrew from the area where they were based, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.