LATEST: Pictures — Islamic State Takes Shuhail and Oilfields in East

The Syrian military, backed by video, claimed the capture of the Sheikh Najjar industrial area east of Aleppo on Friday.

A State TV broadcast with a correspondent in Sheikh Najjar:

The Assad regime has been trying for months to claim the area and its factories. The military has moved into sections on previous occasions, only to be pushed out by insurgent resistance.

This week the takeover came suddenly, with Syrian forces claiming parts of Sheikh Najjar on Thursday and then — apparently because of insurgent withdrawal — completing the occupation yesterday.

The advance furthers the military’s plan of cutting off and besieging insurgents in eastern Aleppo. Syria’s largest city has been divided since July 2012.

The Governor of Aleppo Province, Mohammad Wahid Aqqad toured parts of Sheikh Najjar on Friday, proclaiming that an operations room would ensure the return of industrialists and resumption of production.


Pictures: Islamic State Takes Shuhail and Oilfields in East

Continuing its advance in Deir Ez Zor Province, the Islamic State has taken Shuhail and nearby oilfields, as insurgents withdraw from the area:

ISIS SHOHAIL 1

ISIS SHOHAIL 3

ISIS SHOHAIL 2

Islamic State Attacking Kurdish Area of Kobane in Northeast

After a series of victories against insurgents in eastern Syria, the Islamic State attacked the Kurdish-held town of Kobane on Friday.

Pro-Islamic State accounts on social media claimed the capture of four villages in the advance on the town, while pro-Kurdish media said the attack had been repelled.

The commander of the Kurdish militia YPG and Kurdish activists asserted that 85 members of the Islamic State have been killed since Sunday.