Syria's Kurdish militia, or YPG, drove Islamic State militants out of the area around the border city of Kobani, taking 162 villages under control, RIA Novosti reported referring to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Kobani, one of the largest cities in the Kurdish region in Syria, was besieged by the Islamic State since September. In late January, Kurdish forces assisted by the US-led international coalition drove the extremists out of the city.