Islamic State Battling Syrian Rebel Groups 10 km from Central Damascus  

Islamic State forces are battling Syrian rebel groups within 10 kilometers from the centre of Damascus, the closest the jihadist militants have ever come to the Syrian capital, Turkey’s Anadolu Agency reported on Tuesday.

The jihadist militants on Tuesday took control of several parts of the city’s southern Al-Qadam district, repelling rebel forces opposed to the government, the news agency said citing local sources.

“Correspondents say it is unclear whether the attacks will be limited to rebel-held areas or will later shift to the government-controlled city centre,” the BBC reported.

While the the pro-Islamic State Amaq news agency claimed that the group had captured half of Al-Qadam, the UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the IS militants were only believed to control two streets, according to the BBC.

There have been no reports of fighting between IS and Syrian government troops in Al-Qadam, UPI said.

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