Kurdish fighters backed by U.S.-led coalition air strikes have fought their way into a northeastern Syrian town that was a key stronghold of Islamic State militants, only days after the group abducted dozens of Christians in the region.
The town of Tel Hamees in Syria's northeastern Hassakeh province is strategically important because it links territory controlled by IS in Syria and Iraq.
The Kurdish victory marks a second blow to the extremist IS group in a month.
In January, Kurdish forces drove IS militants from the town of Kobani near the Turkish border after a months-long fight.
The push on the town's eastern and southeastern edges came after the Kurdish troops, working with Christian militias and Arab tribal fighters, seized dozens of nearby villages from the IS extremists.
Kurdish commanders said more than 200 militants died in the fighting.
Based on reporting by AP and AFP
