BEIRUT: More than 30 Islamic State group jihadists were killed in fierce clashes on Saturday with Syrian regime forces in the northwestern province of Idlib, a war monitor said.
The head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, Rami Abdel Rahman, said Saturday's fighting between IS and regime troops killed 32 jihadists.
Troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched an offensive on Idlib December to retake the southeast of the province controlled by another group of jihadists, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
That group is dominated by Al-Qaeda's former Syria affiliate, a rival of IS.
An alliance of jihadists and rebels overran Idlib in 2015, but since then, hardliners have expanded their control and the influence of mainstream rebels has shrunk drastically.
The latest fighting comes after the Syrian army said on Friday it had routed IS from the neighbouring Idlib provinces of Hama and Aleppo.
Syria's war has killed more than 340,000 people and displaced millions since it began in March 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.