Rebel groups based in southern Syria are advancing on the western suburbs of Damascus and warning they might soon enter the capital, a development that’s in sharp contrast to the grim reports from northern Syria, where moderate rebels have suffered setbacks from the government and radical Islamists.

The advance by the so-called Southern Front also stands apart from the situation in the north because moderate rebels still appear to be the dominant opposition force in the south, eclipsing al Qaida’s Syrian affiliate, the Nusra Front, in planning and executing military advances.

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The Nigerian military has retaken Chibok, a town in Borno State, where nearly 300 schoolgirls were abducted on April 14, from the extremist Boko Haram sect.

The terrorist sect had taken control of the troubled town on Thursday night.

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The Islamic State (IS) militants withdrew from the perimeter of Iraq’s largest oil refinery in Salahudin province on Saturday, a provincial security source said.

“The security forces and allied tribal fighters seized the western and southern gates of Baiji refinery after the withdrawal of the IS terrorist militants,” the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

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Soldiers shot dead four communist rebels and arrested another in an encounter Thursday in a hinterland in Senator Ninoy Aquino town in the province.

A soldier who was slightly wounded in the ensuing encounter is now recuperating at a hospital.

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At least eight militants were killed and 12 others were injured following militants attack in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan.

According to local security officials, the incident took place early on Saturday in Nari district.

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Members of the outlawed Boko Haram sect have, again, seized Chibok, the home of over 200 schoolgirls abducted by the insurgents in April.

The insurgents attacked and seized the town on Thursday evening, residents said.

The attackers have repeatedly targeted villages around Chibok over recent months.

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Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) and al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria have reached a deal to stop fighting each other, it was claimed on Thursday night.

Isil and Jabhat al-Nusra have battled bitterly for more than a year to dominate the rebellion against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

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