Syrian rebels told Reuters Daesh pulled some of its forces and equipment out of areas near Aleppo on Monday, supporting the theory that the terrorist organization has been strained as of late.
The withdrawal comes a few days after Daesh faced defeat in Kobani, with reports that months of fighting have led to Kurdish forces taking back one-third of the villages. Reuters reported the group pulled back its insurgents and equipment in several of the villages northeast of Aleppo, but that Daesh is still present in the city.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told Reuters the group used its resources in Aleppo instead to move east, where Daesh continues to fight Kurdish and rebel forces. A rebel commander said it was not a full withdrawal but a tactical move.
"They are still there, but they have pulled out the foreign fighters, the heavy equipment, changed their positions," the rebel commander told Reuters.
Jordan has upped the ante since Daesh released a video of Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh being burned alive. The murder caused King Abdullah II to change his stance on the terrorist group, vowing revenge and increasing Jordan's airstrikes in the conflict. The Observatory said at least 70 Daesh members have been killed since the pilot's brutal killing.
A rebel leader known as Abu Issa told Reuters the next move is to drive Daesh out of Tel Abyad, an eastern town near Kobani on the Turkish border.
