DHAKA: Islamic State militants have withdrawn from areas north of the Syrian city of Homs and have retreated east after coming under attack from rival Islamist fighters.

A monitoring group said on Sunday, reports The Straits Times.

Islamic State (IS), an Al-Qaeda offshoot, has advanced often unhindered across Syria and neighbouring Iraq in recent months, so any sign that its opponents are successfully fighting back is significant.

Fighters from the group withdrew from a headquarters north of Homs on the orders of their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, citing sources in areas north of Homs.

IS gave up the territory to Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda’s official wing in Syria, according to the Observatory, which tracks violence in Syria through sources on the ground.

BDST: 2121 HRS, AUG 24, 2014