Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria have taken control of several towns in the northern province of Aleppo, according to reports from activists.
The group seized the town of Akhtarin, 50km (30 miles) northeast of Aleppo city, where Syrian rebels are holed up.
The BBC's Rami Ruhayem says that if confirmed, it would be a significant expansion for IS fighters.
The group holds large swathes of Syria and Iraq, declaring the creation of a caliphate, or Islamic state.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) - an activist group that monitors the conflict - says IS took control overnight of Akhtarin and Turkmanbareh, another town close to the border with Turkey.
The militants also took a string of nearby villages from Syrian opposition groups who are fighting President Bashar al-Assad. They include Masoudiyeh, Dabiq and Ghouz, according to the SOHR.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28770786