IS kills more than 50 in central Syria

The Islamic State group killed more than 50 people in an attack on two government-held villages in central Syria's Hama province yesterday, a monitor said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack on the villages of Aqareb and Al-Mabujeh killed at least 15 civilians and 27 pro-government fighters.

It said another 10 bodies were yet to be identified as government fighters or local residents.

IS also lost 15 fighters in the dawn attack on the two villages in the east of the province, the monitor said.

State news agency SANA said most of the civilians had been beheaded and mutilated.

IS has attacked Al-Mabujeh before with devastating effect.

In March 2015, it executed at least 37 civilians in the village, whose population includes Sunni Muslims as well as those from the Ismaili sect and the Alawite community to which President Bashar al-Assad belongs.

During the same assault the group kidnapped at least 50 civilians, half of them women.

Meanwhile, Turkey yesterday called for the removal of the US diplomat coordinating the international coalition fighting the Islamic State group, accusing him of backing Syrian Kurdish militias.

"Brett McGurk is definitely giving support to the PKK and YPG. It would be useful if this person was replaced," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told NTV television.