At least 132 Islamic State fighters have been killed since Saturday in heavy fighting with Kurdish militia in the northeastern Syrian province of Hasaka, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Kurdish fighters are being backed by American air strikes. The Syrian Observatory reported that the Kurdish forces, who were also responsible for driving Islamic State forces from Kobani last month, had seized 70 villages in this current offensive. The northeastern corner of Syria is important because it borders territory that is controlled by the group in Iraq.