Damascus, Sep 15 (IANS): The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) have recaptured 14 villages in Syria's northern al-Qamishli province from the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Monday.

The victory came after intense battles in the predominantly Kurdish province, Xinhua reported citing the observatory, adding that the battles there were still going on.

The Syrian Kurds, whose communities largely live in the northern parts of Syria, have been locked in intense battles with IS militants, who repeatedly tried to storm Kurdish-dominated Syrian areas.

Syria's Kurds account for some 15 percent of the country's 23 million inhabitants, of whom most live in the north of the embattled country.

Fighting has been raging in northern Syria between the Kurds and radical rebels, covering all the Kurdish areas in northern Syria. The Kurds managed to hold their ground in a number of areas, such as Ras al-Ein.