Syrian Kurdish forces have recaptured more than a third of the villages around Kobani from ISIL terrorists since routing them from the town a fortnight ago

Syrian Kurdish forces have recaptured more than a third of the villages around Kobani from ISIL terrorists since routing them from the town a fortnight ago, an activist group said Sunday.

"The [Kurdish] People's Protection Units (YPG) have recaptured 128 villages out of some 350 in the past two weeks," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.

The YPG recaptured Kobani on the border with Turkey from ISIL terrorists on January 26.

"The IS [ISIL] withdrew from villages east and south of Kobani mostly without resistance, but fought hard to try to keep control of villages to the west," said Abdel Rahman.

"That's because it wants to try to protect areas under its control in Aleppo province. But the Kurds are steadily advancing," he told AFP.