A battle between ISIL terrorists and rival militants operating in Syria for control of a militant-held stronghold in northern Syria has killed at least 47, activists said Saturday.

A battle between ISIL terrorists and rival militants operating in Syria for control of a militant-held stronghold in northern Syria has killed at least 47, activists said Saturday.

Twenty terrorists and other militant fighters were killed in the clashes in Aleppo province throughout Friday, along with 27 ISIL insurgents, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The fighting centered on the town of Marea, a key rebel bastion that ISIL has been trying to capture for months.

The Observatory said fighting was ongoing around the town, which militant forces still control, as well in villages in the surrounding area.

Marea is one of the most significant militant-held towns in northern Aleppo and lies on a key supply route running to the Turkish border.

ISIL has targeted the town for months, seeking to expand westwards from territory it already holds in Aleppo province.