BEIRUT (AP) — A U.S.-backed Syrian force says it has captured an important village near the Iraqi border from the Islamic State group.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said on Sunday that its fighters captured Dashishah in the northeastern province of Hassakeh, a major crossing point between Iraq and Syria when IS ran its self-styled caliphate.

The group, which has been among the most effective in fighting IS in Syria, added that SDF fighters also entered the town of Naserah and are about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the Iraqi border.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the SDF captured 22 villages and farms in the area during two weeks of fighting. It added that 49 extremists have been killed since the SDF's offensive on Hassakeh's IS-held area.