In Syria, a rebel fighter clears Islamic State minefields

By Khalil Ashawi MAREA, Syria (Reuters) - Ahmad Najjar stands in the middle of an Islamic State minefield in northern Syria holding torn camouflage rags that he said were from the clothing of a colleague recently blown up while dismantling explosives planted by the militant group. Najjar, a 27 year-old Free Syrian Army fighter from the rebel-held town of Marea, risks his life every day to clear mines planted in roads and fields by Islamic State last summer when they briefly surrounded his hometown. During Syria's almost six year-long war, Najjar gave up his university studies in Aleppo and joined rebels defending Marea, a town which has at various times been a frontline between Islamic State, rebel and Kurdish forces.