The Islamic State and the US-backed Kurdish militia have agreed to exchange militants who had been captured in previous battles between the two warring parties in Eastern Syria, Al-Masdar News reports.

20 Kurdish fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are expected to be released in exchange for 30 IS jihadists as per the newly-concluded deal, which will also involve exchanging corpses of killed militants from both sides.

IS controls two pockets in eastern Syria along the Iraqi borders from where the hardline group launches the Syrian Army, Iraqi forces and Kurdish militia.