Reuters, Amman
Thursday, 5 May 2016
ISIS militants on Thursday captured the main Shaer gas field in
eastern Syria in the first gain for the ultra hardline fighters in the
Palmyra desert area since they lost the ancient city in March, rebel
sources and a monitor said.
Amaq, a news
agency affiliated to the militants, said they had taken over the gas
field area and its facility where Syrian troops were stationed and
killed at least 30 soldiers and gained large caches of heavy weapons
including tanks and missiles.
The Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the militants seizure of the gas
field area that lies roughly 150 km northwest of Palmyra after a
three-day assault. The militants were able to seize the area despite
heavy aerial bombing to push them back, it said.
The
militants had captured the gas field and nearby gas facilities in Homs
province on several occasions but had lost it late in 2014 although they
continued to attack government forces stationed in the area.
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