Off the wire
• U.S. dollar rises on upbeat services data  • Record number of Cypriots submit candidacy for parliamentary elections  • Security Council hails formation of transitional government in South Sudan  • Takata ordered to recall additional 35-40 million defective airbags installed in U.S. cars  • U.S. stocks decline amid mixed data  • Crude prices mixed amid rising inventories  • Portuguese Left Bloc party warns gov't needs new strategy  • German FM welcomes truce deal in Syria's Aleppo  • V4 countries reject European Commission's latest migrant proposal  • Albania's unemployment rate reaches 17.5 pct in 2015  
You are here: 　 Home

IS captures parts of key gas field in Syria's Homs

Xinhua, May 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Islamic State (IS) militant group captured parts of a key gas field in the central province of Homs on Wednesday, amid ongoing fight with the Syrian army, pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV reported.

The IS captured parts of the al-Shaer gas field in the countryside of Homs, but ongoing battles are still raging at the site between the Syrian army and the group.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Syrian forces are fighting back to recapture the parts they lost to the IS in the gas field.

Al-Shaer, which has changed hands several times between the Syrian army and the IS over the past two years, is important as it feeds the city of Homs and the capital Damascus with necessary gas for generating electricity in both provinces and the southern Syrian areas in general.

The IS has almost captured the oil fields in the oil-rich province of Deir al-Zour in eastern Syria on the borders with Iraq, using revenues of the crude oil to support its funds. Endit