Daesh Claims Advances at Gas Field in Syria’s Homs Province

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Islamic State (ISIL, also known as Daesh) militants have captured parts of a gas field in the Syrian Homs Governorate, al-Mayadeen TV reports.

Fighting between Daesh militants and the Syrian army continues at the Shaer gas field, according to the TV news channel.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups, such as Daesh and Jabhat al-Nusra (Nusra Front).

The Syrian army and Daesh have been fighting over the Shaer gas field, which supplies the city of Homs and the Syrian capital of Damascus, for the past two years.

A US-Russia-brokered ceasefire came into force across Syria on February 27. Daesh and al-Nusra Front, both outlawed in Russia, were not part of the deal.