ISIS militants have captured the al-Shaer gas field, located 120 kilometers east of Homs. The pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV said the terrorists came to the rear of the Syrian army which is advancing eastwards into the desert and the Iraqi border. The key gas field in the central province of Homs has changed hands several times in the past between Syrian government forces and ISIS. The Islamic Sate is now partially in control of the al-Shaer gas field following three days of intense fighting. Tass reports: Al Mayadeen said Islamic State groups unexpectedly came into the rear of the Syrian army which is pressing the advance into the Syrian desert and eastwards to the border with Iraq after it has liberated Palmyra. According to the television channel, government forces are trying to drive Islamic State gunmen from the positions they have seized. The army is backed by the Syrian air force. Al-Shaer is considered Syria’s biggest gas field. The government army has been defending it from Islamic State since 2014. The filed is of strategic importance for the Syrian economy. Gas from this field is supplied to heat stations in Homs and Damascus which generate electricity for Syria’s central and southern provinces.
