Displaced Syrian families gather to collect relief aid from humanitarian organizations at the battered district of Hamadaniyeh, Aleppo, northern Syria, on July 30, 2015. Aleppo, Syria's largest city and once an economic hub, has been torn between the rebels in the east and the government forces in the western parts of the city while parts of the northern countryside are under the IS control. The Aleppan people suffer from the scarcity of water and electricity and poor sanitation. (Xinhua/Abd Fayad)
DAMASCUS, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic State (IS) militants captured a missile battalion in the military airbase of the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, the group claimed Wednesday.
In an online statement, the IS terror militants said it captured the missile battalion after two of its militants carried out two suicide bombings at the airbase on Wednesday.
The statement claimed the attack killed 90 Syrian soldiers and officers.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based watchdog group, said intense battles raged Wednesday at the base, amid a progress made by the IS.
It said information indicates that the IS militants captured the missile battalion, which is located southeast of the airbase.
The Observatory, which has wide connections in Syria, said the IS is trying to capture the airfield, following several failing attempts to achieve that goal.
The state-run media outlets didn't comment on the news emerging from Deir al-Zour, but the pro-government Sama TV said the base's corps defended the base from the heavy attack.
The terror-labeled group has captured large swathes of the oil-rich Deir al-Zour province, bordering Iraq.
