DAMASCUS, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army and allied forces fully recaptured the key gas field of al-Shaer in the countryside of the central province of Homs on Wednesday, following intense battles with the Islamic State (IS) group, a monitor group reported.
The military campaign to strip IS of the al-Shaer gas field was coupled with tens of airstrikes and artillery shelling, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
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.
Recapturing the gas field comes almost two months after the Syrian army captured the ancient city of Palmyra in the eastern countryside of Homs, for the second time from IS.
Later on, the army moved toward securing several gas and oil fields near Palmyra.
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.
