DAMASCUS, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army recaptured al-Qaryatayn in the eastern countryside of Homs Province in central Syria on Saturday following battles with the Islamic State (IS), state news agency SANA reported.
The recapture of al-Qaryatayn came after the IS militants stormed the town earlier this month for the second time as part of a recent large-scale counter-offensive in the Syrian desert.
The Syrian forces later laid a siege on that area before the army fully captured the town on Saturday.
The recent attacks from IS aimed to release its pressure in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, where the army is tightening the noose on the terror group.
The city is strategically important due to its proximity to the Syrian city of Qara, a stronghold of the Hezbollah Shiite group, which is fighting alongside the Syrian army in key battlefields in the country.
