Syrian government forces have managed to wrest full control of an oil field after they engaged foreign-sponsored terrorists in the crisis-stricken Arab country’s western province of Homs.
A military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Syrian forces liberated al-Jazl oil field in the desert region of Palmyra, located 215 kilometers (133 miles) northeast of the capital, Damascus, on Saturday, killing scores of terrorists and confiscating a considerable amount of munitions, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported.
Syrian army soldiers backed by pro-government fighters also killed a number of foreign-backed terrorists during clashes in the vicinity of Jazal gas field in Homs Province on Friday.
Separately, several ISIL members were killed in fierce exchanges of fire with Syrian troopers near the strategic Shaer gas field in the same militancy-stricken province.
Syrian forces retook control of Shaer field and its surrounding area on November 6, 2014. The field had fallen into the hands of Takfiri ISIL terrorists on October 30 that year, when the terrorists launched an attack that killed dozens of pro-government forces and security guards.
Takfiri terrorists have captured several oil fields in Syria and neighboring Iraq. They use revenues from illegal oil sales to fund their terrorist activities.
Meanwhile, Syrian government forces have dealt heavy blows to foreign-backed armed groups as they continue to gain ground in their fight against the extremists.
On Friday, Syrian soldiers established control over Martamsarin, Abu al-Duhour, Tal Salmo and Um Jerin villages in Syria’s in northwestern province of Idlib, killing and injuring a number of militants in the process.
Syrian army units also targeted terrorists’ hideouts in the villages of Erbin and Marj al-Sultan, located 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) east of Damascus, killing many members of al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front terrorist network as well as the Brigade of Islam militant group.
Syria has been grappling with a deadly crisis since March 2011. The violence fueled by Takfiri groups has so far claimed the lives of over 210,000 people, according to reports. New figures show that over 76,000 people, including thousands of children, lost their lives in Syria last year.
Over 3.8 million Syrians have left their country since the beginning of the crisis. More than 7.2 million Syrians have also become internally displaced, according to the UN.
Source: Press TV
