Syrian troops and allies pressed on with an offensive against Islamic State militants in central Syria on Monday, clashing with the extremists around the town of Qaryatain a day after it was captured by pro-government forces.
The push into Qaryatain took place under the cover of Russian airstrikes and dealt another setback to the IS in Syria a week after the army retook the historic town of Palmyra from the group. SANA said the army was fighting IS militants in areas around Qaryatain Monday, as well as in farms east and north of Palmyra.
The capture of Qaryatain deprives IS of a main base in central Syria and could be used by government forces in the future to launch attacks on IS-held areas near the Iraqi border.
Qaryatain used to be home to a sizable Christian population and lies midway between Palmyra and the capital, Damascus. Activists said last summer that Qaryatain had a mixed population of around 40,000 Sunni Muslims and Christians, as well as thousands of internally displaced people who had fled from the nearby city of Homs. Many of the Christians fled the town after it came under IS attack.
Dozens of Qaryatain's Christians and other residents have been abducted by IS. While the town was under Islamic State control, some were released while others were made to sign pledges to pay a tax imposed on non-Muslims.
Meanwhile, monitoring groups said that a senior Al-Qaida official was killed in air strikes Sunday night that killed at least 21 other militants in Idlib province, a jihadist stronghold in northern Syria.
For more details, watch the full report in the video above