Islamists take gas field from Syrian govt

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Militant group the Islamic state seized a Syrian gas field and killed at least 23 people on Thursday in one of the bloodiest clashes between the al Qaeda offshoot and President Bashar al-Assad's forces, a monitoring group said.

The Islamic State has been making rapid gains in Syria in recent weeks, mostly by seizing territory from rival rebel groups using weaponry brought in from Iraq, where last month it managed to take large areas from government forces.

Activists say the Syrian air force has in recent weeks stepped up attacks on positions held by the Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

On Thursday morning, the group launched an attack against the Sha'ar gas field east of Homs, killing at least 23 of the men guarding it in a "wide assault" from several directions, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Observatory, which monitors violence in Syria through a network of sources in the country, quoted "trusted sources" as saying 340 other guards, government forces and militia members loyal to Assad had been taken prisoner, wounded or killed.

"Since the beginning of the year there have been clashes between the Islamic State and the regime in some areas, but these are the largest," the Observatory's director Rami Abdurrahman said.

Previous large clashes between government forces and the Islamic State had usually involved other rebel groups, he said. The two sides have also skirmished continuously in other areas but casualties had been relatively light, Abdurrahman said.

It was not immediately possible to verify the report. Syrian state media made no mention of the attack.

About 30 had managed to escape to the nearby Hajjar field, the Observatory report added.

Also on Thursday, activists said Syrian government forces heavily shelled the central town of Morek in an attempt to wrest it from rebels.

Military helicopters dropped barrels packed with explosives on the city overnight, said the Local Coordination Committees. More than 20 bombs were dropped by aircraft on the town on Wednesday, reported the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Morek is one of three towns that lie on a strategic highway linking central and northern Syria. Rebels linked mostly to Islamic groups have been holding the town for the past four months.

Forces loyal to President Bashar Assad appear to be trying to seize Morek to supply the Wadi Deif military base further north.

The Observatory said at least 15 people, including four civilians, were killed Wednesday in the fighting.

Over the past year, Assad's forces have been steadily seizing territory from the rebels.

REUTERS