Syrian troops advance against Islamic State in Homs

Syrian government forces are marching toward the last town held by the Islamic State group in the central province of Homs in the latest push by President Bashar Assad’s troops against the jihadists, say state media and opposition activists.

The capture of Sukhna would pave the way for government forces to march toward the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, where IS has been besieging a government-held part of the city for nearly three years. Syrian troops have also advanced against IS in the north, evicting the extremists from Aleppo province.

The jihadists are meanwhile fighting to defend their de fact capital, Raqqa, from US-backed and Kurdish led forces, which have captured four neighborhoods since launching an offensive in the northern Syrian city last week.

“Continuous achievements to defeat terrorism,” state TV said, referring to government forces’ capture of about 20,000 square kilometers (7,700 square miles) from the extremists since the beginning of the year.

— AP