Two dozen militants killed as IS pushes into Damascus

Islamic State supporters post propaganda pictures online claiming to show group’s fighters advancing in Qadam neighborhood

BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic State fighters on Sunday pushed into a large district in southern Damascus, clashing with rival militants just a few kilometers from the center of the Syrian capital, the extremist group and Syrian activists said.

More than two dozen militants were killed in the clashes on the edges of the Qadam neighborhood, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has an extensive network of activists on the ground.

The pro-IS Aamaq News Agency reported that IS fighters seized half of Qadam. The Observatory’s Rami Abdul-Rahman said IS fighters were holding two streets and that fighting was continuing.

IS supporters posted propaganda pictures claiming to show IS fighters advancing in the narrow streets of Qadam. The authenticity of the images could not be confirmed independently.

The extremist group has emerged as one of the most powerful forces in the battle to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad. IS has seized about one-third of Syria and neighboring Iraq over the past year.

Armed Islamic factions fighting forces loyal to Assad control parts of the Syrian capital and large parts of the city’s suburbs. Earlier this year, IS fighters entered the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk, east of Qadam, taking over large parts of it.

Also Sunday, a mortar round hit an upscale neighborhood of central Damascus, killing four people, including a girl, Syrian state TV said.

It is not uncommon for Damascus to be shelled. Sunday’s attack targeted the posh neighborhood of Abu Rummaneh, which houses hotels and several embassies.

An Associated Press reporter on the scene saw two people wounded by shrapnel. Vehicles in the area were also damaged.