ANKARA
The militant Islamic State in Iraq and Levant group claimed to seize a second gas field in the Syrian city of Homs on Sunday after taking over the Shaer gas field last Thursday.
"The Islamic State claimed the takeover of the Jahar gas plant in Syria's Homs governorate, making it the second gas facility to fall under its control in the past few days of fighting with Syrian forces," the U.S.-based for-profit SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks online activity of extremist groups, said on its website Sunday.
ISIL took over the Shaer gas field Thursday after fierce fighting with Syrian army forces that saw at least 30 Syrian soldiers killed, according to reports by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Fierce battles are still ongoing around the field, the observatory said Monday.
ISIL is said to control oil facilities in Syria and sell crude oil and oil-based products to fund its activities, according to several media reports.
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