Syrian Army retakes key gas field from IS

The Syrian Army has captured the Hayan gas field in central province of Homs following battles with the Islamic State (IS) militants, the media reported on Tuesday.

The capture of the gas field came after the Syrian forces took the al-Muher area in the eastern countryside of Homs, where several oil and gas fields are located, Xinhua news agency reported.

The IS seized Hayan and other fields when they captured the ancient city of Palmyra in December of last year.

The condition of the Hayan gas field is still not known as the IS last month announced it had blown it up.

Earlier this month, the IS said it detonated pipelines around Hayan.

With daily production of three million cubic metres of gas, Hayan field is the largest facility feeding electricity in central and southern Syria.

The facility's establishment cost the government over 280 million euros ($297 million).

--IANS

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