Syrian Army retakes key oil field from IS

The Syrian Army on Saturday captured the key oil field of Teym from the Islamic State (IS) in the countryside of Deir al-Zour province in eastern Syria, state news agency SANA reported.

The achievement comes as part of the progress the Army has made over the past 24 hours in reaching Deir al-Zour city from its main desert road, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Teym oil field is only a few kilometres from the graveyard area at the southern entrance of the city. Earlier this week, the Syrian Army and allied troops with the backing of Russian air fire lifted the three-year-old siege by the IS of Deir al-Zour city through the Brigade 137 base in western Deir al-Zour.

Now the advancing troops are fighting to break the IS siege of the airbase of Deir al-Zour. The oil-rich province is important for the Syrian Army due to its location near Iraq and also the energy fields, all of which fell to the IS during the war.

Teym is one of the most important energy fields in Syria as it supports the electricity production to most Syrian cities.

Meanwhile, a military source told Xinhua that the Syrian forces also captured surrounding areas near the oil field.

--IANS

soni/bg