Daesh takes Assad regime’s final oilfield

Daesh fighters have taken control of the last oilfield held by the Syrian government, a rights group reported today.

The Jazal field was shut down and clashes were ongoing east of Homs, with casualties reported on both sides, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, without giving more details.

Syria’s army said it had repulsed an attack in the same area but did not mention Jazal or comment on how much of the country’s battered energy infrastructure remained under its control. It said it killed 25 fighters, including non-Syrian jihadists.

“The regime has lost the last oilfield in Syria,” the observatory reported.

Commentators on social media said fighting had surged in the last two to three days and the rebels had taken the oilfield yesterday.

Jazal is a medium-sized field that lies to the north-west of the rebel-held ancient city of Palmyra.