ANKARA
Daesh has seized control of Qaryatain in central Syria after heavy clashes with Assad forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday.
According to the rights group, Daesh suicide bombers targeted army checkpoints, followed by fierce fighting between the two sides, which led to the death of 24 Daesh militants, 28 regime forces and five civilians.
The town of Qaryatain lies midway between Homs, Palmyra and Damascus.
Qaryatain is a key city in central Syria and its capture may enable Daesh to link up areas under its control in and around Palmyra with areas in the eastern countryside of Qalamoun in Damascus province.
