EIRUT: Islamic State group jihadists seized a small town in Syria's
central Homs province Sunday with help from local rebels and advanced on
a majority Christian village, a monitoring group said.
"The Islamic State group easily took control of the village of Maheen, southeast of Homs, after two suicide attacks," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Maheen lies 70km southeast of the government-controlled provincial capital Homs city, and 35km east of the Syrian-Lebanese border.
For the past two years, a ceasefire between rebel factions in the town and regime troops at surrounding checkpoints had governed Maheen.
But on Sunday the rebel factions turned against the government fighters and joined ranks with IS jihadists, Abdel Rahman said.
IS launched its assault from the nearby Christian village of al-Qaryatain, which it seized in August, he added.
"The Islamic State group easily took control of the village of Maheen, southeast of Homs, after two suicide attacks," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Maheen lies 70km southeast of the government-controlled provincial capital Homs city, and 35km east of the Syrian-Lebanese border.
For the past two years, a ceasefire between rebel factions in the town and regime troops at surrounding checkpoints had governed Maheen.
But on Sunday the rebel factions turned against the government fighters and joined ranks with IS jihadists, Abdel Rahman said.
IS launched its assault from the nearby Christian village of al-Qaryatain, which it seized in August, he added.
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