The Syrian troops on Wednesday wrested back control over key gas fields in the country's central province of Homs after battles with the Islamic State militants ( IS), state media and activists reported.
The army units recaptured the al-Muher and Hajjar gas fields in eastern countryside of Homs, said the state news agency SANA, adding that the troops killed 20 militants near the Hayan gas field in the eastern part of Homs, Xinhua reported.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the military recapture of the aforementioned gas fields, adding that the troops also captured the Hayan gas company, which was seized by the IS last week.
The recaptured gas fields and company are important as they feed the city of Homs and the capital Damascus with the necessary gas for generating electricity in both provinces and the southern Syrian areas in general.
The Syrian army is still pushing to capture the al-Shaer gas field, which is also a key gas field near al-Muher and Hajjar fields.
The IS captured al-Shaer last week along with other gas fields in eastern Homs, which resulted in increasing hours of electricity outages in the capital, where people are complaining about a 10- hours outage on daily basis.
The IS, previously known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, has self-proclaimed an Islamic Caliphate in areas striding Syria and Iraq.
It has also succeeded in capturing almost of the oil fields in the oil-rich province of Deir al-Zour in eastern Syria on the borders with Iraq.