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Islamic State Claims To Seize Second Gas Field In Syria

ISIS Claims To Seize Second Gas Field In Syria
Reuters
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BEIRUT, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters in Syria said on Monday they had taken control of a gas field in the central province of Homs, the second gas field seized in a week after battles with government forces.

The hardline Sunni Islamist group posted 18 photos on social media showing the Islamic State flag raised in the Jahar gas field as well as seized vehicles and weaponry, according to the SITE jihadist website monitoring service.

Reuters could not independently confirm the events due to security restrictions.

Islamic State fighters, who now hold up to a third of Syria as well as swathes of Iraq and have declared a 'Caliphate' on the territories they control, took the larger Sha'ar gas field on Oct. 30.

"So after the (Sha'ar) company and the (positions) surrounding it became part of the land of the Caliphate, the soldiers advanced, conquering new areas, and all praise is due to Allah," Islamic State said in the message.

"Yesterday they tightened control over Jahar village and the Mahr gas pumping company, and nearly nine (positions) supported by heavy weaponry such as tanks, armored vehicles, and heavy machine guns of various calibers," it added.

The report said Islamic State had seized two tanks, seven four-wheel drive cars and several heavy machine guns.

A U.S.-led coalition has conducted air strikes against Islamic State since September. The United States says it is not coordinating with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces to combat the Islamist group. (Reporting by Oliver Holmes; Editing by Gareth Jones)

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Before You Go

Syria War In October
(01 of22)
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Turkish Kurds pictured on the outskirts of Suruc, on the Turkey-Syria border, as smoke rises in the background from a strike on Kobani, Oct. 7, 2014. (credit:AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
(02 of22)
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Smoke rises after an airstrike in Kobani, Syria as fighting intensifies between Syrian Kurds and the militants of Islamic State group, as seen from Mursitpinar in the outskirts of Suruc, Turkey, Oct. 7, 2014. (credit:AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
(03 of22)
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Turkish Kurds run from tear gas fired by Turkish forces on the outskirts of Suruc, at the Turkey-Syria border, Oct. 7, 2014. (credit:AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
(04 of22)
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In this image shot with an extreme telephoto lens and through haze from the outskirts of Suruc on the Turkey-Syria border, militants with the Islamic State group are seen after placing their group's flag on a hilltop on the eastern side of Kobani, Syria, Oct. 6, 2014. (credit:AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
(05 of22)
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Turkish Kurds walk as tanks in the background hold their positions on a hilltop in the outskirts of Suruc, at the Turkey-Syria border, Oct. 6, 2014. (credit:AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
(06 of22)
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A Kurdish man looks across the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab, known as Kobani by the Kurds, in the southeastern town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, on Oct. 7, 2014. (credit:ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images)
(07 of22)
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A Kurdish man looks through binoculars across to Kobani from the Turkish town of Suruc, on Oct. 7, 2014. (credit:ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images)
(08 of22)
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A Turkish armoured personnel carrier patrols on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc, Turkey, on Oct. 7, 2014. (credit:ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images)
(09 of22)
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In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad, center, prays during Eid al-Adha prayer at a mosque in Damascus, Syria, Oct. 4, 2014. (credit: AP Photo/SANA)
(10 of22)
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Turkish forces in riot gear prepare to confront potential Kurdish demonstrators at the Turkey-Syria border, Oct. 5, 2014. (credit:AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
(11 of22)
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A refugee carries her belongings as she arrives in Suruc, Turkey, Oct. 4, 2014. (credit:AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
(12 of22)
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A formation of U.S. Navy F-18E Super Hornets supporting operations against ISIS leaves after receiving fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker over Iraq, in this photo released by the U.S. Air Force, Oct. 4, 2014. (credit:AP Photo/U.S. Air Force, Shawn Nickel)
(13 of22)
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A Turkish soldier stops a horse cart from entering a hilltop area at Mursitpinar near Suruc, at the Turkey-Syria border overlooking Kobani, Oct. 5, 2014. (credit:AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
(14 of22)
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Turkish Kurds watch mortar shelling in Kobani, Syria from Suruc, Turkey, Oct. 4, 2014. (credit:AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
(15 of22)
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Turkish soldiers approach people demonstrating in support of Syrian Kurds amid fighting in Kobani, in Mursitpinar near Suruc, Turkey, Oct. 4, 2014. (credit:AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
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A refugee arrives in Suruc, Turkey, Oct. 4, 2014. (credit:AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
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Turkish soldiers take position near the border with Syria amid fighting in Kobani, Oct. 4, 2014. (credit:AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
(18 of22)
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A protester chants slogans as riot police guard the main entrance of the European Parliament in Brussels during a demonstration calling for support for the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani, Oct. 7, 2014. (credit:EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)
(19 of22)
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A photo taken from the Suruc district of Sanliurfa, Turkey shows a man watching Kobani in Syria after the US-led coalition bombed Islamic State targets on Oct. 7, 2014. (credit:Emin Menguarslan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
(20 of22)
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A general view taken on Oct. 6, 2014, shows the Dakhaniyeh neighborhood, southeast of the capital Damascus, after Syrian government forces seized control of area. (credit:STR/AFP/Getty Images)
(21 of22)
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A picture taken on Oct. 6, 2014, shows a heavily damaged arch at the entrance of the Dakhaniyeh neighborhood, southeast of the capital Damascus, after Syrian government forces seized control of area. (credit:STR/AFP/Getty Images)
(22 of22)
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Men eat lunch as thousands of new Syrian refugees from Kobani arrive at the Turkey-Syria border crossing of Yumurtalik near Suruc, Turkey, Oct. 1, 2014. (credit:AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
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