BEIRUT: Syrian troops and allied militiamen pressed on with an offensive against militants of the Islamic State group in central Syria on Monday, clashing with the extremists around the town of Qaryatain a day after it was captured by pro-government forces.

The push into Qaryatain took place under the cover of Russian air strikes and dealt another setback to IS in Syria a week after the army retook the historic town of Palmyra from the group. Syria’s state news agency, SANA, said the army was fighting IS militants in areas around Qaryatain Monday, as well as in farms east and north of Palmyra.

The capture of Qaryatain deprives IS of a main base in central Syria and could be used by government forces in the future to launch attacks on IS-held areas near the Iraqi border.

Qaryatain used to be home to a sizeable Christian population and lies midway between Palmyra and the capital, Damascus. Activists said last summer that Qaryatain had a mixed population of around 40,000 Sunni Muslims and Christians, as well as thousands of internally displaced people who had fled from the nearby city of Homs. Many of the Christians fled the town after it came under attack by IS.

Dozens of Qaryatain’s Christians and other residents have been abducted by IS. While the town was under IS control, some were released while others were made to sign pledges to pay a tax imposed on non-Muslims.

Also on Monday, a senior US official said the US carried an airstrike on Sunday night in northwest Syria targeting a senior member of Al Qaeda.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2016