Syrian government forces came under separate attacks from ISIL and al-Qaeda-linked rebels in different parts of the country that killed nearly 50 soldiers and allied fighters.

In one attack, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters ambushed Syrian forces in the desert of central Homs province on Thursday night, setting off two days of clashes that killed 27 soldiers, including four officers, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday.

A pro-government militia, known as Liwa al-Quds, confirmed the ambush saying it had sent its fighters to liberate the two besieged battalions, made up of nearly 500 soldiers, east of the town of al-Sukhna.

In a Facebook post, the militia said it successfully broke the siege and liberated the surviving soldiers before pulling the bodies of those killed and damaged vehicles to safety.

Liwa al-Quds, one of the elite militias operating side by side with government troops, didn't give a casualty figure. It said the besieged battalions were out in the desert looking for an army division that disappeared in the area over the last few days.

Sleeper cells

ISIL lost its last territories in Syria in March after months of battles with US-backed Kurdish-led fighters in the eastern province of Deir Az Zor. But fighters remain active in the desert to the west of Deir Az Zor where they have taken refuge and increasingly targeted government troops and allied militia.

The armed group, which once controlled large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq, has kept a network of sleeper cells active in both countries.

It has also kept up its media operations. The ISIL-affiliated Aamaq website reported the attack east of al-Sukhna, saying in 24 hours of clashes its fighters killed nearly two dozen Syrian soldiers and officers. It said they also seized Syrian government ammunition and vehicles.

Separately, government forces came under an attack from fighters of al-Qaeda-linked Hay'et Tahir al-Sham in northwest Syria, where a ceasefire is supposed to be in place.

The Observatory said the rebels assaulted government positions west of Aleppo early on Saturday, killing 21 soldiers and allied fighters. Baladi news, an activist-operated news site, said the attack in Akrab village killed 27 soldiers, quoting an HTS operative. Akrab overlooks the Aleppo-Damascus highway.

A ceasefire was reached in the area in September but is increasingly tested. The area includes the last major stronghold of the armed opposition.

The ceasefire was negotiated by Russia and Turkey, who support opposite sides of the conflict but have closely coordinated their policies.</s>At least 50 Syrian soldiers have been killed in attacks carried out by Islamic State and al Qaeda in the last few days, said the for Human Rights on Saturday.

According to Al Jazeera, IS on Thursday attacked Syrian forces in central The clash lasted two days leaving 27 soldiers dead till Saturday.

The IS has lost its territory in in March, however, fighters remain active in the desert where they have taken refuge and increasingly target government troops and allies' militia.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) last month announced that the and the (ISIL or ISIS) has lost its last stronghold, Baghouz, in eastern

"Syrian Democratic Forces declare total elimination of so-called caliphate and 100 per cent territorial defeat of On this unique day, we commemorate thousands of martyrs whose efforts made victory possible," tweeted Mustafa Bali,

The terror group had once controlled vast territories of land stretching from western to eastern</s>BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic State militants ambushed Syrian government forces in the country’s desert, setting off two days of clashes that killed over two dozen soldiers, a war monitoring organization said Saturday. A pro-government militia…

BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic State militants ambushed Syrian government forces in the country’s desert, setting off two days of clashes that killed over two dozen soldiers, a war monitoring organization said Saturday.

A pro-government militia confirmed the ambush, saying it had sent its fighters to liberate the two besieged battalions.

The Islamic State group lost its last territories in Syria in March after months of battles with U.S-backed Kurdish-led fighters in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour.

But the militants remain active in the desert to the west of Deir el-Zour, where they have taken refuge and increasingly targeted government troops and allied militia.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said IS militants ambushed government forces in the desert of central Homs province Thursday night, setting off clashes that lasted for two days. The Observatory said at least 27 soldiers were killed, including four officers.

Liwa al-Quds, a pro-government militia, said its fighters deployed to the desert area to liberate 500 soldiers besieged east of al-Sukhna town. In a Facebook post, the militia said it successfully broke the siege and liberated the surviving soldiers, before pulling the bodies of those killed and damaged vehicles to safety.

Liwa al-Quds, one of the elite militias operating side by side with government troops, didn’t give a casualty figure.

Activists have reported a rise in clashes between government forces and allied troops and IS militants following the end of the extremist’s presence in the nearby Deir el-Zour province.

The militant group, which once controlled large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq, has kept a network of sleeper cells active in both countries.

It has also kept up its media operations. The IS-affiliated Aamaq news agency reported the attack east of al-Sukhna, adding that in 24 hours of clashes its militants killed nearly two dozen Syrian soldiers and officers. It said the militants also seized Syrian government ammunition and vehicles.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>BEIRUT - Islamic State militants ambushed Syrian government forces in the country’s desert, setting off two days of clashes that killed over two dozen soldiers, a war monitoring organization said Saturday.

A pro-government militia confirmed the ambush, saying it had sent its fighters to liberate the two besieged battalions.

The Islamic State group lost its last territories in Syria in March after months of battles with U.S-backed Kurdish-led fighters in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour.

But the militants remain active in the desert to the west of Deir el-Zour, where they have taken refuge and increasingly targeted government troops and allied militia.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said IS militants ambushed government forces in the desert of central Homs province Thursday night, setting off clashes that lasted for two days. The Observatory said at least 27 soldiers were killed, including four officers.</s>Islamic State attacks on the Syrian army and allied militias in central Syria have killed 35 soldiers over two days, a war monitor said early Saturday.

Although Islamic State lost its last territorial enclave in Syria at Baghuz near the Iraqi border last month to U.S.-backed forces, it still has fighters holding out in the remote central desert.

The monitor, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the attacks constituted Islamic State’s biggest military operation since losing Baghuz and involved assaults in several parts of central Syria.

The most intense attack was in the al-Koum area north of the ancient desert city of Palmyra, the Observatory said, where Islamic State militants killed 15 Syrian army and allied soldiers.

Islamic State said in a message on its Amaq news outlet Friday that it had killed 20 Syrian soldiers and injured others in the al-Sukhna region between Palmyra and Deir al-Zor in an ambush and clashes.

Syrian state news outlets did not carry any reports of Islamic State attacks or of deaths among pro-government forces in clashes with the militant group.</s>A Syria war monitoring organization says an Islamic State group attack in the country's center has killed scores of government troops.

The Islamic State group lost its last territories in Syria in March after months of battles with U.S-backed fighters in the east. But the militants remain active in the desert area where they have increasingly targeted government troops.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday IS militants ambushed government forces in the desert of central Homs province, setting off Thursday night two days of clashes that killed at least 27 soldiers.

Liwa al-Quds, a pro-government militia, said IS militants attacked two army battalions in the area. It said its fighters liberated the battalions and pulled out the bodies but didn't give a casualty figure.</s>BEIRUT — Syrian government forces came under separate attacks from Islamic State militants and al Qaeda-linked insurgents in different parts of the country that killed nearly 50 soldiers and allied fighters, activists and a war monitoring group said Saturday.

In one attack, Islamic State militants ambushed Syrian government forces in the desert of central Homs province Thursday night, setting off two days of clashes that killed 27 soldiers, including four officers, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

A pro-government militia, known as Liwa al-Quds, confirmed the ambush, saying it had sent its fighters to liberate the two besieged battalions, made up of nearly 500 soldiers, east of al-Sukhna.

In a Facebook post, the militia said it successfully broke the siege and liberated the surviving soldiers before pulling the bodies of those killed and damaged vehicles to safety.

The Islamic State group lost its last territories in Syria in March after months of battles with U.S-backed Kurdish-led fighters in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour. But the militants remain active in the desert to the west of Deir el-Zour, where they have taken refuge and increasingly target government troops and allied militia.

Separately, government forces came under attack from insurgents of al Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahir al-Sham in northwestern Syria, where a cease-fire is supposed to be in place.

The Observatory said the insurgents assaulted the government positions west of Aleppo early Saturday, killing 21 soldiers and allied fighters. Baladi news, an activist-operated news site, said the attack in Akrab village killed 27 soldiers. Akrab overlooks the Aleppo-Damascus highway.</s>After losing all the territories it controlled in northern Syria, Daesh members who fled to deserts in the county killed regime members on Saturday.

Citing local sources, the Anadolu Agency (AA) reported on Saturday that at least 35 regime soldiers have been killed in clashes with Daesh terrorists in Syria's western Homs province. A group of Daesh terrorists, who have been trapped in a desert area in Homs, engaged in clashes with Iran-backed militias, using hit-and-run tactics.

The Daesh militants also laid an ambush for regime forces patrolling nearby, the sources said. Thirty-five soldiers were killed and dozens injured in the clashes. The U.S. and their ally on the ground has announced on March 23 that the terrorist group has been defeated and lost all the territories under its control, bringing an end to the so-called caliphate declared by the terrorist group in 2014. However, some of the members escaped to the deserts of Syria, continuing their fight with guerrilla warfare tactics.</s>By The Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria state media say militants have attacked a military post belonging to the government forces in the country’s northwest, setting off clashes that killed three soldiers.

The state-run Ikhbariya TV says the militants were disguised as farmers from the area in the attack early on Tuesday and approached the military post outside a de-militarized zone in Idlib province.

The TV says the soldiers clashed with the militants, who blew themselves up, killing three soldiers.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the attack. The Observatory and a media group, Idlib Correspondent, said the jihadi Ansar Tawheed group was behind the attack.

It’s the latest breach of a months-old Russia-Turkey negotiated truce in Idlib and surrounding areas. Recent violence has strained the truce, which also includes a de-militarized zone.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.</s>Attacks by ISIS extremist group fighters deep in the Syrian Desert killed 27 Damascus troops and allied fighters over the past 48 hours, a monitoring group said on Saturday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the dead included four senior Syrian army officer.

The Amaq propaganda arm of ISIS, which lost the last vestige of its “caliphate” to Kurdish-led forces in eastern Syria last month but retains desert and mountain hideouts in both Syria and Iraq, said its fighters carried out the operation.

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ISIL militants kill 50 Syrian soldiers in two days of clashes in the Syrian desert.