IS fighters move in on Syrian military air base

Islamic State fighters have broken through the defences of a major military air base in north-eastern Syria, activists said.

They seized control of at least part of the facility, which is the last government-held outpost in an area dominated by the extremist group.

The Islamic State group launched its long-anticipated offensive last week to seize the sprawling Tabqa air field, located some 45 kilometres (25 miles) from the extremists’ power base in the city of Raqqa.

The air base is one of the most significant government military facilities in the area, containing several warplane squadrons, helicopters, tanks, artillery and ammunition.

After several failed efforts to breach the facility’s walls in recent days, Islamic State fighters managed to punch through and storm the air field today, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Muslim extremists captured at least part of the base, while fighting raged for the remaining sections still in the military’s hands, the observatory said, adding that government warplanes were conducting airstrikes against the attacking forces.

The observatory said at least 100 Islamic State group fighters have been killed and 300 wounded in the fighting for the base. It put the regime dead at 25.

Another activist group, the Local Co-ordination Committees, said the jihadis have taken full control of the airfield.