BEIRUT — Militants linked to the self-proclaimed Islamic State group stormed parts of a sprawling army air base on Saturday in eastern Syria after days of clashes that killed dozens on both sides, activists said. The sprawling base, outside the city of Deir El-Zour, has been used by the government in the past months to launch air raids on areas held by the IS group bordering Iraq. The militant group is trying to capture the air base and a nearby barracks known as Brigade 137 to eliminate the main pocket of resistance in the area and provide a major morale and propaganda boost after a string of setbacks in recent weeks. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the latest attack began on Saturday with a suicide car bomb attack at the main entrance of the Deir El-Zour air base. The IS group began a major offensive on the air base, one of the last government-held areas in the province of Deir El-Zour, on Thursday. The Observatory said that since Thursday, 111 fighters on both sides have been killed, including 51 troops and pro-government militiamen. It said some 60 IS group fighters have been killed, of which 25 were Syrian. State news agency SANA said the government's air force was taking part in the operations at the air base, adding that they destroyed an IS group convoy consisting five armored vehicles and four pickup trucks mounted with heavy machine guns. – AP
