“BEIRUT: ISIS fighters seized the Syrian town of Maheen in Homs province from government forces Sunday, a monitoring group said, expanding their presence in Syria’s west despite a Russian-backed bombing campaign against them.”

“ISIS’s strongholds in Syria are in the north and east, but it has increased its territory in Homs province since taking over the historic city of Palmyra earlier this year, and then Qaryatain, 15 kilometers east of Maheen.”

“The group began its attack late Saturday using two suicide car bombs at a government checkpoint outside the town and by Sunday morning had taken over Maheen, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.”

The assault brought ISIS to within 20 kilometres (13 miles) of the main highway that links Damascus to Homs and to cities further north.

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