DAMASCUS, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic State (IS) militants fully captured a southern Damascus' neighborhood on Tuesday after clashing with Syrian government troops, a monitor group reported.
IS militants took control of the al-Qadam neighborhood from the hands of Syrian army which earlier liberated the area from the rule by the rebel forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
At least 36 Syrian soldiers were killed in the battles with IS militants in the area, according to the report.
Earlier this month, the rebels who controlled al-Qadam withdrew to the rebel-held areas in northern Syria after refusing to surrender to the army.
While the rebels abandoned their positions in al-Qadam, the IS militants in the nearby areas of Hajar al-Aswad and Yarmouk Camp launched an offensive to oust the government troops from the area.
In eastern Syria, the Syrian army and allied fighters have launched a counter-offensive to retake the T2 oil pumping station in the countryside of Deir al-Zour province, just two days after the IS militants captured that facility.
Since late last year, IS militants have carried out several infiltrations and swift attacks in the countryside of Deir al-Zour and Damascus, the capital.
