Syrian regime soldiers killed in surprise IS assault

At least two dozen Syrian regime fighters were killed in a surprise assault by the Islamic State group in Badia in the country's east, hours after militants were evacuated from Damascus to the desert region.

Militants began their attack with a car bombing, before clashes between the two sides broke out resulting in 26 Syrian regime soldiers killed and five IS militants dead, AFP reported.

"At least 26 regime soldiers and allied forces were killed in an IS attack at dawn today, against one of their posts in the Syrian Badiya," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

The attack took place at a base near Palmyra in eastern Syria.

"It began with a car bomb targeting regime forces that set off clashes that are still ongoing," he said. The attack came after IS fighters were evacuated by the Syrian regime from the Damascus suburbs to the Badia region.

Social media reports suggested the troops were from the Syrian regime 18th Armoured Division.

IS control small patches of territory between the Iraqi border and Homs.

They have managed to launch a series of surprise assaults on Syrian regime forces in the eastern desert region.

Last week, at least 25 pro-regime fighters were killed when IS forced attacked their position near the town of Mayadin.



Agencies contributed to this story.