115 Syrian Troops, Guards Killed in ISIS Takeover of Gas Field

Toll Expected to Rise as Another 250 Remain Unaccounted For

The death toll in yesterday’s takeover of the Homs Province’s Shaar Gas Field continues to soar today, with the latest figures now saying 115 are confirmed killed, including Syrian troops and affiliated guards.

The ISIS takeover of the field took approximately 12 hours, and other rebels said it was by far the largest ISIS operation in Homs at the moment. The death toll is still not finalized, and is liable to continue to rise throughout the weekend.

That’s because over 350 people were at the side when ISIS attacked, including guards, paramilitary, and a lot of regular workers. In addition to the slain, roughly 250 others remain unaccounted for, many believed captured.

The Assad government has yet to offer full details from their side of the incident, but claimed at least 11 of the slain were civilian employees of the field. They condemned the ISIS raid as a “massacre.”

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.