IS CAPTURES SYRIAN TOWN, ADVANCES ON KEY HIGHWAY

CAIRO: The Islamic State (IS) on Sunday advanced on Syria’s key north-south highway, which links the capital, Damascus, to central Syria and the government’s coastal strongholds, a monitoring group said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the militants captured the desert town of Mheen, 24km west of the Damascus-Homs highway. IS fighters were engaged in fierce clashes with government forces on the outskirts of the mainly Christian town of Sadad, closer to the highway, the Britain-based watchdog said. – dpa