7 Syrian soldiers killed in IS attack near Palmyra city

DAMASCUS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic State (IS) militants launched an attack on Syrian forces near the ancient city of Palmyra on Thursday, killing seven soldiers, a war monitor reported.

The attack took place to the southwest of Palmyra in the eastern countryside of Homs Province in central Syria, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The London-based watchdog said the Syrian forces and allied troops launched a campaign in the eastern region near the Syrian-Iraqi border in search for the IS militants.

The IS has lost its key strongholds in eastern Syria but is still present in the desert region between the eastern countryside of Homs and the eastern province of Deir al-Zour.