DAMASCUS, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- A total of 18 Islamic State (IS) militants and Syrian soldiers have been killed in ongoing battles that have raged in the Syrian desert since Wednesday, a war monitor reported on Friday.
Eleven government troops and seven IS militants have been killed in the battles that have been raging in the desert region between the provinces of Aleppo, Raqqa, and Hama in northern Syria, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Russian warplanes also took part in shelling the IS positions, the UK-based watchdog group added.
The desert battles have been escalating since March.
A total of 792 Syrian soldiers and pro-government fighters as well as 397 IS militants have been killed since March, said the Observatory.
IS group has lost key areas across Syria but its sleeper cells and remnants of its fighters still have a presence in the desert region. Enditem
