ISIS militants take over major Syrian air base

Islamic State militants captured a major military air base in Syria on Sunday, Associated Press (AP) reports. The air base was the last government-held outpost in the province.

The jihadists took hold of the air base in Raqqa after an offensive launched last week.

'Some of the Syrian regime troops pulled out and now the Islamic State is in full control of Tabqa. This makes Raqqa province the first to fully fall out of government hands,' said the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

More than 500 fighters died in the battle.