BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian state media are reporting that members of the Islamic State group have shelled a government-held neighborhood in Damascus, killing one civilian and wounding four.
The state news agency SANA says IS fighters shelled the neighborhood of Qadam on Friday as government forces and their allies pushed deeper into the nearby Hajar al-Aswad neighborhood.
The weeklong fighting in Hajar al-Aswad and the nearby Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk has killed dozens of fighters. The area is the last district out of government control in Damascus and its capture would boost security in Syrian President Bashar Assad's seat of power.
State TV says Syrian warplanes struck an IS arms depot in the area, setting off explosions. IS claimed in a statement Friday that its fighters killed 20 soldiers in the area.
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