Islamic State militants have been driven out of yet another Syrian town, Al-Qaryatain.

According to Reuters, Syrian and allied forces backed by Russian air strikes achieved the success today, days after they flushed out the militants from the historic town of Palmyra.

Surrounded by hills, al-Qaryatain is 100 km (60 miles) west of the ancient city of Palmyra, which government forces recaptured from Islamic State last Sunday.

The town  had been held by the militant group since late August.

Syrian state television said the army and its allies “fully restored security and stability to al-Qaryatain after killing the last remaining groups of Daesh terrorists” in the town, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

In a statement read out on Syrian television, the military command said this was a strategic victory which secures oil and gas routes between the Damascus area and oilfields in eastern Syria. It also disrupts Islamic State supply routes within Syria.