Beirut, May 22 (IANS): Islamic State (IS) militants continued on Friday their advance on the Syrian province of Homs, bordering Iraq, and took control of a vital gas plant, according to the Syrian Observatory of Rights Human (SOHR).

SOHR said that the jihadis seized the T3 gas plant following the withdrawal of government forces under President Bashar al-Assad, according to Efe news agency.

On Friday morning, IS troops posted several pictures on the internet of the fighting in the vicinity of T3 using tanks and anti-aircraft batteries.

In recent days, IS has conquered much of eastern Homs, bordering the Iraqi province of Anbar.

On Thursday night, IS seized al-Walid border crossing, also known as al-Tanf, the only crossing with Iraq that was still controlled by Syrian authorities.

The NGO reported on Thursday that IS dominates an estimated 95,000 sq km of Syrian territory and is present in nine provinces: Homs, al-Raqqa, Deir al-Zour, al-Hasakah, Hama, Aleppo, Damascus, Damascus countryside (Reef Damashq), and Sueida.

The Sunni radical group declared in late June 2014 a caliphate in the areas under its control in Syria and Iraq.