ISIL Militants Seize Syrian Oilfield Near Iraq

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has seized control of a Syrian oilfield located near the border with Iraq according to a monitoring group.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said ISIL fighters took the al-Tanak oilfield on July 4. 

The oilfield is in Syria's Deir el-Zour Province, along the border with Iraq, and comes a day after ISIL's seizure of al-Omar oilfield, the country's largest. 

The Observatory said ISIL seized the oilfields after rival Islamist groups, including the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front, withdrew from the area. 

ISIL has declared an Islamic caliphate in areas it has seized in western and northern Iraq. 

The group has also pushed towards the Turkish border, where it has shelled one town and taken control of several villages. 

Based on reporting by AP and AFP.