Syria civil war: Fears for 300 civilians kidnapped by Isis after failed attack on power plant

Fierce have clashes erupted in the area around Dumeir in recent days between the jihadists and government forces

In recent days Isis have found themselves repelled from towns such as Al-Qaryatayn, pictured, by the Free Syrian Army (Getty)

As many as 300 civilians are missing, feared kidnapped, in a Syrian town near Damascus after Isis fighters launched a surprise assault on the area.

The Syrian state-run news agency said that those taken were cement workers and contractors from the al-Badia Cement Company on the outskirts of Dumeir, an area about 30 miles north-east of the Syrian capital.

“We haven’t been able to reach our family members since noon on Monday after an attack by Daesh [Isis] on the factory,” one resident of the town told the AFP news agency. “We have no information about where they are.”

An administrator at the plant put the number of those missing at 250, saying that the company had been unable to reach them since Monday.

Fierce clashes erupted in the area in recent days between Isis and government forces. The jihadists reportedly sought to seize control of the nearby Dumeir air base and a power plant but were pushed back.