For weeks, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has launched offensives against the Taqba Air Base in Raqqa, the Syrian regime's last remaining military point in the province – which is now largely controlled by ISIS.
Taqba has strategic value for both sides. For the Syrian army, it provides a base from which to launch strikes against key ISIS targets in nearby Raqqa city – part of a promise made my President Bashar al-Assad to take it back from the Sunni extremist group. For ISIS, it would both yield a bounty of weapons and equipment, and eliminate the regime air threat against its flagship city.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/isis-fights-control-syrian-regimes-stronghold-raqqa/story?id=25087314