Syria attack claims 10 lives; 52 extremists detained by Kurdish forces
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Hashim Sheikh - . December 30, 2022
- . Update: December 30, 2022 8:27 pm
At least 10 people were killed by a terrorist rocket strike on a bus carrying workers from the oil business on Friday in eastern Syria, according to the administration. In an operation against the Islamic State group’s sleeper cells, Syrian Kurdish-led troops in the north declared the capture of 52 extremists.
The rocket reportedly hit the Al-Taym gas field in eastern Deir el-Zour province, according to Syria’s petroleum ministry. Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility, the attack was carried out by IS, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitoring organisation based in Britain.
The Observatory further stated that there were at least 12 workers killed as a result of the missile attack.
Also on Friday, the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces announced that one of their operations appeared to have stopped a New Year’s Eve attack. According to a statement from the troops, the IS fighters were hiding in farmland and residential areas.
Although the U.S.-backed battle that lasted for years was successful in destroying the militants’ territorial grip in Iraq and Syria, IS fighters still operate sleeper cells and have recently carried out strikes that have killed a large number of Iraqis and Syrians.
Read | Around 700 ISIS operatives killed in Syria and Iraq this year, says US
In announcing their operation on Thursday, the Syrian Kurdish-led forces cited an increase in IS attacks and stated that “Operation Al-Jazeera Thunderbolt” aimed to target sleeper cells in the Tal Hamis and surrounding al-Hol districts.
Syria has been embroiled in a brutal civil war since 2011 that has attracted regional and international forces. Although Syrian President Bashar Assad has mostly reclaimed control of the nation, rebels as well as Turkish and Syrian Kurdish forces continue to hold some of its northern regions.
Additionally, about 900 American soldiers are stationed in Syria to assist the Kurdish-led forces in their fight against IS and have repeatedly attacked IS fighters, primarily in Kurdish-controlled areas of northeastern Syria.
On Thursday, the U.S. Central Command reported carrying out 313 operations against IS in Syria and Iraq, the majority in coordination with troops under the command of the Kurds. In Syria, 466 Islamic State fighters were killed and 215 were detained, according to a CENTCOM statement.
