Pro-Iranian militias in Iraq shell IS in Syria’s Tal Safouk border town

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iranian-backed militias in Iraq on Sunday announced they had bombarded a gathering of Islamic State (IS) militants within Syria in an area the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are targeting next in their operations to drive the jihadist group out.

The Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militia, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), shelled an area in Tal Safouk town located opposite the Iraqi border in the Syrian province of al-Hasakah.

Despite the military defeat of IS in Iraq last year, the jihadist group maintains control over vast bordering areas inside Syria.

The PMF, on its website, declared its artillery “targeted a gathering of Da’esh [IS] members within the Syrian territory, causing direct casualties to the enemy.”

The statement mentioned that the PMF had launched an attack on the group after it had observed the IS meeting take place “in southern Tal Safouk.”

The bombardment comes as the US-backed SDF is expected to launch a large-scale military campaign to clear IS in the region.

Iraqi warplanes over the past few weeks have targeted IS positions inside Syria, most of them focused on the al-Dashisha area.

Editing by Nadia Riva