US-backed Syrian forces kill over 100 Islamic State fighters: Statement

The Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Sunday they had killed 105 Islamic State (IS) militants in the past two days in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor.

HASSAKEH (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Sunday they had killed 105 Islamic State (IS) militants in the past two days in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor.

The SDF added in the statement that they had also destroyed an armored vehicle, 6 mortar positions, and a rocket launching site in their operation against the group's fighters in the Hajin area, the last pocket remaining under IS control. Additionally, they claimed to have damaged three vehicles and a bulldozer. 

On Sept. 11, the SDF and the US-led international coalition announced the start of their operation to take the last remaining IS-held town in eastern Syria, located along the banks of the Euphrates River.

Since then, it has announced having killed 651 IS militants and seized several strategic villages in the area.

The SDF said they have lost 37 fighters among their ranks, while the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 57 of their fighters have perished.

The area within Deir al-Zor Province that has been witnessing days of intense clashes between IS and SDF has been experiencing bad weather and low visibility, increasing the difficulty of the campaign.

On Friday, IS attacked a camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Al-Bahra village, north of Hajin, taking advantage of a dust storm and other poor weather conditions to infiltrate the site and kidnap hundreds of civilians.

The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR) reported that IS fighters took 130 families in the move.

In to a report released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Sept. 30, the agency expressed deep concern that some 10,000 civilians stranded in the Hajin area were in immediate danger of facing harm by being caught up in the operation. 

Editing by John J. Catherine