Roadside bomb injures member of Kurdish-led forces outside former ISIS capital in Syria

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) confirmed on Tuesday that one of their troops was injured by an improvised explosive device (IED) planted on a road outside the city of Raqqa in northeast Syria. 

The SDF press office said unknown assailants had planted the IED on a road leading to Raqqa's western entrance. 

“Our forces have initiated an investigation to track down the perpetrators,” the SDF said in a statement.

Raqqa was liberated from ISIS in October 2017 by the SDF with support from the US-led coalition. The city was once the de-facto capital of ISIS's self-styled caliphate. 

While ISIS lost the entirety of its caliphate following the SDF’s takeover of the town of Syrian town of Baghouz in March 2019, the group still operates sleeper cells across SDF-controlled northeast Syria. The US-led coalition continues to support SDF operations against these cells. 

In early October, the SDF prevented a massive bombing in Raqqa.

Read More: SDF prevents massive bombing in former ISIS capital

On Tuesday, a Turkish drone strike rocked the city of Qamishlo (Qamishli) in northeast Syria, killing three civilians from the same family, the Kurdish-led Internal Security Forces (Asayish) said.

Read More: Turkish drone strike kills three in northeast Syria's Qamishlo: Statement

The Asayish also arrested three ISIS suspects hiding in a vehicle attempting to pass through a checkpoint near the city of Manbij.

Editing by Paul Iddon.