Suspected ISIS cells continue to target civilians in Deir ez-Zor

The group's activities persist in regions that were previously liberated by the SDF.

Men riding a motorcycle in Deir ez-Zor (Photo: SOHR)
Men riding a motorcycle in Deir ez-Zor (Photo: SOHR)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Thursday that suspected ISIS cells targeted two civilians in the Al-Yasat neighborhood, near Al-Basirah town, in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor.

The civilians escaped injury in the attack.

However, the previous day, two ISIS gunmen riding a motorbike carried out an assassination of a civilian on El-Eshreen Street in Al-Basira City, located within the areas of the Autonomous Administration to the east of Deir ez-Zor.

"It is worth noting that the victim was a civilian with no affiliations to any military or local groups. He owned a shoe store after leaving his work with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)," as stated in the SOHR report.

Despite the SDF and the US-led Coalition's announcement of ISIS's territorial defeat in Syria back in March 2019, the group's activities persist in regions that were previously liberated by the Kurdish-led forces, with Deir ez-Zor being a particularly active area for ISIS.

Read More: ISIS threatens women in Deir ez-Zor: SOHR

Furthermore, over the weekend, suspected ISIS cells distributed leaflets in al-Tayana town in eastern Deir ez-Zor, wherein they "threatened to execute women in the town who do not adhere to the Islamic dress code."