IS attack kills 10 Syria pro-government troops: monitor

The city of Raqa was the centre of the IS group's brutal "caliphate" until their ouster in 2017.

AFP 2023/08/08 09:00

Russian soldiers and Syrian government forces gathering next to a bus during the evacuation of rebel fighters and their families from the town of Dumayr, Syria, April 19, 2018. (Photo: SANA via AP)

Islamic State group militants killed 10 Syrian troops and pro-government fighters in the former jihadist stronghold of Raqa province, a war monitor said Tuesday.

"IS attacked positions and checkpoints belonging to the regime... setting fire to military vehicles and prefabricated houses," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Six soldiers were also wounded in the Monday evening attack, with some in critical condition, said the British-based monitor, which relies on a wide network of sources inside Syria.

Government troops control rural areas in the south and east of Raqa province, while Kurdish fighters control the rest.

The city of Raqa was the centre of the IS group's brutal "caliphate" until their ouster in 2017.

Last week, IS announced the death of its leader Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, who it said was killed in clashes in northwestern Syria.

In March 2019, IS lost the last territory it held in Syria to a Kurdish-led counteroffensive backed by a US-led coalition, but jihadist remnants continue to carry out deadly attacks from hideouts in the vast Syrian desert.

Targets have included civilians as well as government troops and pro-Iranian and Kurdish-led fighters.