Two ISIS militants killed in clash near Syria’s al-Shaddadi: SDF

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Two ISIS militants were killed on Thursday after a clash erupted between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and ISIS in the village of al-Taljah in al-Shaddadi, south of Hasakah.

The SDF said in a press statement that ISIS fighters attempted to carry out an attack on a checkpoint of the SDF, resulting in skirmishes.

“Our commitment to ongoing security operations against ISIS remains steadfast. These efforts are aimed at thwarting ISIS plans, degrading their threat, and establishing lasting stability and security in north and eastern Syria,” the SDF said.

Although ISIS was territorially defeated in 2019, it continues to pose a security threat in both Iraq and Syria.

According to a report of the Syria-based Rojava Information Centre (RIC), ISIS carried out 16 sleeper cell attacks in December, killing 12 security personnel and five civilians.

The terror group has also made international headlines when on Thursday, it officially took responsibility for Wednesday’s attack in Kerman, Iran that killed at least 84 people and wounded another 284. The attack took place in a ceremony honoring Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike in 2020 in Baghdad.

Since its territorial defeat, the group has remained somewhat dormant, launching sporadic, guerilla attacks on unsuspecting Iraqi forces, the Peshmerga, and Syrian Government forces. This contrasts sharply from when it was at the height of its power, seizing advanced heavy weaponry and tanks from Western-backed Syrian rebels and the Iraqi Armed Forces.