Islamic State group claims first attack on new Syria forces since fall of Assad regime
The Islamic State group on Thursday claimed responsibility for what seems to be its first attack on Syria's new government forces, two war monitors have reported. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that one person was killed and three wounded by a remote control landmine on Wednesday.
The Islamic State (IS) group on Thursday claimed its first attack on Syria's new government forces since the fall of longtime Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, two war monitors said.
In a statement picked up by SITE Intelligence Group, IS said it had planted an "explosive device" on a Syrian forces' vehicle in the southern province of Sweida.
SITE and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said it was the first IS-claimed attack on Syria's new government. SOHR said that one person was killed and three members of the Syrian army's 70th division were injured when a patrol was hit by a remote control landmine on Wednesday.
The man killed was accompanying the Syrian government forces in the desert area, according to SOHR.
Once in control of large swathes of Syria and Iraq, IS was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 largely due to the efforts of Kurdish-led forces supported by an international coalition. It has maintained a presence mainly in the country's vast desert.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and AP)
Read more on FRANCE 24 EnglishRead also:In Damascus, US envoy inks $7 billion energy deal, calls for Israel-Syria peace pactEU sanctions Syrian militia groups over ethnic violence targeting Alawites
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