Bloody counterattack: IS kills hundreds of Syrian fighters
At least 70 Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters were killed and 100 injured in the past 24 hours following an attack by IS extremists in eastern Syria.
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| The attack took place in the last IS stronghold in Deir Ezzor, eastern Syria. |
The IS counter-offensive against the US-backed SDF began on October 26 and continued into October 27 to retake areas lost to the SDF. The attack took place in the IS’s last stronghold in Deir Ezzor, eastern Syria.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that warplanes from the US-led coalition could not support the SDF in fighting IS due to bad weather conditions.
About 4,000 IS fighters are currently holding several towns in Deir Ezzor, near the Iraqi border.
The IS counter-offensive targeted areas recently captured by the SDF in the towns of Souseh and Baghous, both on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River. IS has regained large swathes of territory in these two towns.
Taking advantage of bad weather, IS launched its attack with suicide car bombs on SDF targets. This was the most violent attack by IS on the SDF since the beginning of 2017. Dozens of SDF fighters were killed in the attack.
The SDF began operations in Deir Ezzor on September 10 with the help of the US-led coalition.
IS defensive tactics, such as landmines and suicide bombs, coupled with poor weather conditions, slowed the campaign, although the SDF captured some IS positions in Hajin and Souseh.
The Syrian army has cleared IS from large areas in Deir Ezzor, while the SDF has tried to consolidate its position in the strategic oil-rich northern and northeastern countryside.
The Syrian government has long accused the US-led coalition of supporting IS under the pretext of fighting the group. Damascus has blamed the US for the massacre in Deir Ezzor, where 63 people were killed in coalition air strikes against IS over the past week.
