ISIS Cells Continue To Launch Attacks In U.S.-Held Areas In Syria

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On July 8, an ISIS cell attacked a checkpoint of the United States-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near the town of al-Kubar in the northwestern countryside of Deir Ezzor, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

The London-based monitoring group said that the hit-and-run attack didn’t result in any losses, adding that the terrorists were able to flee.

This was the second such attack by ISIS cells in Syria’s northeastern region in less than a week. On July 4, the group’s terrorists attacked a checkpoint of the SDF near the village of al-Ashtiyh in the southern countryside of al-Hasakah. In a statement released by its official news agency, Amaq, ISIS said that two Kurdish fighters were killed in the attack.

The U.S.-led coalition claims that its presence in Syria, which is not approved by the legitimate government in Damascus, is meant to counter ISIS. However, the group remains highly active in the areas held by the coalition.

According to the SOHR, the terrorist group has launched 93 attacks in areas held by the coalition and the SDF since the start of the year. The attacks, which included shootings an bombings, claimed the lives of 61 people, including 11 civilians and 45 fighters of the SDF.

With hundreds of U.S. troops deployed in northeastern Syria, it is unclear how ISIS cells are still capable of launching such attacks in the region. Most of the group’s recent attacks took place in the southeastern Deir Ezzor countryside, where the coalition keeps two large bases.

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