QAMISHLI, Syria — An assault by Islamic State militants within the metropolis of Raqqa on Monday killed six members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which has performed a outstanding function within the battle in opposition to the group, SDF officers stated.
SDF commander Mazloum Abdi stated in a press release that an IS cell had focused safety and navy buildings within the metropolis, killing six fighters and wounding an unspecified variety of others.
He added that intelligence gathered by the group “signifies critical preparations by (IS) cells.”
Siamand Ali, a spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, instructed The Related Press {that a} group of 5 folks believed to be a part of an IS sleeper cell, two of them carrying explosive belts, had attacked checkpoints and guard factors of Raqqa’s Inside Safety Forces.
Through the ensuing clashes, he stated, one of many attackers was killed and one other arrested. SDF and Inside Safety Forces models are trying to find the remaining attackers, he stated.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based opposition warfare monitor, reported that the assault focused an space containing the headquarters of the SDF’s Inside Safety Forces, anti-terrorism models, and a navy intelligence jail the place about 200 IS prisoners are housed.
The observatory famous that the assault was the sixteenth operation carried out by suspected IS sleeper cells in SDF-controlled areas for the reason that starting of this month.
Additionally on Monday, the observatory and the Nationwide Entrance for Liberation, a coalition of Turkish-backed insurgent teams reported that six members of the coalition had been killed in clashes with the SDF and the Syrian military within the Aleppo countryside.
Abdi solid blame for the IS assault in Raqqa partially on Turkey, which has carried out a marketing campaign of airstrikes in opposition to the SDF in northeast Syria since late November and threatened a floor operation.
Abdi stated the “terrorist exercise coincides with the continual Turkish threats to focus on the safety and stability of the area.”
Ankara blames Kurdish teams in Syria for a lethal Nov. 13 explosion in Istanbul, an allegation the teams deny.
SDF models briefly halted joint anti-IS patrols with U.S.-led coalition forces as a result of Turkish strikes however resumed them earlier this month.
Final week, U.S. Central Command stated that American forces had arrested six Islamic State group militants in three raids in jap Syria. The SDF stated individually that its fighters had detained an IS militant who managed cells in jap Syria.
———
Related Press writers Ghaith al-Sayed in Idlib, Syria, and Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report.
