ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least seven people were killed and four others were injured in a suspected attack by Islamic State (ISIS) gunmen in eastern Syria, during a Ramadan gathering hosted by a local official, a conflict monitor reported on Thursday.
The attack took place on Wednesday night in the Abu Khashab area in Deir ez-Zor province and targeted the residence of the head of public relations of the province’s civil council, reported the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The monitor added that the official was hosting some of his friends over for an iftar gathering when the attack occurred, stating that the gunmen were likely ISIS members.
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) carried out two military and security operations targeting ISIS sleeper cells across Deir ez-Zor in February, claiming to have killed a “dangerous” member of the group.
Associated Press reported on Thursday that the gathering was held by a spokesperson of the SDF, but this has not been confirmed by the forces.
ISIS attempted to break thousands of its affiliates and members from Ghweran prison in the Kurdish-controlled Hasaka province in northeast Syria (Rojava) in January, marking the most significant offensive since the terror group’s so-called caliphate was defeated in Syria in 2019.
SOHR also stated that it had recorded 82 attacks carried out by armed groups and ISIS cells in SDF-controlled areas since the beginning of the year, adding that at least 63 casualties have been inflicted, including 25 civilians and 35 members of security forces.
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