ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Two Islamic State (ISIS) militants were killed in a foiled attack on Kurdish security forces in Hasaka, northeast Syria on Friday.
The militants wearing military uniforms tried to infiltrate a base of the interior security forces (Asayish), but were stopped.
“Our security forces were able to repel the infiltration attempt after a 10-minute clash and the attack failed… The two ISIS members were killed,” read an Asayish statement. Two kalashnikovs, eight hand grenades, and two explosive belts were among the weapons taken off the militants.
This is the 41st attack carried out by ISIS cells this year in areas controlled by the Autonomous Region of North East Syria (AANES) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
Thirty people have been killed in these attacks, including five civilians. The others are members of the security forces, SOHR noted.
After their territorial defeat in March 2019 to a military operation led by the SDF and backed by a United States-led global coalition, ISIS militants have carried out hit-and-run attacks on civilians and military targets of both the Syrian regime and the Kurdish-led authority in the northwest of the country.
The Pentagon, in its latest quarterly report covering anti-ISIS operations from October through December 2022, estimated there are 6,000 to 10,000 ISIS fighters spread across Syria and Iraq and their capabilities have been "significantly downgraded," but warned that tens of thousands of militants detained in Syria and Iraq are "a literal ISIS army in waiting."
By Azhi Rasul
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