ISIS claims responsibility for deadly bus attack in eastern Syria
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Islamic State group (ISIS) on Thursday claimed responsibility for an attack the day before on a bus in eastern Syria that left tens dead.
ISIS and a war monitor said the casualties were regime soldiers, but Damascus said they were civilians.
In a message posted on its propaganda channel on the Telegram messaging app, ISIS said they “ambushed” a bus carrying Syrian regime soldiers. The group claimed they planted an explosive on the road and fired on the soldiers after the bus hit the bomb.
It claimed that 40 soldiers were killed and six others injured as a result of the attack.
Syrian state-owned SANA news agency had reported that the “terrorist” attack targeted a civilian bus on Deir ez-Zor - Palmyra road, killing 25 and injuring 13 others.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the attack was an ISIS “ambush” on three buses filled with regime soldiers, killing 30 soldiers and injuring 15 others. Two buses managed to depart the scene, it said.
Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Observatory, told AFP that it was "one of the deadliest attacks" in Syria since the territorial defeat of the group by Kurdish-led forces in March 2019.
Deir ez-Zor has been the focal point of recent ISIS activities in Syria, where it carries out attacks against regime and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in control of the province.
ISIS and a war monitor said the casualties were regime soldiers, but Damascus said they were civilians.
In a message posted on its propaganda channel on the Telegram messaging app, ISIS said they “ambushed” a bus carrying Syrian regime soldiers. The group claimed they planted an explosive on the road and fired on the soldiers after the bus hit the bomb.
It claimed that 40 soldiers were killed and six others injured as a result of the attack.
Syrian state-owned SANA news agency had reported that the “terrorist” attack targeted a civilian bus on Deir ez-Zor - Palmyra road, killing 25 and injuring 13 others.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the attack was an ISIS “ambush” on three buses filled with regime soldiers, killing 30 soldiers and injuring 15 others. Two buses managed to depart the scene, it said.
Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Observatory, told AFP that it was "one of the deadliest attacks" in Syria since the territorial defeat of the group by Kurdish-led forces in March 2019.
Deir ez-Zor has been the focal point of recent ISIS activities in Syria, where it carries out attacks against regime and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in control of the province.