ISIS threatens Syria again with a series of terrorist strikes
A Syrian regime soldier was killed and at least four others were wounded in an ISIS attack in al-Jaadeen, al-Tabqa, west of Raqqa on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The ISIS took advantage of the foggy conditions to launch a new offensive against government forces, while questions were raised about whether the group is returning to life in Syria after recent attacks increased dramatically, the Observatory said.
Increased attacks
London-based Middle East newspaper confirmed that on 5 January, the Human Rights Watch said that members of the National Defense Force were injured in a landmine explosion near the Rusafa area in the southwest of the Raqqa desert. The incident resulted in the amputation of the leg of one of the injured, and the explosion took place as the forces were combing the Syrian desert desert, where the area is witnessing an escalation in ISIS attacks. Meanwhile, the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces announced the arrest of more than 100 “terrorists” in an eight-day operation against the Islamic State, and Al-Jazeera Thunderbolt launched last week following a failed ISIS attack to free members held in a prison in Raqqa.
Confronting terrorism
According to the London-based newspaper, the Kurdish fighters are seeking to bolster their role as a partner for Western countries in the campaign against ISIS as Turkey continues to threaten to launch a new operation against Kurdish areas in northern Syria.
The SDF said in a statement that it had arrested 154 wanted individuals during raids and combing operations. It revealed that 102 of the detainees are ISIS members and 27 are suspected of providing logistical support to the group. The SDF combed 55 villages and farms in the eastern areas bordering Iraq in the operation in cooperation with the US-led international anti-ISIS coalition, which did not immediately confirm the information.
The SDF said the operation foiled attacks on the predominantly Kurdish cities of Hasakeh and Kameshli, scheduled for Christmas and New Year’s.
