Islamic State cells terrorize civilians in northwest Syria
Islamic State cells in the areas under the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army in the countryside of Aleppo have escalated operations following the killing of a senior IS official and his colleague during a raid on their hideout in the city of al-Bab.
ALEPPO, Syria — Areas are controlled by the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions in the countryside of Aleppo in northwest Syria are suffering from security chaos due to an escalation of violence, assassination attempts and bombings, mostly at the hands of groups affiliated with the Islamic State (IS).
On June 5, four explosive devices exploded in the city of Jarablus, near the Turkish border, northeast of Aleppo. The Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets) said in a Facebook post, “Four IEDs [improvised explosive devices] exploded in the evening of Saturday, June 5, in the city of Jarablus in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, two of which were detonated in a car, and two others in two cars, causing one of the vehicles to burn down. Our teams secured the premises immediately. Only material damages were recorded.”
“Since the beginning of the year, the Syrian Civil Defense has responded to more than 106 incidents of car bombs and IED explosions in northwestern Syria, in which 51 people were killed, including eight children and four women, and 177 people were wounded,” the statement added.
On June 2, a car bomb exploded in Jarablus, wounding three people, including two children. On May 30, Talal Abou, a judge in the city of al-Bab in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, survived an assassination attempt in the city center, when an IED was detonated in his vehicle.
