Syria’s Kurdish forces thwart major attack on Islamic State prison camp
Botched suicide bombings came less than two weeks after the top US general in the Middle East sounded the alarm over security and humanitarian conditions at al-Hol camp.
Four Islamic State (IS) fighters are dead and one has been captured after attempting a suicide attack this week aimed at the largest prison camp holding IS detainees in northeast Syria.
Seven IS jihadists packed into two explosives-laden cars were passing through the village of Um Fakik, some 12 miles northeast of al-Hol, after midnight on Tuesday when one of the vehicles detonated prematurely, the US military said in a statement today.
The blast drew the attention of the local US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who “arrived within minutes and surrounded the second vehicle,” US Central Command spokesperson Col. Joe Buccino said.
“Two men exited the second vehicle wearing suicide vests. One detonated his vest. Syrian Democratic Forces shot and killed the second man,” Buccino said, adding that the remaining car contained at least 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of explosives.
