Suspected Islamic State attack leaves nine dead in Syrian desert

Syrian soldiers and pro-government fighters in eastern Syria came under a surprise attack attributed to the Islamic State, which remains active in the area despite losing territory.
A vehicle of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is pictured along a road as fighters deploy to impose a curfew in the town of al-Busayrah in Syria's northeastern Deir Ezzor province on September 4, 2023, during a guided media tour organised by the SDF. Days of deadly clashes between the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and local fighters have rocked Deir Ezzor, threatening a fragile balance in the strategic area.
A vehicle of the Syrian Democratic Forces is pictured as fighters deploy to impose a curfew in the town of al-Busayrah in Syria's northeastern Deir ez-Zor province on Sept. 4, 2023, during a guided media tour organised by the SDF. - DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images
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Beatrice Farhat
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At least nine Syrian soldiers and pro-government fighters were killed and more than 20 others injured in a suspected Islamic State attack in eastern Syria, a war monitor reported on Tuesday.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a vast network of sources on the ground, said armed members of ISIS cells launched a surprise attack on Monday evening against positions belonging to the Syrian army and the Syrian government's paramilitary National Defense Forces in al-Tebni desert, in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor.

Heavy clashes erupted after the attack and lasted until dawn. According to the SOHR, the militants seized a vehicle mounted with a cannon and destroyed three military trucks before withdrawing.

The Syrian army has yet to comment on the report and ISIS has not yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

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