Gunmen kill oil facility guard in eastern Deir ez-Zor
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A guard working at an oil facility in eastern Deir ez-Zor was killed on Monday after being targeted by unidentified gunmen, a local source said.
The attack took place in the town of al-Shaafa in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, where two armed individuals riding a motorcycle opened fire with automatic weapons on Jassem Mohammad al-Askar, a member of the oil wells protection units affiliated with the Oil Facilities Guard forces.
The source told North Press that al-Askar died instantly at the scene.
Residents attempted to chase and detain the attackers, but the assailants fired gunshots to disperse them while chanting slogans linked to the Islamic State (ISIS), the source added.
Security forces later arrived at the site of the attack and transferred the body to the victim’s family.
Deir ez-Zor continues to witness sporadic attacks attributed to ISIS sleeper cells, despite ongoing security efforts by local forces.