Unknown gunmen attack SDF vehicle in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor, casualties reported
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – On Sunday, a fighter of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) lost his life and another was wounded in an attack by unknown gunmen in a town in Deir ez-Zor western countryside, eastern Syria.
A military source from the town of al-Kasra, 20 km west of Deir ez-Zor, said that unknown gunmen targeted a military vehicle of the SDF with machine guns on the highway of the village of Himar al-Ali.
The attack resulted in the killing of an SDF fighter and the injury of another who was hospitalized in al-Kasra, the source added.
He pointed out that the injured fighter was in critical situation.
Following the attack, the SDF cordoned off the town to pursue the attackers, according to the source.
The countryside of Deir ez-Zor was an ISIS enclave which was liberated in 2019 by the SDF and the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. After that, a civil autonomous administration was formed to run the affairs of the region. This civil administration is affiliated with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
The AANES was first formed in 2014 in the Kurdish-majority regions of Afrin, Kobani and Jazira in northern Syria following the withdrawal of the government forces. Later, it was expanded to Manbij, Tabqa, Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor after the SDF defeated ISIS militarily.
Recently, the countryside of Deir ez-Zor has witnessed an increase in killing cases carried out against the SDF fighters, tribal leaders, civilians, and employees of the Autonomous Administration though the SDF carries out intensive security operations.
On June 7, a leader of the SDF lost his life in a shooting by unidentified armed men in the town of Abu Hardoub, east of Deir ez-Zor, which the Islamic State Organization (ISIS) claimed responsibility for hours later.