ISIS kills, injures, captures pro-Iranian militants in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – On Saturday, ISIS militants killed five members of the pro-Iranian and Syrian government factions in the Syrian Desert in the western countryside of Deir ez-Zor, in addition to wounding and capturing other members.
A military source in the Iranian-backed al-Quds Brigade faction in the Deir ez-Zor countryside said that five Syrian members were killed, six others were wounded, and eight captured in an armed attack carried out by ISIS militants on the outskirts of al-Masrib desert, west of Deir ez-Zor.
ISIS militants targeted a joint patrol of the National Defense and al-Quds Brigade, which was carrying out a combing campaign in the desert, with TOW missiles, the source added to North Press on condition of anonymity.
The missile attack was followed by an exchange of fire with machine guns and RPGs between the two sides for more than an hour, during which ISIS militants managed to kill, capture, and wound the patrol members, then withdrew toward the depths of the desert, according to the same source.
Pro-Iranian militias control areas in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor, and most of their members come from nearby villages, in addition to those who hold Asian nationalities.
On August 21, five pro-Iranian militants were killed and eight others were captured in an ambush by ISIS in the town of al-Duwair, east of Deir ez-Zor.