ISIS attack kills at least 23 Syrian soldiers

At least 23 Syrian army soldiers have been killed in an attack on a bus carrying soldiers in eastern Syria. More than 10 were injured, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The organization added that ‘dozens of (other) soldiers’ were missing after the gunmen surrounded the bus and opened fire, and noted that it expected the death toll to rise. The Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group is believed to be behind the attack.

The bus was ambushed near the town of al-Mayadeen in the desert province of Deir Ez-Zor, which is controlled by Syrian forces. ISIS has not yet claimed responsibility for the attack. The Syrian news agency SANA reported the attack, but gave no details of casualties or who allegedly carried it out. There was also no immediate comment from either the Syrian army or the Syrian government.

The SOHR, a human rights organization monitoring the situation in Syria from the UK, calls it the bloodiest attack by ISIS in Syria this year. So far in 2023, some 225 soldiers from the Syrian army and associated militias have been killed in attacks by ISIS, SOHR said. The SOHR also reports that the number of ISIS attacks in Syria appears to be intensifying this year. Last Tuesday, at least 10 soldiers were killed by ISIS in an attack in northern Syria.

Last week, ISIS in Syria announced the death of its leader Abu Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurayshi, who had led the terrorist organization since November. He is the fourth to be killed since founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in northwest Syria in 2019. In an audio message, ISIS announced Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi as its new leader.