Iraq News
Terrorism

Anti-ISIS convoy attacked in north-eastern al-Hasakeh

By AFP and Diyaruna staff

A military vehicle is on fire at the scene of a January 21st ISIS suicide attack on an SDF and coalition convoy on a road in Syria's north-eastern al-Hasakeh province. [AFP]

A military vehicle is on fire at the scene of a January 21st ISIS suicide attack on an SDF and coalition convoy on a road in Syria's north-eastern al-Hasakeh province. [AFP]

In the aftermath of a Monday (January 21st) "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) suicide attack on an international coalition and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) convoy in al-Hasakeh, the Arab-Kurd alliance vowed its fight will continue.

"A suicide attacker driving a bomb-laden car targeted a convoy of American forces accompanied by the SDF on al-Hasakeh-Shaddadi road" in north-eastern al-Hasakeh, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Monday.

While the Observatory reported that five members of the SDF had been killed in the attack, an international coalition spokesman reported there had been no US casualties, and the SDF reported only material losses.

ISIS claimed the attack via its propaganda channel Amaq.

"A suicide attack with a car bomb attempted to hit a common patrol of our fighters and the international coalition forces on mission on al-Shaddadi road," the SDF said in a statement carried by ANF News, a Kurdish agency.

"Our forces took the required measures and frustrated the attack attempt that only caused material damage," the statement said.

"Such attacks prove that ISIS is implementing a new strategy in the face of its collapse, has increased its attacks in this scope, and mobilised sleeper cells," it added.

"We will continue our task until we liberate the entire region from terror and destroy all the sleeper cells in order to prevent the re-emergence of the terrorist organisation and its reproduction under new names," the statement concluded.

No US casualties

The international coalition confirmed the attack by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), but said there were no US casualties.

"A combined US and Syrian partner force convoy was involved in an apparent VBIED attack today in Syria," coalition spokesman Sean Ryan said in a social media post. "There were no US casualties."

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said the attacker had ploughed into an SDF vehicle.

A witness told AFP the blast happened by a checkpoint held by Kurdish forces 12 kilometres outside al-Shaddadi as the convoy drove past.

The witness said he heard planes fly overhead, before the area was completely cordoned off by Kurdish fighters.

The Kurdish security forces, known as Asayesh, said the attack hit 10 metres from a checkpoint outside al-Shaddadi.

The SDF is fighting to expel ISIS fighters from their last holdout in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border.

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