The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

IED Attack Kills, Injures Several Turkish-Backed Militants In Northern Raqqa

On May 2, a vehicle of Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sharqiyah was attacked near the occupied town of Tell Abyad in the northern Raqqa countryside.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), an improvised explosive device (IED) ripped through the vehicle as it was mobbing on a road between the towns of Suluk and Hamam al-Turkman.

“Three [fighters] of Ahrar al-Sharqiyah were killed and two others were injured as a result,” the London-based monitoring group said in a report.

The attack may have been carried out by Kurdish forces, which used to control the region, or ISIS. The terrorist group’s cells are still active in different parts of Raqqa.

Another possibility is that the attack was an inside job. Ahrar al-Sharqiyah, which is known to be a hub for radicals, has many conflicts with other Turkish-backed groups. In the last few months only, the group’s militants were engaged in internal clashes on several occasions. Most recently, in the town of Jarabulus in northern Aleppo.

Turkish-occupied areas in northern and northeastern Syria are highly-unstable. Attacks as well as internal conflicts are taking place there on regular basis, with Turkish forces turning the blind eye on most cases.

Source: IED Attack Kills, Injures Several Turkish-Backed Militants In Northern Raqqa