Suspected ISIS gunmen kill seven Syrians at Ramadan iftar meal
Suspected ISIS group gunmen have attacked a Ramadan gathering hosted by a former official of a Kurdish-led group in eastern Syria, killing seven and wounding four, opposition activists said Thursday.
The Thursday night attack in the Abu Khashab area in Deir el-Zour province targeted the home of a former spokesman with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Euphrates Post news website.
Euphrates Post said the gunmen arrived on motorcycles and opened fire as the group was having an iftar — the fast-breaking meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan — at the home of former SDF spokesman Nouri Hameesh, who was among those killed.
Three years after ISIS lost the last sliver of territory it controlled, its sleeper cells have been increasing attacks in recent months, mainly targeting the SDF but also forces from the Syrian government.
ISIS’ self-styled caliphate at its height covered a third of both of Iraq and Syria. The ensuing war against them lasted several years, killed thousands, and left large parts of the two neighboring countries in ruins.
The Associated Press
